Jazzed Up PW's Pizza Dough

Pizza....pizza....pizza.  Who doesn't enjoy a good slice of pizza?!?!  To me a slice of pizza means happiness, simplicity and yumminess all wrapped up in one moment of life.  Like a good cup of coffee (or even tea) I often associate pizza shared with others.  Pizza is just so GOOD!!! 

In the past year or so I have discovered that making your own pizza dough is really NOT that hard.  Its quite easy in fact.  It does take a little patience (to let the dough rise and such) but otherwise it is really quite easy to create and master.

As many of you may know the Pioneer Woman (also known as Ree Dummond) is one of my idols/my Queens' in the cooking/baking/bloggin world.  I have been going through her lovely cook-book - The Pioneer Woman Cooks -  one recipe at a time making her delicious food.  One of her recipes that she offers in this book is none other than pizza dough.  I have taken this recipe and added a few extra ingredients of my own to "jazz" it up.

Jazzed Up PW's Pizza Dough

(adapted from the Pioneer Woman)

Ingredients:

1 tsp active dry yeast (make sure it is fresh and NOT outdated)

4 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp garlic powder (more if you wish)

1 tbsp fresh or dry parsley

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

Directions:

1. Pour 1 1/2  cups warm water into a bowl.  Sprinkle yeast over the water.  Set aside.

2. Combine flour, salt, garlic powder and parsley in a mixing bowl.  With electric mixer on low speed, drizzle in the olive oil until just incorporated.

4. Go back to your bowl of warm water and yeast....gently stir this mixture and then drizzle over the flour/oil mixture.  Mix until dough forms a ball (you can also mix by hand until dough comes together).

5. Drizzle a little olive oil into a clean bowl.  Roll the ball of dough in the bowl to coat with oil.  Cover bowl with a clean/moist kitchen towel.  Set in a warm place for 1-2 hours until doubled in size (You can also cover the dough with plastic wrap and store in a fridge for up to 2 days at).

6. Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.

7. Lightly drizzle olive oil on pizza pan or rimmed baking sheet. Depending on what size thickness and pizza you wish to make you can either divide the dough in 1/2 for two medium pies or use all the dough for 1 large pie.

8. Using your hands, stretch the dough to the desired shape, pressing dough into the pan with your fingers.  Making finger marks in the dough allows for a lovely surface for the toppings be received upon.

9.Top with your favorite toppings and bake for 8-10 minutes, until the edges of the crust are golden brown.

Yummy in my tum-tum-tummy!!!

Happy Jazzed Up PW's Pizza Dough Making!

~avril :-)