PIZZA DOUGH
Makes four 8-inch pizzas
INGREDIENTS
1 package active dry or fresh yeast
1 teaspoon honey
1 cup warm water (105º F to 115º F)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
Topping of your choice
METHOD
1. In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast and honey in 1/4 cup of the warm water.
2. Combine the flour and salt in the bowl of the food processor fitted with
the dough blade. Pulse once or twice, add the remaining ingredients, and
process until the dough begins to form a ball.
3. Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and knead by hand 2 or 3
minutes longer. The dough should be smooth and firm. Cover the dough
with a clean, damp towel and let it rise in a warm spot for about 30
minutes. (When ready, the dough will stretch as it is lightly pulled.)
4. Place a pizza stone on the roaster oven rack and preheat the oven to 450°.
5. Divide the dough into 4 balls, about 6 ounces each. Work each ball by
pulling down the sides and tucking under the bottom of the ball. Repeat
4 or 5 times. Then on a smooth, unfloured surface, roll the ball under the
palm of your hand until the top of the dough is smooth and firm, about 1
minute. Cover the dough with a damp towel and let it rest for 15 to 20
minutes. At this point, the balls can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated
for up to 2 days.
6. To prepare each pizza, dip the ball of dough into flour, shake off the
excess flour, place the dough on a clean, lightly floured surface, and start
to stretch the dough. Press down on the center, spreading the dough into
an 8-inch circle, with outer border a little thicker than the inner circle. If
you find this difficult to do, use a small rolling pin to roll out the dough.
Lightly brush the inner circle of the dough with oil and arrange the
toppings of your choice over the inner circle.
7. Using a lightly floured baker’s peel or a rimless flat baking tray, slide the
pizza onto the baking stone and bake until the pizza crust is nicely
browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Remember that the oven is very hot and be
careful as you place the pizza into and out of the oven. Transfer the pizza
to a firm surface and cut into slices with a pizza cutter or very sharp knife.
Serve immediately.
12
Helpful Hints
9
•
Never attempt to process any food
that cannot be cut with a sharp knife.
•
When mincing garlic, fresh herbs or
small quantities of foods, add to feed
tube with multipurpose blade in
place and processor running. Make
sure bowl and all parts are very dry
before processing garlic or fresh
herbs.
•
To chop nuts, use multipurpose
blade and the pulse setting. Use
short pulses. Process smaller batches
for coarser texture.
•
Let hard cheeses, such as Parmesan
and Romano, come to room temper-
ature before processing. Freeze soft
cheeses, such as cheddar and
mozzarella, for 10 to 15 minutes
before processing.
•
Make sure uncooked meats and
poultry are very cold before
processing.
•
Do not overfill processing bowl. Fill
no more then 1/3 to 1/2 full when
chopping. The bowl can hold up to
11 cups of dry ingredients or 4 cups
liquid.
•
Position the slicing and shredding
disks so that cutting surfaces are to
the right of the feed tube. This will
allow one full rotation of the blade
before contacting food.
•
If any part becomes stained or
discolored after processing, clean
with a bleach and water solution.
•
When processing several slices or
pieces of food, put as many pieces as
will fit in feed tube together to help
hold each other in place.
•
This food processor is NOT designed
to grind coffee beans or spices or
crush ice.
•
Most foods can be processed in 10
to 30 seconds, depending on the
quantity. For large quantities, process
in several batches. Let the processor
rest about 1 minute between
batches.
•
If the food processor suddenly stops
running, turn the unit OFF and
unplug. Let the unit cool down for
15 minutes and restart.
•
A food processor is not recom-
mended for making Italian meringue
(a meringue made by using hot sugar
syrup).
•
Use the emulsifying blade when
beating egg whites. Make sure the
bowl is completely clean; any oily
residue will interfere with the task.
