The original origin of pizza is not clear whether it was in Italy or Greece, but when these flat breads became popular in the streets of Naples in the mid 1800’s they began to be know as pizza.
We love fresh, homemade pizza and recently had a pizza class that was lots of fun. The main things to pay attention to are the dough and the sauce! After that you can top your pizza with whatever you would like. Be creative, have fun! We would love to hear from you and find out what combinations you like best!
Tomato Herb Pizza Sauce
This is a basic sauce recipe and can be refrigerated for about a week or frozen and used later. A good sauce can “make the pizza”.
- 28 ounce can chopped tomatoes (Or 28 ounces of fresh home grown peeled tomatoes)
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1 medium onion, finely minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, minced
- URBANherbal Tomato Basil Savory Salt and Fresh Ground Black Pepper
Combine all of the above ingredients in the bowl of a food processor except the Salt and Pepper. Process until smooth. Season to taste with the Salt and Pepper. Use as needed. The rest of the sauce can be frozen in small batches for use later.
Pizza Dough
Makes dough for 4 10 inch pizzas
- 9 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 cups all-purpose flour
Combine 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, yeast, sugar, salt and 2 cups of 115 degree water in a bowl, stirring to blend. Set aside until foamy, about 10 minutes. Stir in the flour to form a smooth dough.
Transfer to a floured work surface and knead until the dough is smooth, 8 to 10 minutes.
Form the dough into a ball and place in a large, lightly oiled bowl, turning to coat all sides with the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside until tripled in bulk, about 3 hours.
Punch the dough down and divide into four equal parts, forming each portion into a ball. Wrap each ball in plastic wrap and place into zip sealing bags. Allow the dough to sit in the refrigerator for two days before using. The dough can also be frozen for later use.
To make the pizza, place pizza stone on a rack in the lower third of your oven with the temperature set at 500 degrees for 1 hour. Transfer 1 dough ball to a flour 17 x 13 piece of parchment paper. Working from the center, gently flatten the dough using your fingertips, leaving the edges thicker than the center. Stretch the dough to a 10 inch diameter.
Cover loosely with a towel and let the dough rest for about 15 minutes.
Brush the edges of the dough with olive oil. Spread ½ cup pizza sauce over the dough, leaving about 1 inch border. Top the sauce with whatever ingredients you want. Transfer the dough from the parchment paper to the pizza stone and bake for about 15 minutes, or until browned Remove pizza with a large spatula, slice and serve.
Topping Ideas:
- Margherita Pizza with Mozzarella Cheese & Fresh Basil Leaves to garnish
- Artichoke and Brie Pizza
- Four Cheese Pizza (Mozzarella, Blue Cheese, Cheddar Cheese and Brie)
- Meat Lovers Pizza (ham, pepperoni, mushrooms, pastrami, red bell peppers, mozzarella cheese and cheddar cheese.
- Pepperoni & Red Onion Pizza
- Sirloin & Blue Cheese Pizza
- Dessert Pizza (omit the Pizza sauce and add peaches, sliced, brown sugar & butter
- Breakfast Pizza with bacon, eggs and your choice of cheese
- Valentine’s Pizza with bacon, Camembert Cheese, Arugula & Scallops ( cut the dough in a heart shape)
- Mexican Pizza with Chorizo, Manchego Cheese, Mozzarella Cheese & Jalapenos
- Mini Pizza’s make little dough balls about 2 to 3 inches pressed and put your desired topping on.