LOVE PIZZA...A SUNDAY NIGHT TRADITION
Here are a couple of secrets about us:
We like to eat pizza.
We're sort of lazy cooks.
We've already revealed a few secrets about the wine industry in previous blog posts, but now it's time to get personal. Real personal. And it's called Love Pizza. Now, the genesis of the name is somewhat in question, but we share it with those we love...and we think you're alright :)
We already know: put the word “homemade” in front of anything, and people think difficult. So given Secrets 1 &2, you must now that we're not going to be in the kitchen all day.
The real secret of the operation is having the right equipment. We rely on the KitchenAid stand mixer to do the grunt work and the pizza stone to deliver a crispy crust. So here it is:
Homemade Pizza Dough
1 1/2 tsp rapid rise yeast
1 1/2 cup room temp water
2 tsp salt
3 tbsp olive oil
4 - 4 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting (depending on consistency)
Combine first four ingredients in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. Turn mixer on low speed and gradually add 4 c flour (or if you're lazy like we are, you can dump it all in at once and let the mixer do the job you hired it to do). Once all the flour has been incorporated, additional flour may be added until the dough comes together in a ball. It should still be slightly sticky but not wet.
Turn off mixer. Sprinkle top of dough generously with flour (about 1/4 cup) and knead it a few times until it has lost its tackiness. Shape it into a ball and place in a medium-large bowl. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and set aside to rise until it is double in size (2-3 hrs).
Once dough has risen, use a bench scraper to gather it back into a ball, using flour generously to make it less sticky.
If time allows, repeat the rising process. Otherwise, use a bench scraper to cut the dough into two equal parts. Use a generous amount of flour and shape each piece into a ball. Set them aside to relax for 5-10 min, and preheat your oven (or your grill!) to 450 degrees. Attention: a pizza stone is essential in preventing the dough from falling through the grates in your oven or grill and giving you a nice, crispy crust. If you do not have one - and this recipe has not yet convinced you to obtain one - a cookie sheet will do.
While your oven preheats and your dough is relaxing, prepare your ingredients.
On a well-floured surface, roll out pizza dough to the desired thickness. Transfer to a piece of parchment paper. Add toppings. Place the whole kit and caboodle in the oven (or grill!) and bake for 12 min.
That's it. Oh, and since this is a wine blog, I guess we'll make a recommendation on wine. Some of the most versatile wines that go with pizza are simple white wines (Loire Valley, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Blanc). We’d suggest our 2021 White Blend! And a variety of reds (Zinfandel, Cab Franc, Côtes du Rhône). The 2017 Deux is always an easy partner with pizza. And, our Proprietary Red Blend is 78% Mourvedre, 20% Zinfandel, and a splash of Grenache. Check it out!
Share your favorite pizza pairings with us! Drop a comment below!
Cheers and happy Sunday evenings!
-Brian