Fantabulous Family-Style Pizza

Deb's Recipes's Note:

My family enjoys good take-out pizza but would gladly pass it up in favor of this, their favorite pizza! You may choose to make either an extra-large thick-crust pizza or two 13" thin and crispy pizzas using this recipe - I'm sharing my methods for making both styles of pizza here. Thanks to Chef Letty Flatt, long-time executive pastry chef for Deer Valley Resorts of Park City, Utah, for the pizza crust ingredients list which I've adjusted only minimally. Allow up to one hour extra time for the dough to rise.

• Total Time: 45 mins
• Prep Time: 27 mins
• Cook Time: 18 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 5

Pizza Crust

• 1/2 cup warm water (110 F)
• 1 (2 1/4 teaspoon) packet dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 3 3/4 cups flour
• cornmeal (for sprinkling)

No-Cook Pizza Sauce

• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 0.5 (6 ounce) can tomato paste (other half may be frozen for another pizza later)
• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• 3/4 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram or 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 dash garlic powder

Pizza Toppings

• low-moisture part-skim mozzarella cheese, grated
• cheddar cheese, grated
• pepperoni (also your choice of Canadian bacon, cooked sausage, sliced black olives, mushrooms, etc)

Directions:

1. Combine warm water, yeast, and honey; let sit 5 minutes to dissolve and activate yeast.
2. 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.
3. Turn dough into a large oiled bowl; cover and allow to rise at room temperature for about 1 hour until doubled.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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!).
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. 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°.
10. 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.
11. 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!
12. 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!

Reviews

[Vyxie's Kitchen]

Maybe it was because of the weather, but I had to mix in about 1 more cup of flour and I was using a stand mixer. After that the dough was still very very soft. This was very tasty though, and I will certainly make it again. Thanks!

[COMOCOOK]

I love this pizza crust! I've made it about 5 times now, various versions of thick and thin crusts and it always turns out great. I do mix mine by hand though, so I usually end up working in almost a cup more flour into the dough, otherwise it's just too sticky to work. I make a similar sauce, using tomato puree instead of the sauce/paste mix, and I leave out the sugar. Thanks for the great recipe.

[Chef #470447]

I just bought a standing mixer and used the dough hook, talk about e-z. I made the thick crust, next time I'll try the thin.The sauce was great and simple!! I'll make it again and again. I need to buy more pizza pans and bring some to work for a treat for my co-workers.