pizzeria

as a wedding gift, we were given a pizza baking stone and rack. we left it in Tom's room (along with some other things) when we returned to BYU-Idaho because we had limited space and it was pretty heavy. now that we're back, we pulled it out and decided to use it. they pizzas we made were delicious! we've been trying to pitch in and make food while we've been living with the in-laws, especially because Juanita (Tom's Mom) works 5 days of the week. this time when we made the pizzas, we decided to imitate my favorite pizza, the O-riva from Oregano's in AZ. we topped the thin crust with sauce, tomatoes, artichoke chunks, kalamata olives, and feta cheese. this was my first time making pizza (or any food where the recipe calls for yeast) all by myself...and I am very happy at the way they turned out.

I used the recipe that came with the pizza stone and I have included it below, because I recommend it (and didn't mess it up).

Pizza Napolitana:

1 package active dry yeast

1 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees F)

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 1/2 to 3 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour

cornmeal, for dusting on pizza peel (optional)

toppings:

1 cup pizza sauce

olive oil to taste

2 cups grated mozzarella cheese

other toppings, as desired

Directions:

place yeast into the bowl of an electric mixer (although we don't have one and just mixed it by hand in a bowl, and it turned out fine). Add water and sugar; stir to combine. proof yeast 5 minutes, or until foamy. stir in salt, olive oil, and 1 cup flour. mix until blended. add additional 1 1/2 to 2 cups flour. mixing until a dough forms into a ball. remove dough from bowl to a floured surface. knead 8-10 minutes, or until smooth and elastic. place dough into a greased mixing bowl, cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour. punch dough down; divide in half (reserve half the dough for another pizza or freeze for another time). 

Place the pizza baking stone in the oven; preheat to 450 F. 

on a lightly floured surface, working from the center to the edge, pat and roll the dough into a flattened circle that is a little smaller than the pizza baking stone. sprinkle the pizza baking stone with cornmeal. gently slide the pizza dough onto the pizza baking stone. spread the prepared dough with pizza sauce lightly over the top. scatter with grated mozzarella cheese and any other desired toppings. 

Bake about 12-15 minutes, or until the crust is crispy and light brown and the cheese is melted. carefully remove pizza and cut into 8 slices. (I recommend watching the pizza so yours doesn't burn like my peperoni one did). 

Enjoy!