Classic Pepperoni Pizza

Waiting.

How much time in our lives do we spend waiting?

We wait till we’re tall enough to go on that ride, only to ride it, puke and never want to ride it ever again.

We wait for summers then proceed to crank up the AC to freezing cold once it hits the 100s.

We wait for Fridays – our second favorite F word. First is food, guys. Food. What were you thinking?

We wait for all the idiots curious people slowing down for an accident on the other side of the freeway.

We’re still waiting for the time when we can actually apply ANY math formula we’ve learned in school.

We wait for that darn pizza.

Growing up without an oven in the kitchen, pizza was an outside affair. Since my family only ate out on weekends, that means weekends were the only possible time I got to eat pizza. Since there were so many other food choices other than pizza, that means there was a long wait till it was pizza night. Since most of my family members weren’t in favor of pizza…… in other words, pizza was a rare thing. A real special treat.

Specialty pizza joints didn’t exist back then so we only went to ‘fast food pizza’ places. Armed with the knowledge that walking into McDonalds or KFC, I’d get my meal pretty much right away yet I was still a kid with no sense of time whatsoever where five minutes felt like an eternity, imagine how waiting for pizza was a confusing torture for me. Where’s the pizza? 

From the time the order went in (always, always… pepperoni pizza for me), there would be a temporary zombie apocalypse going on our table due to all that hunger (mostly I was creating havoc). Yes, there was garlic bread, but those don’t last.

But boy oh boy, when the pizza arrived, it just seemed like heaven’s gate opening and I was looking at a glowing winged angel (yes, there must be an angelic imagery to the waitress) handing over a precious gift. There’s really no better feeling than digging into warm pizza with all that ooey gooey, melting cheese. Just like the ads.

When I learned that pizza can be ready in 10 minutes in the oven… my very own oven, Lea Michele and Cory Monteith and the entire cast were singing in my living room. Literally. There was just that much glee. Everything about this recipe is easy. Easy pizza dough, easy pizza sauce and easy toppings. And let’s just say nothing beats watching that cheese bubbling away action in your oven…. unless… you’re watching The Avengers. But hey, why not watch the latter while eating the former. Woot!

My last post: Beef Satay

What’s your favorite pizza?

Classic Pepperoni Pizza                Makes four 12″ round (1/2″ thick) pizza

what you need:

Pizza crust
20 oz or 2 1/2 cup water (115 F)
1 tsp sugar
2 packs active dry yeast (4 1/2 tsp)
29.75 oz all purpose flour (7 cups scoop and sweep)
1 tbs salt
2 tsp Italian seasoning (optional, for extra flavor)
1/4 cup olive oil and more for brushing

Pizza sauce  (Makes 2 cups sauce)
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
2 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried parsley
3/4 – 1 tsp salt (depending on how salty the pepperoni is)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 dried thyme
1/4 red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp black pepper

Toppings
12 oz pepperoni
1 large red bell pepper, sliced and sauteed
1 large onion, sliced and sauteed
6-8 cups mozzarella and or Parmesan cheese

directions:

Pizza Crust

1. Dissolve the sugar in water. Add the yeast, give it a quick stir and let sit for 15 minutes.

2. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and Italian seasoning. Pour the yeast mixture in, roughly mix it into a dough and let sit for a couple minutes. Add the oil and incorporate it into the dough (Adding the oil last allows complete hydration of the flour before the oil is introduced).

3. Turn the dough over onto a floured surface. Knead for 8-10 minutes. Lightly dust with flour each time the dough feels too sticky. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a plastic wrap and let rise until double in size (about 1 hour). Best result is to let dough rise slowly in the refrigerator 3 – 5 days.

4. Set the rack on the 2nd lowest level for baking sheet and 2nd highest level for stone. Place a large baking sheet (upside down) or a pizza stone on the appropriate rack. Preheat the oven to 500 F or the highest setting. Let it heat for at least 1/2 hour, preferably 1 hour.

5. Divide the dough into four portions and place each dough on a piece of parchment paper (make sure paper is at least 13″ wide).

6. Gently press the dough down with your fingertips and shape it into a 12″ circle, leaving the rim 1/2″ thicker than the center. Sprinkle on some flour if it’s too sticky to shape. If you feel that the dough keeps pulling back when you’re trying to stretch it, let it rest a couple minutes and try to stretch again.

7. Use a fork, lightly poke holes on the crust (this is so the crust doesn’t develop overly large bubbles). Brush a little olive oil on the crust (this keeps moisture from making the crust soggy, gives color, adds flavor and helps the cooking process).

Assemble and bake

1. Spread 1/2 cup pizza sauce on the crust, add 1/4 of the toppings and 1/4 of the cheese. Slide the pizza onto a pizza peel.

2. Hold the pizza peel and carefully transfer the pizza onto the baking sheet or stone (with the parchment paper).

3. Bake the pizza for 9-11 minutes until the crust has turned black on the edges and the cheese has browned to your liking. Let cool for a couple minutes before slicing and serving. Brush cooked pizza edges with olive oil and garnish with more cheese, chili flakes, pepper or spices (optional).

4. Repeat baking with remaining pizza. While each pizza is baking, shape and prepare the next pizza.

Notes:

1. I usually use half the dough to make 2 pizza and freeze the remaining risen dough for future use. If you want to do so, wrap the dough loosely in a plastic wrap, place them in a freezer bag and freeze. Thaw the dough overnight in the fridge or for 2-3 hours at room temperature, then shape, spread on sauce and toppings and bake.

3. You can shape your pizza thinner or thicker, rectangle or square if you want to. Just know that the size and shape of pizza will affect the bake time.