Sunday, December 13, 2009

Two Ultra Crispy Thin Crust Pizza - Cooked on Heated Cast Iron Pans



Why order out for Pizza when you can make the most delicious thin crust crispy Pizza right at home for around $4.50. I use a super hot oven and preheat the pans first which is the secret to really awesome crust!

Dough
3/4 cup warm water
1 Lg Tbsp. Maple Syrup
Tbsp Yeast 1/4 cup wine or beer
1 tsp. salt

3 cups flour
1 Tbsp Olive Oil (optional)
Combine water, maple syrup, wine, and yeast in large bowl. Wait a few minutes and then add flour and salt and mix throughly and if your mixer has a dough hook let it knead the dough for a few minutes. If not, knead the dough by hand. Place in bowl and let rest with a cover on it for at least 10-15 minutes and up to a couple of hours.


Meanwhile have your oven preheated to 420 degrees with the cast iron pans or pizza stones heating up in the oven while you prepare the crusts and toppings. The pans must be heated completely for best results. Cold pans equal soggy crust which is what you definately don't want for your pizza. I spent 20 years making it the wrong way and I could never really get my homemade pizza to be as good as take out until I learned to get pizza stones or cast irons pans and preheat them. I have Mario Batali pans and they are incredible!! A fantastic investment for your kitchen. In a pinch you can use cast iron frying pans.
Pat your dough out with your palm and fingers on a floured board or counter. I use very little oil but you can use a little oil on your hands and the dough if its too sticky to calm it down. One of my secrets is to roll the dough out with a rolling pin to get it ultra thin. When you have the dough rolled out to the right size. Quickly take out your 1st pan from the oven (being careful not to burn yourself)


Place your rolled out Pizza Dough quickly onto the very hot pan! Work Quickly. Put on your toppings of choice. On this particular pizza I am putting tomato sauce, mozzella cheese, sauted onions and mushrooms, and topped finally with grated parmesan. I have used all sorts of toppings from Lobster to Fresh Herb Pesto. Be Creative.



Sauce it, Layer of Mozzerella, Layer of Onions & Mushrooms, last Layer of Parmesan Cheese. Place it in the 420 oven and do the second pizza.

If you are doing 2 Pizzas and one of them has toppings and one is a plain cheese pizza, do the topping pizza first and the plain cheese pizza second because the plain cheese pizza cooks quicker than the topping pizza so then they will both be finished at the same time. After I placed the plain cheese pizza (above) in the oven, I turn the oven down to 400 degrees. Cook Pizza for 10-15 minutes - you may want to switch the pans midway through the cooking time. Put the top pizza on the bottom shelf in the oven and the bottom pizza on the top shelf so the top of one of the two pizzas doesn't get too over cooked or browned.


Carefully take both pizzas out of the oven and cut with a pizza wheel. Serve right away! Delicious!



1 comment:

Unknown said...

I'd like two please --- 1 with anchovies, roasted red pepper and onion.