Now that we finally have cooler temps here at Stately Dilworth Manor, I can get back to making homemade pizzas without overheating the house beyond all comfortable levels. For the record, I make my own dough and sauce. I have some sauce from a previous batch ready to go, or at least it will be once it finishes defrosting. I’ve just made some dough and this will be enough for four pizzas roughly 14″ each. I use a pretty simple recipe that I found on The Inspired Home website.
For the first several pizzas, I followed the recipe to the letter, but over time I have modified it as I’ve become comfortable with the process and wanting to play around with taste. If you are just starting out, I recommend sticking with the recipe in the link above and just make a bunch of pies using that. Get to know the process and then have fun! Here’s my current recipe (with notes), but my techie-influenced brain is all about Continual Improvement, so I expect this to continue to evolve.
1 12oz can of beer (I originally used a honey-kolsch, but have found a lager works really well)
1 tbsp of yeast
1 tbsp of sugar (granulated sugar works great, but I am a big fan of Demerara sugar)
4.5 cups of flour (you can totally use regular flour, but I highly recommend “00” flour)
.25 cups of olive oil
Pinch of salt
I mix all of this up in a Kitchenaide at a slow speed using the dough hook. This recipe is versatile enough that you can make it only a couple of hours before you make your ‘za or you can put it in the refrigerator overnight (just remember to take it out and let it get to room temp before using).
