It is the 4th day of Pizza Madness here at the Well Done Chef! site, and Wednesday is all about frugality. What can be more frugal than building your own pie? Let’s face it, a good pie can cost you upwards of 20$ to 30$, not including dealing with ordering, delivery, tip, and the possibility of correcting the inevitable mistake. Time is money folks, so today is all about saving by doing – yourself, that is.

Pizza Dough

Adapted from Albert Grande’s Pizza Dough Recipe

Makes 2 large pizzas, or 4 thin crusts

Dough

15 mL (1 tablespoon) active dry yeast
15 mL (1 tablespoon) honey
325 mL (1-1/2 cups) warm water
500 g (4 cups) of flour or more
5 mL (1 teaspoon) kosher salt
60 mL (1/4 cup) olive oil

1 Recipe Pizza Sauce

Toppings

Whatever your heart desires!

Directions:

1. Mix yeast and honey into a cup with 1/3 of the water. ** Wait about 5 minutes for the yeast to froth.
2. Mix flour, salt together in your stand mixer.
3. Add in olive oil, the remaining water and the yeast mixture.
4. Mix over medium speed until all the liquid absorbed by the flour. (The dough may be lumpy.)
5. Place a handful of flour on your pastry board (or a mixing surface).
6. Dust your hands and spread out the flour; empty the contents of the bowl on to the flour.
7. Knead the dough for 8-10 minutes or until the texture is smooth and uniform. ***
8. Place the dough in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil.
9. Place bowl in draft free area and cover with a cloth.
10. Let the dough rise for about an hour.
11. Punch down the dough, cut in half, roll into each into a ball shape.
12. Cover with plastic and wait 45 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to as high as it will go and place your pizza stone inside. ****
13. Dust a pizza peel (or a cookie sheet) with corn meal.
14. Use a spatula and slide the dough onto the peel.
15. Dimple the dough with your fingers.
16. Assemble the pizza right on the peel, using the tomato sauce and toppings of your choice.
17. Use the peel to place the pizza on the preheated pizza stone.
18. Bake until the bottom of the pizza is golden brown, and the cheese is molten.

Ahh! Freshly Baked All-Dressed Pizza

** The water should be between 37° C- 43°  C (100°F-110°F).
*** If the dough seems a little sticky, add a little more flour. If it is too dry, add a little water a drop at a time.
**** If you do not have a pizza stone, no worries, just make sure that your oven is preheated to the highest it will go.

Now, here comes the contest time! For a free copy of Pizza Therapy’s Pizza Cookbook:

What types of toppings do you like on your pizza?

Comment below, and the winner will be chosen at random next Wednesday!

Tagged as: DIY, dough, frugal, madness, pizza, save