Another pizza. This one isn’t my prettiest pizza ever, but it tasted good. I have picked up the habit of working to improve my dough again. I think I got it pretty perfect on this one. Of course, it may have more to do with the damp weather and humidity than it does with my efforts, but anyway, here’s the recipe:
For the crust:
1 cup sourdough starter (alternatively, use 1 cup all-purpose flour with 1/2 cup water)
1 1/2 cups water
3 cups all-purpose flour
Mix these ingredients together. If using starter, let this sponge rest for 2-4 hours in a warm place. If not using starter, proceed to next step.
1 cup King Arthur white wheat flour
1/2 cup Italian style 00 flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon salt
1 package active dry yeast.
Blend all these ingredients together and, using a dough hook or your hands, knead for 5-7 minutes or more. The dough should be pretty wet–this is a good thing. Remove dough ball (it will barely be a ball) and place in an olive oil coated bowl. Let rise for 1 hour. Divide into three balls.
Preheat the oven to 475.
For the toppings:
1 large onion, sliced thin
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh herbs (I used oregano, thyme and parsley)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 large portabella mushroom, sliced
5 ounces or so of a package of shredded Italian cheese blend (this would be better with freshly grated cheese, but hey, I made the dough–that’s enough work)
freshly ground pepper
Saute the onion and garlic in the butter and olive oil over low heat for about 30 minutes, until translucent and golden brown. Add the mushoom, herbs and freshly ground pepper. Saute for another 4 minutes or so on medium.
Stretch one of the dough balls out into the shape of a pizza (this dough was easy to shape, sometimes I need to use a rolling pin). Transfer to a preheated pizza stone and prebake crust for around 3-4 minutes. Remove and place on a pizza peel. Turn oven to 500 degrees.
Sprinkle about 1/3 of the cheese lightly over the crust, then top with onion/mushroom blend. Add remaining cheese and slide topped pizza into oven. Bake for 8 minutes or until toppings are golden.