A few years ago, I worked for a major pizza chain in their research and development department. After I saw how much oil goes in the bottom of their pizza pans, I decided to make my own from then on. This recipe is good for thick or thin pizza and even makes a great focaccia which I will post soon.
I love to make pizza dough in my bread machine using the dough cycle. If I put it on the timer function, it will be ready to make out into pizza the moment I walk in the door from work.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup lukewarm water
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups bread flour (If you use all-purpose flour- you may need to add up to 1/4 cup extra)
- 2 1/4 teaspoons fast-rising or bread machine yeast
Directions:
Place ingredients in bread machine in order given. Run through dough cycle.
When dough has risen, remove from bread pan to floured surface and divide in 2 pieces. Spray a heavy pizza pan with olive oil. Push and cajole pizza to desired thinness with your hands. Using a rolling pin tends to make the dough compact. If dough is resistant to stretching, let it sit and relax for a few minutes then come back to it.
Layer sauce first (don’t overdo it), cheese and then meat or vegetables. Watch the amounts. Excess toppings will cause your pizza to take too long to bake and may result in a soggy middle. Bake in oven that has been preheated to 450 degrees. Let cool for 2-3 minutes before slicing.
I’m including this in the Skinny Secrets category because the crust portion is so much lower in calories than you would get at a restaurant but it’s difficult to calculate nutritionals since no toppings are specified.
Adapted from a recipe by Wolfgang Puck published in the Parade.
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Paula’s pizzas are always great and she makes it sound so easy with the dough maker. Guess I need to get mine out and use it- or else get a better one. I am not a big fan of pizza but I always like the ones you make. Not sure if it is the dough, the combination of ingredients or all of the above.
As your daughter in law, this is the recipe of yours that I make the most often, at least twice a month! In fact, I now have it memorized! A delicious, very easy recipe if you have a bread maker. It’s also way cheaper & healthier than ordering from Papa Johns or Pizza Hut. So give it a try if you haven’t already!
Still searching for pizza pans like yours! They are going to be willed to me, right?
J/K, but not really.
What if you don’t have a bread machine – can you still make this????
Oh yes, you can use a large stand mixer with general directions here, http://www.ehow.com/how_2157001_make-dough-kitchenaid-mixer.html or make it by hand the old-fashioned way.