After finding another bread book at a garage sale, I found a new formula (recipe) for making a tasty herb pizza dough. I haven't made this into a pizza instead I incorporated this into a buffalo chicken garbage bread. I'll include a link to this recipe at the end of the post.
First off this is a bread machine recipe. Meaning the easiest way to make this is just using the dough setting on your bread machine. If you don't have a bread machine they are usually a dime a dozen at thrift stores because most people never use them. Sorry I don't have weights at this time. I'll try to update the post with them at a later date.
Yields one 14" thin crust
Ingredients:
Warm water (110 - 115F): 2/3 c
Salt: 1/2 tsp
Bread Flour: 2-1/4 c
Sugar: 1 tsp
Dried rosemary leaves: 1tsp
Dried oregano leaves: 1/2 tsp
Ground black pepper: 1/4 tsp
Dried thyme leaves: 1/4 tsp
Active dry yeast: 2 tsp
Place all ingredients into bread machine pan then set bread machine to dough setting. Once finished (70-90 minutes depending on the bread machine) remove from bread pan and let rest for 2-3 minutes.
Then stretch dough into pizza pan or Peel and prepare pizza.
Questions? Comments? Let me know below in the comments section.
Over the years I've mixed and matched different recipes when it comes to making pizzas. Some pizza doughs have been tasty and others never again meet the scorching heat of a oven. This recipe is one I started using more recently because of the texture and taste. It takes a bit longer than most pizza dough recipes that can go raw ingredients to oven in under 2 hours but, it's worth it.
Yields: 6 10" pizzas
Total Time: 7-20 hours but ~50 minutes of active work.
Ingredients
Poolish
Bread flour: 1-2/3 c (220 g)
Water (70F): 1 c (220 g)
Instant yeast: Pinch (.25 g)
Final dough:
Bread flour: 7 c (1000 g)
Water (80F): 2-1/4 c (500 g)
Instant yeast: 1-1/4 tsp (4 g)
Salt: 4 tsp (26 g)
Cornmeal: 2 tsp (10 g)
Savory oil mix (Olive oil with your choice of spices): 2 tbsp (35 g)
Poolish: All of it.
Night Before making poolish:
Mix together the flour, water and pinch of yeast. This mixture will be very sticky. Store in a covered container with plastic wrap. I used a covered container but found within 3 hours the top popped off from the pressure inside. Let poolish sit at room temperature overnight (12-16 hours).
Next morning Making the final dough:
In the quantities above, this will take at least a 5-quart mixer to make the dough.
Also although common sense use a dough hook when making it. For some reason when making this batch I used my mixing attachment instead of a dough hook.
Add all the ingredients into the bowl and mix.
Mix on low speed for 4 minutes then medium speed for 2-3 minutes.
When done remove the dough and place it into non-stick cooking spray coated pan. Cover and let rest in a warm pace for 45 minutes.
After the dough has rested for 45 minutes give it one stretch and fold as indicated in the video above from weekendbakery.com.
Cover again and let rest for another 45 minutes.
Divide dough evenly into 6 pieces (roughly 220 g each)
Then place on a sheet pan and cover with plastic then set in refrigerator to rest for another 4-6 hours.
I generally place the dough into plastic wrap and then place it in the freezer so it can be used at a later date. When using frozen dough let it warm up in the refrigerator overnight. Usually I let it sit for 24 hours in the refrigerator before using it.
Below is a note I had wrote on my Facebook page a long time ago, ok September 2009, I had forgot about. The note included some of my ramblings about making pizzas, which at that point I was just beginning to fall into that slippery slope of baking bread in a oven instead of a bread machine. That said enjoy my old-ish ramblings about making pizzas. As an aside I still use some of these techniques and ideas in my current baking. -Dan
After baking bread often last year (my roommates can attest to the many different kinds loafs of bread) I tried to take it one-step further. What came about was well rather flat in one respect, fun, and unique in the other. It's amazing what one basic dough recipe can transform into when you take it a step further. When it comes down to it, I've learned more than my fair share of mixing flavors in baking pizzas. Talking to a few friends, most people say what makes a pizza is the sauce. I'll agree with that but for me that's not the pivotal point on a pizza. For me it's the Crust. Thin, Thick, Stuffed, or dessert or whatever way you like to throw it what goes into the dough it the one thing people will remember because it's "usually" the last thing their taste buds will remember. Therefore, here are a few tips I've come to live by through trial and error when making pizzas.
NEVER, buy a pre-made or packaged instant crust
If you’re going to add spices to a crust, know what the toppings on top and sauce are going to be and use spices in the crust to accent them.
Adding a hard cheese (Parmesan, Romano, or Asiago) within crust can help make it softer
Milk can add just the right amount of creamy texture
don’t be afraid to mix a little of the sauce into the crust to bring out a little extra flavor and it's something most people never expect
sugar or a sweetener is great but not in excess because you risk killing the yeast
Sea salt over convention table salt
Use bread flour not multipurpose because throwing will be 10X easier
Don’t be afraid of trying something new because unique isn’t boring, it either a hit or back to the drawing board.
After baking bread often last year (my roommates can attest to the many different kinds loafs of bread) I tried to take it one-step further. What came about was well rather flat in one respect, fun, and unique in the other. It's amazing how one basic dough recipe can transform into when you take it a step further. When it comes down to it, I've learned more than my fair share of mixing flavors in baking pizzas. Talking to a few friends, most people say what makes a pizza is the sauce. I'll agree with that, but for me that's not the pivotal point on a pizza. For me it's the Crust. Thin, Thick, Stuffed, or dessert or whatever way you like to throw it. The crust is one thing people will remember because it's "usually" the last thing their taste buds will remember. Unless they eat it backward, but that's whole different discussion. Therefore, here are a few tips I've come to live by through trial and error when making pizzas.
-NEVER, buy a pre-made or packaged instant crust. If you want to make a pizza right put some time into it!
-If you’re going to add spices to a crust, know what the toppings on top and sauce are going to be. Then use spices in the crust to accent them.
-Adding a hard cheese (Parmesan, Romano, or Asiago) within crust can help make it softer
-Milk can add just the right amount of creamy texture while corn meal can add that just right pizza grit.
-Don’t be afraid to mix a little of the sauce into the crust to bring out a little extra flavor and it's something most people never expect
-Blend different flours i.e. Wheat and white flour.
-Sugar or a sweetener is great but not in excess because you risk killing the yeast
-Sea salt over convention table salt
-Use bread flour not multipurpose because throwing will be a lot easier
-If your in a pinch for time us a bread machine to kneed your dough then store it by either freezing it or in the refrigerator until you use it (1-2 days max)
-Ovens are great but if you want to have more control over the baking a "Pizzazz Pizza Oven" is also a useful alternative with no pre heating and can cut down on your energy usage if you want to be "green"...
-For College students I would recommend buying two things if your interested in making pizzas. First buy a bread machine they are usually cheap (5-10 dollars) at a thrift store and most likely not used because the average person who buys one uses it 2 or 3 times. In addition, buy a Pizzazz. Since your usually in a pinched for time this will help by freeing up a little extra time during the prep work.
-Don’t be afraid of trying something new because unique isn’t boring, it either a hit or back to the drawing board.
I'll be taking a little detour from cars, weather, and adjusting topics to something a little different. I'm going to talk a bit about food. A few of my friends along with family have begun to realize I've got a knack for cooking. That said my specialty dish is best described as how they say it over in Jersey, "Pies." For the rest of us my specialty is making pizzas.
The basics of a pizza are dough, sauce, and toppings. Simple, a bag of instant dough by just adding water, tomato paste and some cheese and you’re done. Right... actually, if I made them that simple I'd probably be looking for something else to prepare. From the first time I attempted to make a pizza to one of my modern creations the process that use that goes into one of my pies has not only evolved, but it's never the same.
I'll be the first to admit my first solo attempt making a pizza was a disaster waiting to happen. I had found a package of instant dough and everything else I wanted on the pizza. From what I remember, I did 3-4 thing wrong. First, the pan was too small, the oven wasn't at the right temperature + I didn't bake it long enough, and the dough had too much water put into it. What came out was a pizza with a burnt bottom and top plus doughy middle that was almost impossible to eat. After that disaster, I vowed I wouldn't make another pizza from scratch. That was 7 years ago. Five years later, my sister and cousin wanted to be adventurous and make a pizza. We bought everything at Cub Foods, including a pre-made already pressed crust. My job was simple, cut the crust out of the plastic wrap... yeah simple... long story short the crust went flying and I ended up have to re-throw it, but the pizza overall was really good (macaroni and red pepper topping w/ a Alfredo sauce). After this attempt at making a pizza that actually turned out, I did a little rethinking on that vow I made years back.
From that pizza onward, I worked on different types of crusts. Some with milk, others with wheat, even others with sauce and cheeses mixed in with the crust. With every pizza I make I try to do something different either with the crust or toppings, but something has to be unique to it otherwise it's just like any other previous pizza.
A while back, I wrote a few things down pertaining to things I I've tried. I'll see if I can find it again and post my tips along w/ a few photos of pizzas that have come from my kitchen.
