New Feature: Recipe of the Week

Well, Julie, you asked for more recipes, and you got 'em. I manage to make something really tasty once a week or so, and I'm going to start posting the recipes here. And if any of you, faithful readers, have some recipes you think I'd enjoy-- please send them my way!

In our family Friday night is Party Night. That means we have homemade pizza for dinner (almost always, sometimes we make a sneaky trip to the freezer section of our grocery store), and then eat snickerdoodle popcorn while we watch a movie. I've searched many years for the perfect pizza dough and finally found it in my Best Recipe cookbook, from the fine folks at Cook's Illustrated. Here are my notes:

The recipe does work best with a baking stone, (hint hint Joe: my birthday is coming up!) but we get great results using the back of a large cookie sheet. We don't bother preheating it either.

We use a food processor to mix our dough, as suggested, but a standing mixer works well and you could even do it by hand (it would take a lot longer, though). I usually use 2 c. allpurpose flour and 2 c. of whole wheat flour.

This dough also freezes well. If you're not going to use it all, pop the remainder in the freezer after you let it rise to double and then punch it down. When you're ready to use it, let it thaw and then go ahead and shape it.

PERFECT PIZZA DOUGH

This dough can be used for any size pizza with thick or thin crust; simply adjust the cooking time to fit the pizza. Make sure you heat the oven to 500 degrees for thirty minutes before you start cooking. Your tiles or stone need at least that long to heat up; if they’re not properly heated, your pizza crust will be thin, blond, and limp. Once the dough for the crust has been topped, use a quick jerking action to slide it off the peel and onto the hot tiles or stone; make sure that the pizza lands far enough back so that its front edge does not hang off.


INGREDIENTS
1 3/4 cups water divided, 1/2 cup warm, remaining at tap temperature
2 1/4 teaspoons dry active yeast (1 envelope)
2 tablespoons olive oil , plus extra for brushing dough
4 cups bread flour
1 1/2 teaspoons table salt
vegetable oil (or cooking spray) for oiling bowl

1. Measure 1/4 cup of warm water into 2-cup measuring cup. Sprinkle in yeast; let stand until yeast dissolves and swells, about 5 minutes. Add remaining 1/4 cup warm water plus remaining 1 1/4 cups tap water and olive oil. Meanwhile, pulse flour and salt in workbowl of large food processor fitted with steel blade to combine. Add liquid ingredients (holding back a tablespoon or so) to flour and pulse together. If dough does not readily form into ball, stop machine, add remaining liquid, and continue to pulse until ball forms. Process until dough is smooth and satiny, about 30 seconds longer.

2. Turn dough onto lightly floured work surface; knead by hand with a few strokes to form smooth, round ball. Put dough into medium-large, oiled bowl, and cover with damp cloth. Let rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours.

3. Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface and use chef’s knife or dough scraper to halve, quarter, or cut dough into eighths, depending on number and size of pizzas desired. Form each piece into ball and cover with damp cloth. Let rest 10 minutes. Working with one piece of dough at a time, shape into rounds; see Strech, Don't Roll below. Transfer to pizza peel that has been lightly coated with semolina, brush dough very lightly with olive oil before topping and cooking.

4. Use the following guide to determine cooking time for pizza

THIN CRUST
14-inch pizzas (Master Recipe makes 2) - 7 to 8 minutes
12-inch pizzas (Master Recipe makes 4) - 5 minutes
8-inch pizzas (Master Recipe makes 8)- 3 minutes.

MEDIUM-THICK CRUST
12-inch pizzas (Master Recipe makes 2) - 9 to 10 minutes
8-inch pizzas (Master Recipe makes 4) - 5 minutes
6-inch pizzas (Master Recipe makes 8) - 4 minutes.

STEP BY STEP: Stretch, Don't Roll

1. Flatten the dough into a disk using the palm of your hand.

2. Starting at the center and working outward, use your fingertips to press the disk to about 1/4-inch thick.

3. Using one hand to hold the dough in place, use your other hand to stretch the dough outward. For a medium-thick pizza crust, repeat the stretching by turning the dough a quarter turn after each pull, until it is the correct diameter. For a thinner pizza, let the dough relax for 5 minutes, then continue stretching it until it has reached the correct diameter.

4. Carefully lift the dough and transfer it to a peel dusted with semolina; proceed with the toppings.

QUICK TOMATO SAUCE
2 large cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes, drained slightly
Table salt and ground black pepper

Heat oil and garlic over medium heat until sizzling. Remove from heat and add tomatoes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

OUR FAVORITE TOPPINGS
Lincoln & Daniel: plain cheese
Joe: sausage and olives
Steph: mushrooms, diced tomatoes, sauteed spinach w/ garlic, marinated artichoke hearts, basil
Lance: all of the above

SNICKERDOODLE POPCORN
4 quarts popped popcorn
4 Tablespoons melted butter
4 Tablespoons sugar
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon (more if you like)
salt (as desired)

Combine sugar and cinnamon with butter. Pour evenly over popcorn. Enjoy!!