Everyone loves pizza night but it’s even more fun when you make it yourself! There are endless combinations to make your perfect pizza. Chef Jenn stopped by to give some tips and tricks to creating the ultimate pizza pie.
Ingredients:
- 3 1/2 to 4 cups bread flour, plus more for rolling
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 envelope instant dry yeast
- 1 envelope instant dry yeast
- 1 1/2 cups water, 110 degrees F
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus 2 teaspoons
Preparation:
1. Combine the bread flour, sugar, yeast and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and combine. While the mixer is running, add the water and 2 tablespoons of the oil and beat until the dough forms into a ball. If the dough is sticky, add additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough comes together in a solid ball. If the dough is too dry, add additional water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead into a smooth, firm ball.
2. Grease a large bowl with the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil, add the dough, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put it in a warm area to let it double in size, about 1 hour. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into 2 equal pieces. Cover each with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let them rest for 10 minutes.
When making a pizza, you can't go wrong with traditional pizza sauce. But if you're feeling adventurous, try some of these other tasty options:
· Olive oil
· Pesto
· BBQ sauce
· Buffalo sauce
· Alfredo
· Hummus
Then to "top" it all off, add some toppings to balance out the flavor of the selected sauce. From meats and cheeses, to delicious vegetables, there's room for just about anything to put on top of a pizza.
Chef Jenn says for successful toppings, try to think of flavor balance when creating a pizza; depending on the sauce you pick, you may want some toppings that are more acidic or maybe a little sweeter to balance flavors. If you’re using vegetables, it’s always a good idea to precook them to prevent extra moisture from getting on your pizza.
Some restaurants take their pizza game to the next level by finishing it with flavorful oils or fresh herbs. You can do the same thing at home to really bring out the flavors. Here are some of my favorite finishing items:
· Balsamic reduction
· Parmesan cheese
· Fresh basil
· Microgreens
· Dressed salad greens
· Hot sauce
· Kimchi
· Mustard seeds
· Flavored oil oils
For more recipes and cooking tips, visit jennywiththegoodeats.com or follow her on Instagram.
