Sometimes despite your best efforts, things don’t work out. Life is not fair sometimes and as my husband and I are starting to learn that also holds true for CSAs. A few weeks ago our CSA share was a pizza package. Seems like a great plan right? Who doesn’t love pizza? Well, I don’t but don’t hold it against me, I’m sure my explanation will prove my point.
Pizza… GOOD pizza is a lost art. Since the advent of unrefrigerated pre-cooked pizza shells, good pizza at home is a lost art. I know you may not believe me but good pizza is all about the dough. Anyone can go to the store and pick up some decent pepperoni, sausage, mozzarella, and tomatoes and get a fair result. But who is willing, with the availability of a cheap, and easier alternative, to put in the work to make a good homemade dough? Hopefully after reading this recipe, you will!
Ok so back to the CSA; they gave us some basil, tomatoes, Italian sausage, and two balls of frozen dough made by some hippy-dippy-trippy baker. Fast forward a couple weeks to a night when I would rather sit with my husband watching the game rather than slaving in the kitchen for dinner and I pull out the frozen dough balls. Ok, I realize frozen dough is not the same quality as my lovingly made semolina dough, but in a pinch, when I got it without asking for it, and would rather use it than let it go to waste, it will work. So I thaw it and use it to make what I guarantee was the WORST pizza on the planet. The cheese, sauce (store-bought, and though not my usual artistry, quite good), and toppings were all fine. The crust on the other hand, was AWFUL.
NO pizza and I mean NO pizza should have a crust made with whole wheat dough. Guess what?! The Italians don’t make whole wheat dough. They make semolina doughs for EVERYTHING. Go ahead try to serve an Italian a whole wheat dough pizza they will tell you it tastes like garbage. As much as everyone screams about whole wheat being the best, guess what? Semolina isn’t bad for you. The main difference is fiber. Semolina flour only has about seventy-five percent of the fiber whole wheat does. On the other hand, semolina has more protein and lower fat content than whole wheat. Now if you are eating a healthy balanced diet, missing that small amount of fiber shouldn’t be a big deal. And if you are really that concerned, by all means eat a salad of dark leafy greens before your pizza, it is a lot more vitamin rich, it will make up the difference of fiber, and it will taste a lot better.
After the whole wheat pizza fiasco, there really was no question. I had to make my own pizza, if for no other reason than to erase from our memories the fiasco of whole wheat crust. In making pizza dough, as with all other breads (and honestly, most baking) go by weight. Weight is a more accurate measure than volume for flour because flour can and will pack. Also, it will do you well to read my notes on yeasts, but I will not bore you with those now.
Ingredients:
- 6.5 oz all purpose flour
- 9.4 oz semolina flour
- 1 Tbsp yeast
- 1 tsp sugar or honey
- 1Tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/4 cups water, warm (between 110 and 120 F)
- 1 Tbsp salt
In a mixing bowl combine water, yeast and sugar. Cover and let sit until foamy (about fifteen minutes in a warm kitchen). While the yeast is working, mix the remainder of dry ingredients in another container (NOTE: you may want to throw the dry ingredients into your food processor to get a finer meal, however it is not required, so use your best judgement).
After the yeast mix has gotten foamy, add the olive oil. I prefer to use my stand mixer and dough hook for this dough but you can also just use your hands or a wooden spoon (if you don’t have a mixer use your hands, I promise you will get a better mix). In three additions, add the dry ingredients to the wet, mixing well after each addition. Once the dough comes together it should be a little tacky but not sticky.
Lightly flour a work surface and turn the dough out on it. Form the dough into a ball. Put the ball of dough in an oiled bowl and cover it with a damp cloth. Let it sit until doubled (about an hour and a half, adjusted based on the warmth of your kitchen). Turn the dough out and divide it into two sections (or four if you want smaller, personal sized pizzas). Cover, and let sit fifteen minutes before shaping. (The dough can also be frozen in balls at this state just make sure you remove all air from the packaging you are using).
Right before you are ready to put the sauce and toppings on, shape the doughs into discs about one inch thick on a dry surface sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover in sauce, cheese and toppings. Bake at 450 degrees until cheese is just starting to brown (between twelve and fifteen minutes).
