"jmcquown" > wrote in message
news
> On 9/15/2017 1:02 AM, Wayne Boatwright wrote:
>> On Thu 14 Sep 2017 09:49:50p, jmcquown told us...
>>
>>> On 9/15/2017 12:32 AM, Wayne Boatwright wrote:
>>>> I've been baking yeast breads since I was a teenagers, but we
>>>> never baked pizza at home. I started making scratch pizza when I
>>>> was in college and shared an old brownstone with three other
>>>> guys. They weren't foodies, but they loved the pizza I made over
>>>> any that they could order in.
>>>>
>>>> I'm more interested in people's preferences and techniques with
>>>> various ingredients.
>>>>
>>>> Dough: I always make my own, usually in the food processor. One
>>>> batch of dough yields one 15" pizza with a thickness close to
>>>> what some describe as "hand-tossed".
>>>>
>>>> Sauce or not: I usually make my own well-seasoned sauce, much as
>>>> I make pasta sauce. I freeze quantities suficient for one pizza.
>>>> On occasion I will lightly roast halved grape tomatoes in lieu
>>>> of the sance.
>>>>
>>>> Cheeses: I usually use a mixture of mozzarella and provolone,
>>>> and add a dusting of freshly grated parmesan at the end.
>>>> Sometimes, as a topping, I add a few blobs of ricotta.
>>>>
>>>> Meats or not: I almost always add some sort of meat, often
>>>> browned Italian sausage, or sometimes pepperoni or salami. I
>>>> don't often leave meat out altogether.
>>>>
>>>> Veggies: Oh, so many posibilities. If I use mushrooms I lightly
>>>> salt the slices, drizzle with a small amount of olive oil and
>>>> roast in a skillet in the oven until they've given up most of
>>>> their excess moisture, then set aside to cool. I sometimes add
>>>> small slivers of garlic to the mushrooms at the same time. Since
>>>> pizza bakes so quickly, if I use something like broccoli I will
>>>> also roast it slightly so that it isn't overly crisp. That works
>>>> for kale, too. I prefer raw slivers of onion and green pepper as
>>>> toppings over the cheese. If they're pre-cooked, I find them too
>>>> soft for my personal taste. The same for leafy vegetables like
>>>> spinach and basil, even sliced radiccio. Almost any leavy
>>>> vegetable seems to work well when added raw.
>>>>
>>>> I bake my pizza at 550° F. for ~15 minutes.
>>>>
>>>> Well, that's pretty much it, but I would really like to know what
>>>> others do, and pick up some tips and suggestions.
>>>>
>>>> Thanks for reading...
>>>>
>>> This is an old pizza recipe I posted in 1999. I first made this
>>> some time in the 1980's. It's a fairly thick crust Italian
>>> sausage pizza:
>>>
>>> Beer Lover's Pizza
>>>
>>> Crust:
>>>
>>> 1 c. beer, warmed to 110 degrees
>>> 4 Tbs. olive oil
>>> 1 Tbs. sugar
>>> 1-1/2 tsp. Salt
>>> 1 pkg. dry yeast
>>> 2-3/4 or a little more flour
>>> 2 Tbs. cornmeal
>>>
>>> Combine yeast and beer in large mixing bowl along with 2 Tbs. oil,
>>> sugar, salt & yeast. Add 1-1/2 c. flour and beat until smooth.
>>> Stir in enough additional flour to make a stiff dough.
>>>
>>> Turn onto floured board. Knead about 5 minutes. Place in greased
>>> bowl and turn until coated. Cover with a towel and let rise until
>>> doubled (about 1 hour). Punch down.
>>>
>>> Brush deep dish pizza pan with oil and sprinkle with cornmeal.
>>> Pat dough into pan, pinching around the rim. Cover with a towel
>>> and let rise 30 minutes. Proceed with sauce and toppings.
>>>
>>> Sauce & Toppings:
>>>
>>> 6 oz. tomato paste
>>> 1/2 c. beer
>>> 2 tsp. dried oregano
>>> 1 tsp. fennel seed
>>> 1/2 tsp. sugar
>>> 3/4 lb. bulk Italian sausage, broken down finely
>>> 12 oz. shredded mozarella cheese
>>> 1/2 c. grated Parmesan
>>>
>>> Combine tomato paste, beer, oregano, fennel and sugar. Cover
>>> dough evenly with Mozarella cheese. Spoon sauce mixture over the
>>> top. Sprinkle with Italian sausage, then top with Parmesan.
>>>
>>> Bake at 450 degrees for 15-20 minutes until crust is browned and
>>> the meat is cooked.
>>>
>>> It's been a long time since I made this. It was delicious.
>>>
>>> HOWEVER... I think if I wanted a pizza these days it would be a
>>> simple cheese pizza with a fairly thin crust. Not a bunch of
>>> ingredients or complicated sauce. <shrug>
>>>
>>> Jill
>>>
>>
>> This sounds delicious, Jill. I absolutely have to try the beer based
>> crust and sauce!
>>
> It was delicious! Every time I made it.
>
>> I would likely add some sort of veggie topping along with the sausage
>> (just my preference).
>>
> Saute the onion in just a little oil, add diced bell pepper, sliced
> mushrooms. They'd have to be well sweated first to remove all moisture.
> As long as you aren't talking pizza topped with broccoli, sure, add
> veggies...
>
>> As to to really thin crust pizzas and only cheese topping, I would
>> probably enjoy it, but don't think it would be a favorite for me.
>> However, that would be perfect for David's taste!
>>
> I'm simply not a huge fan of pizza. I'd rather make and eat a cheese
> quesadilla. But that's just me.

Oddly enough, for as much as I like Mexican food, quesadillas are not a
favorite. I did try the way that Aaron Sanchez makes his. He uses a
crumbling cheese in the skillet instead of butter. Makes the outside very
crisp and the end result isn't greasy. So often when you get them in a
restaurant, they are greasy. His are pretty good but I'd still prefer a bean
taco.