Pizza Dough

Pizza Dough

Here it is.  You asked for it.  I have had tons of requests for my quick and easy pizza dough.  Sometimes it is hard for me to put my recipes on paper as all too often it is really “a pinch of this and a bit of that”. I have made this pizza dough in all kinds of environments including -10^oF in a snow kitchen.  Easy Peezy.
Pizza Dough
·         2 cups of AP flour + some extra for kneading
·         1 cup of whole wheat flour
·         A pinch of sea salt (1-2 teaspoons)
·         2 tablespoons of olive oil
·         2 teaspoons quick rise yeast
·         1 tablespoon of brown sugar (can use white, honey or molasses for interesting flavors)
·         1 cup of warm (not boiling) water + a bit more as necessary.
·         Pinch of spices: Italian blend, thyme, oregano, garlic – Optional.

 In a large bowl combine the flour, salt and spices.  In a smaller bowl combine the sugar, yeast and warm water. Let the water yeast combination sit to bloom- 2-5 minutes is all that is necessary (longer is ok, too). Add the oil to the water mixture.  Slowly add the water/yeast mixture to the dry ingredients.  Mixing until a dough ball is formed.  The dough should be slightly tacky but not overly sticky nor dry.  Add more warm water or a little flour for consistency.  The dough should not stick to your hands. 

Knead the dough about 10 times until a nice firm ball is formed.

 Place the dough back in the bowl, cover with a moist (not soaking wet) towel or plastic wrap (spray with olive oil to avoid sticking) and place in a warm draft free place.  The oven with the light on is perfect. Or let it sit in the sunshine (if you live somewhere with sun).  If you are in the backcountry you can do all of this in a gallon plastic bag and then raise the dough on your belly-  Dough Belly!

 It should rise for 15-20 minutes- this is a perfect time to prepare all the other ingredients – the toppings!

 Remove the dough ball, split into two equal parts and knead 10 more times until you get a nice elastic ball.  You can then hand-pull the dough into any shape you want, throw it or roll it out with a rolling pin. In the backcountry we use a Nalgene water bottle as our rolling pin!

 Place on a wooden pizza paddle sprinkled with corn flour (helps to keep the dough from sticking to the paddle).  Add all the toppings such as sauce, veggies, meat and cheese. I like to use a light tomato sauce, fresh smoked mozzarella and some basil leaves. You can brush any exposed dough (such as the edges) with olive oil for a nice crispy crunch.

 Slide the pizza onto the pizza stone and cook for 7-9 minutes depending on the thickness of the dough. 

 When the toppings are just starting to turn golden brown (and the house smells fantastic) use the pizza paddle to remove the pizza, slice and serve piping hot!

 Nutrition (Pizza Dough only): 1/16^th of the recipe- per slice

Total Kcals:   86

Fat:  2 gm    Kcals =  18            Fat = 21%

Pro: 2 gm     Kcals =  8              Pro = 9%
Cho: 15 gm  Kcals = 60            Cho = 70%