{"id":1007,"date":"2021-01-22T22:30:12","date_gmt":"2021-01-23T05:30:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.sparkledesign.net\/fidget\/?p=1007"},"modified":"2021-12-29T23:24:03","modified_gmt":"2021-12-30T06:24:03","slug":"my-pizza-method","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sparkledesign.net\/fidget\/2021\/01\/22\/my-pizza-method\/","title":{"rendered":"My Pizza Method"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>My daughter turned 6 this past week and she requested pizza for dinner. I really enjoy making (and eating) pizza at home. It&#8217;s almost &#8220;from scratch.&#8221; I have made my own pizza dough in the past but in the current season I buy housemade dough from my favorite grocery store. It doesn&#8217;t make quite a big enough pizza for all 4 of us, so I supplement by making a few &#8220;pita pizzas&#8221; with Greek flatbread-style pitas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"716\" src=\"http:\/\/www.sparkledesign.net\/fidget\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/20210109_215257-1-1024x716.jpg\" alt=\"Pizza dough with all the toppings nearby\" class=\"wp-image-1011\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sparkledesign.net\/fidget\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/20210109_215257-1-1024x716.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sparkledesign.net\/fidget\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/20210109_215257-1-300x210.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sparkledesign.net\/fidget\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/20210109_215257-1-768x537.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sparkledesign.net\/fidget\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/20210109_215257-1-1536x1074.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.sparkledesign.net\/fidget\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/20210109_215257-1.jpg 1702w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>One of my &#8220;secrets for success&#8221; is build-it-on-the-pizza sauce. It&#8217;s so easy, and it works well with lots of veggie toppings since it doesn&#8217;t add any moisture. Also, I like pepperoni flavor on pizza but not the greasy results when you use it as a major topping. So, I cut a handful of slices into small pieces and &#8220;dot&#8221; the pizza with it after the tomato paste, garlic, and oregano. So it sits under the cheese, unobtrusively. (I keep what&#8217;s left in the package, frozen, for a future pizza night.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Basics:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>1 lb pizza dough<\/li><li>A few teaspoons&nbsp;cornmeal<\/li><li>4 Tbsp tomato paste<\/li><li>Granulated garlic<\/li><li>Dried oregano<\/li><li>6-10 slices pepperoni, cut into small pieces<\/li><li>1 lb low-moisture whole milk mozzarella cheese, shredded<\/li><li>Additional cheese(s), such as&nbsp;Parmesan (optional)<\/li><li>Small amount of vegetable oil (optional, it&#8217;s for oiling the pizza&nbsp;stone)<\/li><li>Optional: Greek (flatbread-style) pita breads for extra pizzas<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Toppings: <\/strong>We like mostly veggie toppings and lots of them. If you want to do an additional meat like Italian sausage, cook and drain it in advance (about 1\/3 lb is good). Our faves are as follows, I usually pick 3 from this list:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Mushrooms (thinly sliced)<\/li><li>Zucchini (ditto)<\/li><li>Artichokes (canned: drained and chopped)<\/li><li>Olives (black from a can or kalamata from a jar)<\/li><li>Shallots (sliced thin, tossed with 1 Tbsp olive oil and softened in the microwave)<\/li><li>Bell peppers (sliced or chopped)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"838\" src=\"http:\/\/www.sparkledesign.net\/fidget\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/20210122_183254-1024x838.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1010\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sparkledesign.net\/fidget\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/20210122_183254-1024x838.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sparkledesign.net\/fidget\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/20210122_183254-300x245.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sparkledesign.net\/fidget\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/20210122_183254-768x628.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sparkledesign.net\/fidget\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/20210122_183254-1536x1256.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.sparkledesign.net\/fidget\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/20210122_183254.jpg 1565w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Equipment:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Pizza stone<\/li><li>Pizza &#8220;peel&#8221; &#8211; I have a custom-made thin wooden board made by my husband to the exact size of my stone. It&#8217;s great!<\/li><li>My secret tool &#8211; a couple of heavy round plastic placemats from IKEA circa 2004. They&#8217;re&nbsp;perfectly pizza-sized and let me roll out the dough without having to get flour all over my countertop (or even use any at all, depending on how sticky the dough is.)<\/li><li>Rolling pin<\/li><li>Small fine-mesh sieve for dusting on the cornmeal<\/li><li>Oven mitts (make sure they are oven safe to 500 degrees.)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"655\" src=\"http:\/\/www.sparkledesign.net\/fidget\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/20210122_183405-1024x655.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1009\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sparkledesign.net\/fidget\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/20210122_183405-1024x655.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sparkledesign.net\/fidget\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/20210122_183405-300x192.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sparkledesign.net\/fidget\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/20210122_183405-768x491.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sparkledesign.net\/fidget\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/20210122_183405-1536x982.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.sparkledesign.net\/fidget\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/20210122_183405.jpg 1905w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>My little helpers topped the pita pizzas!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Process:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol><li>Oven setup and preheating: Rack in highest position, stone on rack, preheat to 500.<\/li><li>Prep toppings, except for grating&nbsp;cheese. (Most toppings can be prepped well in advance if preferred)<\/li><li>Roll out dough: I roll out the dough on a round&nbsp;plastic placemat, then carefully lift it up and stretch it out further. I haven&#8217;t graduated to tossing it up in the air, but maybe someday I will get there. Place it gently back down on the placemat.<\/li><li>Grate cheese. The pizza dough will relax during the 3-5 minutes it takes to grate a pound of mozzarella.<\/li><li>Back to the dough. When you&#8217;ve stretched it to&nbsp;the size you want, dust&nbsp;lightly with cornmeal. Put another round mat (or the pizza peel) on top, flip it over, and peel off the top mat. Gently prod the dough back into a round if it&#8217;s gotten distorted.<\/li><li>Spread a thin layer of tomato paste over the crust. Sprinkle with garlic powder and oregano. Dot with pieces of cut-up pepperoni.<\/li><li>Sprinkle on the cheese(s).<\/li><li>Add your other toppings. I like to go heavy on the toppings but things can get soggy if you do toooo many veggies. So a bit of restraint is in order.<\/li><li>I always pull the pizza stone out of the oven to transfer the pizza. (Also I like to wipe a bit of oil onto it, sort of seasoning the stone.) If the pizza is still on a plastic mat, move it to the pizza peel. Then, onto the stone! If you can get a good segment of the edge onto the hot stone, that will make it easier to slide the whole thing off. Easy does it &#8211; no need to rush.<\/li><li>Back into the oven. Most of the pizza doughs I&#8217;ve used need about 7-10 minutes in the oven. You want the bottom of the&nbsp;crust to be nice and firm when you slide a spatula under it.<\/li><li>Let the pizza sit on the stone for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cutting board, slice, and serve.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"823\" src=\"http:\/\/www.sparkledesign.net\/fidget\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/20210122_183509-1024x823.jpg\" alt=\"pizza baked on a stone\" class=\"wp-image-1008\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sparkledesign.net\/fidget\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/20210122_183509-1024x823.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sparkledesign.net\/fidget\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/20210122_183509-300x241.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sparkledesign.net\/fidget\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/20210122_183509-768x617.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sparkledesign.net\/fidget\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/20210122_183509-1536x1234.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.sparkledesign.net\/fidget\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/20210122_183509.jpg 1703w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>Ok, so this one came out square. Sort of on purpose&#8230;<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I really enjoy making (and eating) pizza at home. It\u2019s almost \u201cfrom scratch.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1012,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[99,82],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sparkledesign.net\/fidget\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1007"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sparkledesign.net\/fidget\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sparkledesign.net\/fidget\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sparkledesign.net\/fidget\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sparkledesign.net\/fidget\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1007"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.sparkledesign.net\/fidget\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1007\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1555,"href":"https:\/\/www.sparkledesign.net\/fidget\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1007\/revisions\/1555"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sparkledesign.net\/fidget\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1012"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sparkledesign.net\/fidget\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1007"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sparkledesign.net\/fidget\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1007"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sparkledesign.net\/fidget\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1007"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}