the adventures of clay ball

 

 

 

 Copy-and-Print Directions at bottom of page!

 

 

 There is nothing like hot & tasty homemade pizza, fresh from the oven!  Here is a simple & delicious recipe for kneading your own pizza dough…

 

(Directions for using a food processor, which is the super-fast method, are at the very bottom of this page!)

 

Ingredients:

1 cup water (the temperture of your wrist)

1-1/4 teaspoon dry yeast (1/2 of a package yeast)

1 tablespoon oil

3/4 teaspoon salt

2-1/4  cups flour, plus some more

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add the 1-1/4 teaspoon yeast to the 1 cup water, stir,  & let sit about 5 minutes.  You will probably see bubbles form as the yeast is activated.

 

 

 

 

 

Add 1 tablespoon oil…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 3/4 teaspoon salt

 

 

  

 

 …and 2-1/4 cups flour

 

 

 

  

 

Stir with a large spoon for a minute or two so the ingredients come together.

 

 

 

Directions for kneading any kind of bread/pizza dough:

Note:  If the dough seems to be too sticky to knead, just add more flour, about a handful at a time, until you can handle it.  This dough should be a little wet & sticky in consistency, but if it is still too sticky to handle, just keep adding a little more flour…

 

 

 

 

After a while, with some practice, you will develop a nice rhythm turning the bowl with your left hand & kneading it with your right hand.  If this method does not work for you, then you can place the dough on a floured surface & knead that way.  The general idea is the same!

 

First, hold the rim of the bowl in your left hand (with your hand at the 9:00 position) to steady it, & with your right hand, lift up the 12:00 edge of the dough…

 

 

 

 

fold it over towards the center…

 

 

  

 

And push down firmly!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then, using your left hand, rotate the bowl 1/4 or 1/8 of a turn clockwise…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And repeat the whole process, again lifting the 12:00 edge of the dough…

 

 

 

 

 

 

…folding it over, & squishing it down!

 

 

 

 

 

Keep going, kneading for about 10 minutes, until the dough is fairly smooth, & then form into a ball, tucking the edges of the dough under.

 

 

 

 

 

Cover with a damp cloth & let rise about 1-1/2 hours, or until doubled.

 

 

 

 

 

When you poke the dough with your finger, it should leave an imprint rather than springing back!

 

 

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Grease a baking sheet with butter, or sprinkle with flour. 

(I find that butter or Crisco helps the dough to adhere to the pan when stretching it to fit the pan, so I use butter or Crisco…but I have also heard that oil or flour can be used as well, although I have not tried it.)

The pan I used is about 11 x 16 inches, with a 1-inch rim.

 

 

 

Place the dough on a well-floured surface, punch it down, & form into a ball…& let the dough rest for 5 minutes.

 

  

 

Then, with a rolling pin, flatten the dough to the approximate shape of the pan (if you have a round pan, form into a circle)…it does not need to be exactly as large as the pan, because this dough will be able to be stretched a bit further to fit into the pan…

 

 

 

 

 

Place the dough into the pan, & stretch it out gently to fit the pan…with your fingers, press the dough into the bottom edges of the pan, pressing/poking gently with your fingers about 1/2-inch below the edge of the dough, to create a crust.

Just gently go all around the edge of the dough, 1/2 inch down, until the dough is adherent to the pan.

 

 

  

 

add a layer of any  tomato sauce of your choosing…

 

 

  

 

 Then, just grate 10 to 16 ounces of mozzarella cheese & sprinkle evenly on top!

 

 

 

 

 

Add any topping you choose:  Fresh or frozen strips of pepper, sliced mushrooms, tomatoes, olives, even a small amount of feta cheese, are all delicious!  Or, you can just leave it plain…

 

Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes or until the crust is golden…

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoy!

 

 

 love,

 

 

 Clay Ball

 

 

 

   Copy-and-Print Directions below!

 

Homemade Pizza Dough

 

This dough is enough for one pizza about 11 by 16 inches…

 

Ingredients:

1 cup water (the temperature of your wrist)

1-1/4 teaspoon dry yeast (or 1/2 of a package yeast)

1 tablespoon oil

3/4 teaspoon salt

2-1/4 cups flour, plus some more

 

Add yeast & water, stir, & let sit about 5 minutes.

 

Then add the remaining ingredients, & mix with a large spoon a minute or so until the ingredients come together.  Knead for about 10 minutes. 

 

Note:  If the dough seems to be too sticky to knead, just add more flour, about a handful at a time, until you can handle it.   If after a minute or so of kneading, most of it is still sticking to your hands & the bowl, instead of staying as a ball of dough, then it needs more flour.  If it is a little wet & sticky, but you are able to knead it as in the pictures above, that is fine–it does not need more flour.

 

Cover with a damp cloth & let rise in a warm place for about 1-1/2 hours. (If it is in a cool place, it may take longer to rise.)   

 

When you poke the dough with your finger, it should leave an imprint instead of springing back.

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

 

 Turn dough onto a generously floured surface, punch the dough down, & form into a ball.  Let it sit for 5 minutes, & then with a rolling pin, roll into the approximate shape of your pan, or slightly smaller.  (If you have no rolling pin, you can use your hands to flatten & stretch the dough.)

 

Place  the flattened dough into your greased or floured pan, & stretch the pizza dough to fit the pan. 

 

Then, just gently poke your finger all along the periphery of the dough, about 1/2 inch down from the edge of the dough, to form the crust.   With your fingertips, just gently press the dough  into the bottom edge of your pan (where the sides & bottom of the pan meet), so it sticks & stays there, & forms a little bulging crust above.  If you like more of a crust, just make that rim a little wider.

 

 (Note:  you can grease with butter or Crisco, oil, or dust with flour.  Butter or Crisco works very well, allowing the crust to stay adherent to the edge of the pan when you are first making the pizza, & then slides out easily after baking; but if for health reasons, butter is not a good idea for you, you can use flour.  Also, you can always make a flat-style pizza without a raised edge, by just placing the flattened dough on the bottom of the pan, &  then just spreading on the sauce & cheese so it does not go quite all the way to the edge of the dough.) 

 Add a layer of tomato sauce…

Sprinkle on about 10 to 16 ounces of grated mozzarella cheese & any toppings (sliced fresh or frozen peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, olives, feta cheese, etc.)…

 Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes.

 

Food processor method:

Place the water & yeast in a measuring cup & let sit for about 5 minutes.  Then add oil.

Place the flour & salt into a food processor (which is fitted with a steel blade), & turn on the machine.  Stir the liquid briefly so nothing is stuck at the bottom, & then pour it through the top feed tube of the food processor all at once, while the food processor is running.

The dough will  be formed very quickly…as soon as it forms, turn off the food processor. 

Place the dough onto a floured surface, knead it briefly & form into a ball, & then place into a bowl & cover with a damp cloth, as above.    The rest of the directions are the same as above!

 

Enjoy!

 

love,

 

Clay Ball