Italian Recipes For Pizza

What is a good recipe for an authentic homemade Italian pizza?

CRUST:
1 pkg. dry yeast
1 c. lukewarm water
2 tsp. sugar
3 1/2 c. sifted all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. salt

Soften yeast in warm water and stir until dissolved. Give it a pinch of sugar and allow to rest 5 to 10 minutes to activate. Add sugar and 1 1/2 cups of the flour. Beat until blended thoroughly. Mix in oil and salt. Stir in remaining flour.

Turn out on lightly floured board and knead until smooth, about 10 minutes. Place ball of dough in a greased bowl, turn once to bring greased side up. Cover with damp cloth and let rise in warm place, until more than double in size, about 1 3/4 hours.

Punch down the dough; place in refrigerator about 1/2 hour, or until dough is a little less lively and can be handled easily. Roll out on a lightly floured board into the shape required for your pan.

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My pizza base is more like a foccacia. Use the recipe above, or any bread dough (thawed from the freezer section is perfectly fine). Stretch the dough in a thick layer in a well oiled baking pan (1 loaf per 13 x 9 or jelly roll sized pan is good).

Caramelise 1 large sweet onion and two or three shallots in equal parts olive oil and butter - slowly! Remove the onions from the oil/butter (reserve for later use). Using your fingers, spread the slightly cooled caramelised onions over surface of dough. Push down into the dough with finger tips, making dimples, stopping before you push all the way through to the bottom of the pan (leaves a bunch of dents in surface - which is GOOD). Sprinkle surface with approx 1/2 tsp of dried oregano.

NEXT, sprinkle entire surface with 1 1/2 - 2 cups grated mozzarella cheese (or to taste). AGAIN, with the finger tips, gently push down to help the cheese bond with the onions and get down into the dough.

NEXT, layer with toppings of choice, i.e. pepperoni, ham, cooked bacon, pineapple, olives, sweet peppers, etc.

Sprinkle with another light sprinkle of oregano.

FINALLY, using well drained canned tomatoes; break into small bits and smear onto the toppings of the pizza until fully covered. Finish by sprinkling the entire top with a healthy teaspoon of sugar to counteract tomatoes. Drizzle the whole of the top of the pizza with the reserved onion oil/butter - make sure the edges are wet as well so they don't dry up when baked.

Bake 350 degrees F (preheated) [or gas mark 4] - approx 35 - 45 minutes, depending on how wet your topping choices were and how thick the dough is. Check by lifting the bread up and making sure the crust is a lovely crusty brown on the bottom.

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A handy trick I learned years ago; cut with kitchen scissors into handy squares. this pizza is great hot, room temp or cold. It freezes really well and tastes just as fresh as when it was made if you re-crisp it in a moderate oven.

Cheers

Fresh tomato sauce - Italian recipe


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