Grammie Hot line: I'm Back.....with Pizza

Did you think I'd given up blogging? No just took on a little too much and with the drop in readers I thought I'd take a brake. While I was away I took on babysitting a neighbor child, I was given an online pattern design class that took a busy 5 weeks. I loved it and am sorry it's over but it was a lot of study and work. On top of that I hurt my shoulder sleeping on the floor and had to baby it for a few weeks then got a cold (most likely from the little kids in my life!) then there was the week of feeling so down I couldn't cheer myself up so I just lived with it, and now I'm fine! As you can see I can stuff a lot into a little bit of time.

So I'll start with my favorite thin crust pizza. Everyone who eats this pizza asks for the recipe. Now it's your turn. It's not the easiest recipe, but it's not hard, just a few steps.

Ok follow the steps and you will have a crispy thin crust pizza.

Make the dough and roll it on a floured pastry cloth until as thin as you like

Recipe: makes 6 ten inch thin pizzas

dough keeps nicely for about 2 days in fridge

2 package of dry yeast (1 tablespoon each)

pinch of sugar

1 1/4 cups of warm water for the yeast

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 teas salt

1/4 cup of olive oil

Sprinkle the yeast and a pinch of sugar into 1/4 cup of lukewarm water. Let it stand for 3 minutes, then stir to completely dissolve yeast and sugar. Set in a warm place to get bubbly. If it doesn't in about 5 minutes start over.

In large mixing bowl put flour and salt. Pour 1 cup of warm water and 1/4 cup olive oil and prepared yeast mixture.

Mix with a fork, until mixed. When you can gather dough into a rough ball it is time to knead it. Flour a firm surface and knead for 15 minutes until smooth, shinny and elastic.

OH YES DO USE THAT KITCHEN AID TO MAKE THIS!

Place in a clean large bowl and cover and keep warm until about double in size. Approx 1 1/2 hours

Preheat the oven with a baking stone inside to 500 degrees F.

Break off a ball of 1/6 of the dough. On a well floured pastry cloth pat into a circle turning as you go to keep it round. When it is 7 or 8 inches big start roll with rolling pin until 1/8 inch thick or less.

With your thumbs crimp or flute the edges until you make a rim around the pizza,

brush edges with olive oil if you wish

Collect the toppings. I don't load these pizzas up. If you do the crust just won't be as crisp. You can use this dough for thicker pizza if you wish.

Here we have peppers, Canadian bacon, onion slices, canned pineapple, sliced olives, a bag of mozzarella cheese and a bag of cheddar and some Parmesan cheese.

These are the things I use in my sauce below

This sauce is perfect for a crisp crust. Use a good olive oil mixed with a spoonful of tomato paste, a dash of parsley, dash of dried hot peppers and as much crushed garlic as you like!

This is brushed on the crust after a brief pre-bake

Once your baking stone is good and hot, open the oven and you will drape your arms under the two ends of the pizza dough. I couldn't manage a photo of this process but your arms keep the dough from sticking on it's self . Lower onto the hot baking stone (Move the dough to your hands and just place it down without touching the stone)

Tap a fork all around the circle of dough to keep the bubbles under control.

Bake briefly until just a little color comes into the crust. This is not a time to walk away from the oven!

Brush all of the pizza with the above sauce.

quickly as you have the oven open at this point....top with a sprinkle of cheese a bit of the toppings and a shake of Parmesan.

Close the oven