Tuesday, March 1, 2011

3 Cheese & Salami Pizza

I love making pizza from scratch! I made a three cheese pizza tonight and took beautiful pictures to post. Unfortunately, I forgot to put salt in the dough, and the consistency was a little off. The flavors were fabulous, but I'll try again some other night. Here's the recipe, just remember to add the salt! :) 

Pizza Dough Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups of flour
9 ounces of tepid water
3/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic (Optional)
A palmful of Dry Oregano (Optional)
A palmful of Dry Basil (Optional)

The first time I tried this recipe I did not add the last three ingredients. I have since tried them and realized that they add great flavor to the dough!

If you have a standing mixer:
Combine the ingredients in the bowl fitted with the paddle and mix low until the mixture come together. Switch to the dough hook and continue mixing medium-low another 3-4 minutes. Check dough-if it's too dry, add a bit more water. If it's too sticky, add a bit for flour. Go to step 2.

If you do not have a standing mixer:
Combine the ingredients in a bowl and start to mix ingredients with a wooden spoon, then start to knead the dough against the bowl with your hands. Check dough-if it's too dry, add a bit more water. If it's too sticky, add a bit for flour.

2. Dump dough onto lightly floured board and continue to knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 5-7 minutes.  Form dough into a ball and place in a lightly greased bowl, turn to coat, and cover with plastic wrap. Let rest for 1/2 hour to 45 minutes until risen.

3. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured board and press down to deflate. If you don't want to make a big pizza, cut the dough into thirds (or desired portions), form into balls and place on a lightly floured tray, covered with oiled plastic wrap. Store the dough in the fridge overnight and allow it to sit at room temperature 10-15 minutes before shaping/baking. I usually use all of the dough because it makes a great sized pizza.

Pizza toppings: (All can be found at Trader Joe's)
A chunk of Fontina Cheese*
A chunk of Mozzarella Cheese*
A chunk of Pecorino Romano Cheese*
Tomato Basil Sauce
Reduced Sodium Salami Slices, cut in half
Dry Oregano
Dry Basil
 
Preheat your oven to 500°. If you have a pizza stone, place you stone in the oven to preheat while you are shredding your cheese. Shred the cheeses over a mixing bowl so that they are easy to blend when you are done. Set the cheese aside and begin to form the dough into a round.
Place the dough on the stone and start to build your pizza!(I brush a little olive oil on my stone first, you might not have to depending on how seasoned your stone is). Spoonful sauce onto the dough and spread evenly. Next, layer the salami slices around and top with the cheese mixture. Add a dash of both dry seasonings for extra flavor!
Bake for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is golden. Let the pizza rest for a bit before slicing.

Let me know if you have any questions! This was a pretty lengthy recipe :)

*I didn't specify cheese measurements because you can just put as much you like! However, less is sometimes more because it might weigh down the pizza or too much cheese might leave grease on top.

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