Pizza Night!

Yesterday, I made lots of pizzas! And the night before that, I made the pizza dough. I followed Alton Brown's recipe as best I could, which turned out to be pretty good, but not at all near as bready as I would like it. Next time, I'll just use the whole dough for one pizza instead of splitting it into two. Despite it's thinness, the taste and texture were perfect. PS: I prefer bready pizzas.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoon kosher salt (we have the small flakes)
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 cup warm water
2 cups all purpose flour
2 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
2 teaspoons olive oil
Olive oil, for the pizza crust
Flour, for dusting the pizza peel

Directions:

Dissolve a sprinkle of the sugar into the warm water. Then sprinkle in the yeast and let sit for about five minutes or until foamy.

Place the sugar, salt, olive oil, 1 cup of flour, yeast mixture, and remaining cup of flour into a standing mixer's work bowl. Using the paddle attachment, start the mixer on low and mix until the dough just comes together, forming a ball. Lube the hook attachment with cooking spray. Attach the hook to the mixer and knead for 15 minutes on medium speed.

Tear off a small piece of dough and flatten into a disc. Stretch the dough until thin. Hold it up to the light and look to see if the baker's windowpane, or taut membrane, has formed. If the dough tears before it forms, knead the dough for an additional 5 to 10 minutes. I think this part was really useful.

Roll the pizza dough into a smooth ball on the countertop. Place into a stainless steel or glass bowl. Add 2 teaspoons of olive oil to the bowl and toss to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 18 to 24 hours.

Preheat oven to 500°F. 

Split the pizza dough into 2 equal parts using a knife or a dough scraper. Flatten into a disk onto the countertop and then fold the dough into a ball.

Wet hands barely with water and rub them onto the countertop to dampen the surface. Roll the dough on the surface until it tightens. Cover one ball with a tea towel and rest for 30 minutes. Repeat the steps with the other piece of dough. If not baking the remaining pizza immediately, spray the inside of a ziptop bag with cooking spray and place the dough ball into the bag. Refrigerate for up to 6 days.

Sprinkle the flour onto a cookie sheet or a peel if you have one and place the dough onto the cookie sheet/peel. Using your hands, form a lip around the edges of the pizza. Stretch the dough into a round disc, rotating after each stretch. Toss the dough in the air if you dare. My first piece came out rectangular. I also used a rolling pin to flatten out any thick areas.

Brush the rim of the pizza with olive oil. (skipped that part) Spread the pizza sauce evenly onto the pizza. (I added sliced cherry tomatoes from my garden).

Sprinkle cheese. We used Montery Jack with leftover sharp cheddar. 

Top with pepperonis. This is the first time we made pizza with our huge bag of pepperonis. The last three or so time, we just munched on them :D

Bake for 7 minutes, or until bubbly and golden brown. Rest for 3 minutes before slicing.

Twas delicious! These three pizzas only lasted for 2 days. I thought for sure at least 3. Totally wrong and totally goners. I want to make more, but man, it takes a lot of effort to make the dough.... we shall see...