Recipes

Dough (or 1 lb store bought)
1½ cup lukewarm water (325 ml)
1 tbsp. sugar (15 ml)
1 package of dry yeast
3 cups all purpose flour (750 ml) + extra for kneading
1 1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup Pure by Christine Cushing Extra Virgin Olive Oil (60 ml)

Toppings
½ cup Pure by Christine Cushing, Basil Scented Tomato Sauce (125 ml) – per pizza
1 small Spanish onion, thinly sliced
½ red pepper, thinly sliced
2 inch pieces hot Italian pepperoni or chorizo, thinly sliced
150 gm mozzarella cheese, grated (5 oz), or slices of Buffalo milk mozzarella
Flour for dusting

Use pizza stone for that crispy bottom or perforated round pizza pan.

Dough: In a small bowl mix together sugar and water and whisk in yeast. Let stand until slightly foamy (about 5 minutes). In a mixer with dough hook, combine flour and salt. Alternatively, dough can be made in a food processor with plastic blade. Just pulse gently.

Add liquid to dry ingredients and blend on low speed. Add olive oil and continue until mixture starts climbing up the hook. Dough will be quite soft and sticky. Continue working dough for about 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead for a couple of minutes until soft and smooth. Amount of flour may need to be adjusted depending on the moisture in the room. It’s always easier to add a bit more flour, so keep the dough on the sticky side before hand kneading.

Place in lightly oiled medium bowl and cover until doubled (about 50 minutes). Punch down and let stand again for about 1/2 hour.

Preheat oven to 475°F. If using pizza stone, heat stone for at least 30 minutes on the bottom rack of oven.

Divide dough in half and freeze second ball in a well sealed freezer bag.

Assembly: Using your hands, stretch and pull the dough into a large round, a rolling pin will help. Sprinkle some cornmeal onto a pizza paddle (if you don’t have a paddle, you can sprinkle cornmeal on a baking sheet). Place the pizza dough onto the paddle or baking sheet. Spoon the sauce over surface of dough and gently, with back of spoon spread evenly. Sprinkle with grated cheese and arrange meat slices evenly on pizza. Ensure that the dough will slide off paddle, if using. Arrange remaining ingredients on top and slide dough onto hot pizza stone or put pan in oven. Bake for about 8-10 minutes or until topping is bubbly and crust is brown.

Each ball makes 1 x 12 “thin pizza

Recipe from Christine Cushing’s Website