I have perfected the pizza crust. Now, the world is my topping.

Nathan and I love making our own pizzas at home. We enjoy having control over what is in our food. The toppings are simple: throw some tomato paste, salt, pepper, sauteed onions, (always) green olives, bacon or sausage or anything else your heart desires! This time we chose broccoli to be our centerpiece.

We usually cook our pizzas on our big stainless steel (read: no non-stick in our household) cookie sheet, but Nathan suggested trying our hand at using the cast iron skillet (“shiz-nillet” as we affectionately call it). I halfed my perfected crust recipe (below) and made sure the mozzarella cheese reached the edges for that oh so delicious cheesy-crusty goodness.

Pizza dough crust

  1. Combine 1 cup warm water, 2 tablespoons bread yeast, 2 tablespoons honey in a measuring cup.  Let it foam for a good 5-15 minutes.
  2. Combine 3 1/2 cups flour and 2 teaspoons salt in a large stainless bowl.
  3. Make a well in the flour mixture and pour 1/4 cup olive oil (not canola or soybean, etc.) in, along with your foamy, yeasty water.  Mix with a spoon until it’s ready to be kneaded by hand.
  4. Knead for about 5 minutes, pounding it into a nice ball.
  5. Let rest for at least 1 hour, 2-4 hours is better.
  6. When ready, flour your hands and spin it into your dough.  Place on your cookie sheet (or skillet), add toppings, cook at 500 degrees for about 18 minutes.
  7. Enjoy!
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