Tag pizza

Tired of those delivery boxes piling up? Make your own pizza at home!

When I was a kid, Friday night pizza parties were the highlight of the week. We’d order pizza from our favorite delivery place, carefully crafting the perfect pie from the list of standard toppings. Now that I’m older, I’ve realized that a real pizza party can be so much more.

Take your childhood memories and kick them up a notch with our recipe for Cornmeal Pizza Dough. Forget the standard marinara sauce and pepperoni slices – the sky is the limit when you make your own pizza at home. Try an Indian curry sauce for an ethnic twist on the Italian classic, or get in touch with your sweet side with a dessert pizza. Host a pizza party with family and friends and have everyone make their own mini pizza!

Need ideas? Check out these great recipes for Pizza with Spicy Lamb, Tomatoes and Cilantro or Smoked Eggplant Pizza with Roasted Red Bell Pepper Pesto and Goat Cheese.

Cornmeal Pizza Dough

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon granulated sugar or honey

1 cup warm water (110º to 115ºF—warm to the touch like bathwater, but not hot)

1/4 ounce (2 teaspoons) active dry yeast

2 1/4 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour

3/4 cup fine cornmeal

1/4 cup coarse cornmeal (polenta)

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Flour (unbleached, all-purpose) for dusting/kneading dough

Polenta or semolina flour for dusting pizza peel

Olive oil for the rising dough and for brushing the rolled-out dough

Cook’s note: Be sure to use liquid measuring cups for liquid and solid measuring cups for the solids.  For measuring solids, apply the scoop and sweep method.

Method/Steps:

Proof the Yeast: In a small bowl, dissolve the sugar into the warm water.  (Use an instant-read thermometer for temperature accuracy.) Sprinkle the yeast over the water/sugar mixture and stir gently until it dissolves, about 1 minute.  Let the mixture sit in a warm spot until a thin layer of foam covers the surface, about 5 minutes, indicating that the yeast is effective.  (If the bubbles have not formed within 5 minutes, discard the mixture and start over.)

Make Dough: Make the dough: In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, 2 types of cornmeal and salt.  Make a well in the center of the flour and pour the yeast/water mix and the oil into the well.   Using a wooden spoon, stir the flour into the well a little at a time, until the flour is incorporated and the dough just begins to hold together. (If using a standing mixer, transfer the dough to a mixing bowl and insert the dough hook.  For kneading the dough in a mixer, follow the instructions listed in bold below).

Knead/Rise: Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface.  Dust your hands with flour and knead the dough gently as follows: press down on the dough with the heels of your hands and push it away from you, then partially fold it back over itself.  Shift it in a quarter turn and repeat the procedure.  Continue kneading until the dough is smooth and elastic, 9-10 minutes. (If using and mixer, turn the machine on setting number 3 and let the mixer knead the dough for only 5 minutes).  Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a well-oiled bowl, turning to coat it completely on all sides with oil. (This prevents a hard crust from forming that would inhibit rising.)  Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap to prevent moisture loss.  Set the dough to rise in a warm, draft-free place (75º – 85ºF), until doubled in volume, about 1- 1 1/2 hours.

Preheat oven: Place a pizza stone in the bottom of the oven.  Preheat the oven to 500ºF at least an hour before cooking the pizza. The oven should be VERY hot.

Roll It Out: Once the dough has doubled in bulk, remove the dough from the bowl and cut in half.  Do not work the dough at this point, as it will make it too elastic when you try to roll it out.  Instead, generously dust the dough with flour and begin to roll out.  If the dough is too elastic, let it rest, covered for 15 minutes then try rolling again.  Do this until the dough is rolled to your desired thickness.

Add Topping: Transfer the dough to a pizza peel that has been dusted generously with polenta or semolina flour. Brush the crust with olive oil.  Form a rim around the edge and fill with your favorite ingredients.

Cook Pizza: Transfer to the pizza stone and bake until golden, about 10-15 minutes.

Bon Appetit!

Cooking Class: Pizza on the Grill

Get dressed to grill!  I love this time of year because it is time to dust off the cobwebs on the grill.  Grilling adds depth and flavor to foods but most people are only comfortable grilling meats and fish.  In my hands-on cooking classes and at our cooking parties, we like to get people out of their grilling comfort zone and show them other items are delicious when grilled.  Here are a few of my favorites:

  • Grill fruit like peaches and plums for a salad or as an accompaniment to a polenta or pound cake that has been brushed with butter then grilled for a about 30 seconds a side
  • Grilled romaine or radicchio for a salad then top the salad with thinly sliced grilled lemons and grilled Halloumi cheese
  • Grill olive-oil-brushed bread for a crostini, for a bread salad or on skewers (along with lemons and Halloumi)  Check out our Grilled Chicken Skewers with Lemons and Salsa Verde Recipe.
  • For a twist, grill oysters until they open then brush them with barbecue sauce or a dollop of lemon relish. Try our Barbecued Oysters On The Half Shell Recipe.

Lamb Pizza PhotoBut my favorite grilled dish is pizza.  Recently, I had friends over for dinner and made a lamb pizza cooked on the grill.  Check out the photo of the pizza and recipe here.

Tips for Grilling Pizza:

There are a few ways to successfully grill a pizza.  The first is to put a pizza stone directly on the grill.  Close the grill lid and let the stone heat for 30-45 minutes.  Roll out pizza dough then transfer to a cornmeal-dusted pizza peel, transfer the pizza directly to the stone.   Immediately add the toppings close the grill and cook until the crust is golden and the cheese is melted.

The second method is cooking the pizza directly on the grill.  Heat your grill for 30 minutes.  Using a grilling or pastry brush, brush your dough with olive oil.  Transfer the pizza to the grill, oil side down.  Cook the pizza for about one or two minutes, until the pizza starts to develop a crust.  While waiting for it to cook, brush the side facing up with olive oil.  Once the side facing down has developed the crust, turn the pizza over and quickly add the topping.  Close the lid to the grill so that the toppings can melt.  Let the pizza finish cooking for about 3-4 minutes or until the bottom is well browned and the toppings are melted.

Serve hot off the grill!

Contributed by Bibby Gignilliat