Fantabulous Family Style Pizza Recipes

FAMILY PIZZA

Steps:

• Make the dough: Whisk 1 1/4 cups warm water (95 degrees), yeast and sugar together in a bowl. Let stand in a warm place for 10 minutes, or until yeast is foamy.
• In a large bowl, whisk together bread flour and salt. Make a well in the center and add yeast mixture and oil. Using a wooden spoon, stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients until mixture is too stiff to stir, then mix with your hands until dough comes together and pulls away from sides of bowl. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead, adding only as much flour as necessary to prevent sticking, until smooth, elastic and only slightly sticky. Transfer dough to a large oiled bowl, turning to coat. Cover with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or overnight, until doubled in size.
• Punch down dough and turn it out onto a well-floured work surface. Divide into 8 pieces (about 4 ounces each) and shape each one into a ball. Cover with a tea towel and let stand for 15 minutes.
• Heat griddle pan over medium heat until very hot, about 5 minutes. Dust a large work surface with a mixture of flour and semolina. Pick up one of the dough balls and begin to pull and stretch dough into a circle, then lay on work surface and press into a thin round (about 8 inches), adding only enough flour and semolina to keep dough from sticking. Using one hand as a guide, slope a slightly thicker rim all around dough circle. Work quickly, and be careful not to overwork dough; if it resists or shrinks back, let it rest briefly before proceeding. (If you prefer, you can roll out dough with a rolling pin; lightly flour work surface and pin.) For larger pizzas, use 2 dough balls.
• Carefully place dough round on griddle pan and cook until barely tan on first side and browned in a few spots, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip crust over and cook until second side is completely dry, about 1 minute.
• Transfer crust to a wire rack or a baking sheet, brushing off any excess flour, and allow to cool. Repeat with remaining dough. (Parbaked crusts can be refrigerated overnight or frozen, well wrapped, for up to 2 weeks.
• Top and broil each pizza: Heat broiler and place a pizza stone or baking sheet inside to heat. Spread a very light coating of pesto evenly on crust, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Scatter mozzarella over pesto. (Don't put toppings on crust until ready to broil, to avoid sogginess.)
• Place pizzas on hot stone or pan; slide under broiler, about 4 inches from heat source; and broil for 7 or 8 minutes (or as long as needed), until toppings are heated or cooked through, or both, and crust is charred and blistered in spots. Watch closely so that ingredients don't burn, and move pizza around or lower broiler rack if necessary. (Depending on topping, bottom of crust may start to become soggy; you can slip pizza back onto griddle momentarily to recrisp.) Cut into slices and serve hot.

FANTABULOUS FAMILY-STYLE PIZZA

Steps:

• Combine warm water, yeast, and honey; let sit 5 minutes to dissolve and activate yeast.
• Stir together yeast mixture, water, olive oil, salt, and 1 cup flour; gradually add remaining flour, stirring, until dough comes together; knead (I use a KitchenAid stand mixer) for 10 minutes until soft, smooth, and elastic.
• Turn dough into a large oiled bowl; cover and allow to rise at room temperature for about 1 hour until doubled.
• Preheat oven to 450°; (to make an extra-large thick-crust pizza) spray a 12x17" baking sheet with no-stick cooking spray then sprinkle the sheet lightly with cornmeal; set aside.
• Punch down dough; turn out on a lightly floured surface and press dough out thinly into a fairly large rectangular shape; lift and transfer dough onto prepared baking sheet; press dough outward until it covers the baking sheet; form a ridge around the outer edge.
• Parbake pizza crust for 3-4 minutes (This is a good time to make your pizza sauce - Just stir the sauce ingredients together and it's done!).
• Remove parbaked pizza crust from oven and pat down any overly-puffed-up spots using with the palm of your hand or a clean kitchen towel; spread sauce evenly over surface of pizza crust; top pizza with layers of low-moisture part-skim Mozzarella cheese and your choice of pepperoni, canadian bacon, cooked sausage, sliced black olives, mushrooms, chopped green peppers, etc; lastly sprinkle a small amount of Cheddar cheese (for a bit of extra color) over the very top.
• Return pizza to oven and bake and additional 15 minutes until crust is golden-brown and cheese is melted, bubbly, and just beginning to brown.
• VARIATION: To make two 13" thin and crispy pizzas, decrease rising time of dough by about half and (here's the secret to a really good thin and crispy crust) place pizza stone into oven; preheat oven AND pizza stone to 450°.
• Punch down dough; divide into 2 equal portions; turn portions, one at a time, out on a lightly floured surface and press dough as thinly as possible into about about a 10" circular shape.
• Remove the hot pizza stone from the oven (place it onto the stove-top or onto a double-folded bath-towel set on the kitchen counter) and sprinkle it with cornmeal; carefully move dough (circle) onto the preheated pizza stone; continue pressing dough circle outward to cover pizza stone and form an outer ridge; and don't worry if you hear a faint sizzling sound or see bubbles forming in the uncooked dough during this step, that's what seems to always happens here!
• Parbake pizza crust for 3-4 minutes; remove from oven, pat down, and top as instructed above; return pizza to oven for 12-13 minutes until done. Enjoy!