Pete+Suck+Rust= ???

I am eating this RIGHT NOW! You are soooo jealous.

PIZZA CRUST! That's right. I am going to share a bit of my amazing pizza making tips with you. Get ready to make an awesome pizza crust dough that I have made so many times that I don't have to measure anything. I realize I am bragging right now and sometimes that is OK; bake what your mama gave ya'!

Happy November!


For all of you that have no idea what that means, please take it upon yourself to search for "shake what your mama gave ya'". I take no further responsibility for what you stumble across. Now moving on!
I present you with a pizza dough recipe!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And don't be so hard on yourself. If you neither have nor care to purchase the specialty flours, feel free to substitute all purpose in their place. Just know that you can use semolina to make fresh pasta. So it is something that you can use again!

Pizza Dough Version 1
2 1/2 - 3 cups water @ 110 degrees fahrenheit 
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup patent flour
1/2 semolina
1/2 rye flour
1 1/2 tablespoons dry active yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
Additional flour for kneading

I do this by hand and so will you:
In a large bowl, mix all dry ingredients including yeast.
Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and enough of the water to form a ball.
Move the dough to a floured surface and knead by spreading the dough outwards with your palm and bring the edged inward to form a ball and repeat.
Add a bit of water, about 1/4 cup, and knead until it is absorbed into the dough and the dough becomes firm.
Continue to add the water and knead until the dough springs back after you poke it.
In a glass or stainless steel bowl, place the dough and cover with the remaining olive oil.
Place a wet towel over the bowl.
Allow the dough to rise for roughly an hour, preferably an oven that is roughly 75 degrees or so*.
After the dough has doubled, punch it down, re-wet the towel if needed and allow to rise again.

Your dough is ready to use after it has risen again!
This recipe makes roughly 2 medium pizzas or 2 large, thin crust pizzas.
* I typically pre-heat my oven for just a few minutes until it is "warm", then turn it off and let the dough rise inside.

On pizza featured above, I used a very quick and easy tomato sauce; crushed tomatoes, basil, garlic, onion, salt and pepper. I then topped with cheddar, monterey jack and mozzarella cheese as well as ham and salami on half. I used a pizza screen and baked @ 500 degrees fahrenheit for about 12 minutes on the middle rack. Use of a pizza screen will help you to achieve a nice, even crust. It will also help keep the shape of a thinly stretched dough if you want a thin, crisp crust. Make sure that your dough is well floured before placing on the pizza screen or else it will stick!

Get creative and let me know how it goes!

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