Monday, December 10, 2007

Goat Cheese Pizza

Lately I have been working on getting pizza dough, hence crust, right. An inspiration was a new cast iron griddle that makes a great pizza pan. Here is one of my current faves. I do not measure so the amounts are a guess. This makes a 10" pizza.
But first, a note about the ingredients: I use a vacuumed packed instant yeast that I bought at Sam's and keep wrapped in the freezer. The flour needs to be a good bread flour. Just like any other recipe, the finished product is only as good as the ingredients.
Pizza Crust: In a bowl place about 1-2 cups of flour, about a scant teaspoon of yeast, a good shake of salt (Kosher seems to give the best results), and a tablespoon or two of olive oil. Mix. Add about a half cup or so of very warm tap water. Stir with a spoon til you can feel the yeast at work. Add some more flour til the dough comes together and isn't sticky. The you can pour it onto a floured surface and knead while adding in a little more flour. This will take 3-5 minutes. Ball it up. Pour a little olive oil in the bowl and swish it aroung so it will cover the sides. Place the ball of dough in the bowl so the oil covers the bottom and then turn it over, oily side up. Cover and let rise in a warm place til double. About an hour.
Meanwhile: You can chop or slice what you want to put on it. Definitely thinly sliced roma tomatoes, red onion, maybe some peppers and mushrooms of your choice, and set aside. Tonight I used some finely sliced zucchini and it did well. I have found that less is better. It is a more delicate pizza and tastes better with fewer seasonings and toppings. Preheat the oven to a high setting, say 425.
Finishing: When the dough has risen, punch it down and let it rest a couple of minutes. Then take it out and start spreading the dough on a greased sheet or a great little cast iron griddle (can't toss and do the Italian thing) giving it an edge. Then I spread on a little olive oil and sprinkle on some Italian seasoning or any mixture thereof and some Parmesan cheese. Tonight I baked it about 5 minutes before putting the toppings on. (Still experimenting.) After the veggie toppings, crumble some good goat cheese on top. Bake til the golden brown shade of your choice.
Enjoying: Slice. Tonight I made some traditional pizza dipping sauce, too. Serve with the adult beverage of your choice. It was all quite deliziosa.

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