I spent all day at home on Sunday as I’m slowly trying to put back together the room I had painted last week (pics to come). I’m still missing a few integral pieces to that room but I’ll show off the finished project once it’s done!
So as I was busy climbing up and down ladders all day I decided an easy and tasty dinner was in order. I bought my first tiny bunch of basil at the indoor farmers market this weekend. They grew in a greenhouse and smelled like summer.
With a little spinach, pine nuts, parmesan and olive oil the basil made a tasty little pesto
With a few mushrooms, Italian sausage, fresh mozzarella and my favorite recipe for pizza dough – this baby was born
This pizza crust is light and chewy – just how I likes it. Want the recipe?
Pizza dough - Barefoot Contessa
this is the full recipe. I always halve it when I make my dough. If you halve it make sure you’re halving all of the measurements called for in the steps.
- For the pizza
- 1 1/4 cups warm water (100 to 110 degrees)
- 2 packages dry yeast
- 1 tablespoon honey
- Good olive oil
- 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for kneading
- Kosher salt
Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
For the dough, combine the water, yeast, honey, and 3 tablespoons olive oil in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook (I don’t have this and just use my Cuisinart). When the yeast is dissolved, add 3 cups of the flour, then 2 teaspoons salt, and mix on medium-low speed. While mixing, add up to 1 more cup of flour, or just enough to make a soft dough. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes until smooth, sprinkling it with the flour as necessary to keep it from sticking to the bowl. When the dough is ready, turn it out onto a floured board and knead it by hand a dozen times. It should be smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a well-oiled bowl and turn it to cover it lightly with oil. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Dump the dough onto a board and divide it into 6 equal pieces. Place them on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and cover them with a damp towel. Allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes. Use immediately, or refrigerate for up to 4 hours.
Press and stretch each ball into an 8-inch circle and place 2 circles on each parchment-lined sheet pan. (If you've chilled the dough, take it out of the refrigerator approximately 30 minutes ahead to let it come to room temperature.)
Top it with your faves and bake for about 10-15 minutes. eat it.
It’s so much better than store-bought frozen pizza. But hey, if you like a frozen pizza, just wrap this sucker up and toss it in the freezer. what do i care?
