Three Layer Cake

Pizza Dough – makes 4 pizzas, approximately 10”/25cm in diameter

• 400g flour
• 200ml – 300ml mineral water
• Yeast:  1 package active dry yeast (7g) or 25g fresh yeast
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2T olive oil

(If you don't think you can do that, either have someone do it for you, or buy readymade crust, like Pillsbury and get it as flat as you can, or try a prebaked crust.)

It’s not so easy to tell someone how to make pizza dough if they don’t already know how to work with yeast.  If you are using dry yeast for the first time, follow the instructions for proofing that are on the jar or envelope.  Set the yeast aside in its bowl (with the correct temperature water) to proof for 5 to 10 minutes.  If foam hasn’t started to form within the first few minutes, something is wrong.  In the meantime, pour the flour in a large wide bowl with as flat a bottom possible, stir in the salt, and pour in the olive oil.  Make a well in the middle of the flour.

Once the yeast has proofed, while stirring with a sturdy mixing spoon, pour 250ml of the water into the flour.  I think it’s always better to add too much water than too little, so if you’re worried, add all the water, and if the dough is too stick after you’ve kneaded it, you can add a little more flour.  At this point, I can’t describe in words how you’ll know if the mixture is right, but you should knead the dough vigorously for 10 – 15 minutes until it is smooth and an indentation does not rise back immediately.

Put the dough in a lightly greased container, cut an X on the top of it (A sealable Rubbermaid graduated bin is great, otherwise, any bowl that’s three times the capacity of the dough is fine), cover the container with Saran Wrap and put a rubber band or string around it to secure it and let it sit in a warm place, free of drafts, until it doubles in volume.  Turn the oven to its highest temperature.  If you’d like a high crust pizza, after the dough has doubled, about an hour, punch it down and let it rise some more.  Alternatively, at this point you can divide the the dough into pizzas, and top them, and let them sit for another hour before putting them in the oven.  This second rise will produce a higher crust pizza. 

Extend the pizza dough using your hands (there’s a reason behind that little pizza twirling on the fists stereotype!).  Use of a rolling pin could make the dough spring back to its smaller size when placed in the oven!  Once you’ve gotten to almost the right size, place it on a lightly oiled piece of foil, or the pan you’ll be cooking it in.  Work with it until it reaches the diameter you’d like and being sure not to spread it too thin that it gets holes.  If you’re putting tomato sauce on it, be sure to leave a small uncovered area around the edge, about one finger’s width.  This is where your crust will puff up.  If you put sauce all the way to the edge, you’ll have no crust!

intro photo: Valerie Loiseleux