Pizza Dough

Aaron and I like to make homeade pizza, but we have never quite loved it. We can never quite get the crust crisp and never tastes quite right. We were always baking it just on a cookie sheet. I tried everything , like rolling it thinner, poking holes in it, baking the crust a while first and then putting the toppings on, using a pizza pan with holes in it, but it NEVER worked.

For Christmas, Aaron gave me some pizza stones. Okay, so they aren't exactly pizza stones, but pretty much the same thing. He researched on-line and found that if you just go to a tile place and buy untreated, unglazed quarry tiles, like terra-cotta. They were $3.50 a piece. I tried a new pizza dough recipe and I love it. But the thing that I found that made all the difference in the world was the cheese. Of course I always just bought the pre-packaged moz. cheese and didn't think a thing of it. I knew I wasn't going to have enough, so I called Aaron to stop on his way home to get some cheese. He stopped by Sprouts and they only had fresh grated mozz. cheese that you buy by the pound. Not thinking it would make a difference I put pre-packaged on one and the fresh grated on the other. Holy Cow, it made all the difference in the world. I didn't think to take a picture, but the pre-packaged pizza looked like a plastic play toy, compared to the fresh which looked like a restaurant pizza. The taste was so much better too!! We are glad Aaron decided to go by Sprouts!

Pizza Dough - Yields 4 - 14" pizza's (recipe from my friends in MA who made the best pizza)

3 cups semolina flour (makes all the difference in the world too!)
4 1/2 C bread flour (or white)
2 T sugar
1 T salt
3 T SAF yeast
3 T olive oil
3 1/2 C hot water

Mix dry ingredients in mixer for 15 seconds. Pour water and oil in mixture all at once. Mix for 10 minutes. Dough should be somewhat sticky. Let rise until doubled in size. Divide into 4 equal portions and shape on a floured surface. Place dough on a pizza peel (sometimes called pizza paddle- used to insert and remove pizza from stone) that has a thin sprinkling of cornmeal. This keeps the dough from sticking to the peel when transferring pizza to the oven - also place cornmeal on pizza stone that is preheated in oven. If you are going to cook it immediately, flour can be used in place of cornmeal. While pizza is on pizza peel put toppings on and transfer to stone.

I just watched the pizza, but it was about 15-20minutes until it was done.