How to make the BEST pizza dough..

I received a wonderful gift from my yoga instructor, 1 lb of turkish yeast from the market.  She told me her and her family has been using it for years.  After opening the packet I could already tell it was different than the little packets you see in the store.  Just opening the package I got the beautiful blooming yeast smell and the yeast was light and feathery.  I was so excited.   I wish I could just stay home and bake breads, rolls and so many other amazing yeasted goodies.   First on my list was pizza dough.  I brought up the yeast to the cottage so we could make grilled pizzas.   This would be a great idea. 

Multigrain Pizza Dough
(Adapted from Cooks Illustrated)

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 3/4 cups water divided, 1/2 cup warm, remaining at room temperature
• 1 1/4 teaspoons instant active yeast 
• 1 tablespoons olive oil , plus extra for brushing dough and bowl
• 1 cup Multi-grain bread flour
• 1 cup high gluten flour
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• Semolina for dusting 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Measure 1/4 cup of warm water into a 2-cup measuring cup. Sprinkle in yeast; let stand until yeast dissolves and swells, about 5 minutes. Add remaining 1/4 cup warm water plus remaining 1 1/4 cups room temp water and olive oil.
2) Combine flour and salt in workbowl.  Make a well in the center.  Add liquid ingredients into the well of the flour (holding back a tablespoon or so).  Slowly bring in the center and bring the dough together roughly.

3). Turn dough onto lightly floured work surface; knead by hand with a few strokes to form a smooth, round ball. Put dough into medium-large, oiled bowl, and cover with damp cloth. Let rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours.

4). Heat the BBQ to 400F and brush oil on the grill.  Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface.  I cut the dough into two to form two pizzas.  Form each piece into ball and cover with damp cloth. Working with one piece of dough at a time, gently roll out, occasionally picking up and spreading with your knuckles and hands.

One little one for me, one big one for my hubby.

5) Once it is at your desired shape, transfer dough to a sheet that has been lightly coated with semolina while preparing the other one.  Repeat step 4 for remaining dough.  Brush each crust lightly with some olive oil.
6) Place the dough directly on the grill.  Once dough begins to firm up, about 5-8 minutes.  Start to your desired ingredients.    Cover lid and continue to cook until cheese has melted.

Give me some MORE!  This was the best homemade crust I have ever had.  I have put pizza on the grill before but this one just turned out so well.  The dough was quick, easy and doubled perfectly.  It grilled up so well, developing a nice crunch with an airy texture and a beautiful fresh flavour..   The dough just pulled the whole pizza together.   For the sauce we actually used the sauce I made on my very first post -  Homemade Tomato Sauce, which just made it even better.  Hmm..that reminds me,  I need to make some more sauce.

MEG's RATING : D-EEEEE-LICIOUS!!

Homemade Tomato Sauce

Although this blog is meant to focus on delicious treats that expand the waste line, I couldn't help but write about this experience.    I have made my own tomato sauce in the past but never on a scale that required the need for jars. In channeling my inner Michael Smith, I don't have a true recipe for this it simply involves the following from largest quantity to least quantity:

• Roma tomatoes 
• Yellow & Spanish Onions
• Garlic
• Carrots 
• S&P and dried herbs & spices

There is really something exciting about creating your own sauce.   It's pure and full of flavour and simply makes you want to eat pasta every day.  YUM!   A couple hours of work will give you months of not having to purchase lack luster store bought sauce.  

Where to begin..... 

Chop up tomatoes and onions in to medium sized chunks and peel out lots and lots of garlic buds.  Place them on a pan, drizzle with olive oil, pepper and some Italian seasoning and ROAST!!

Roast the tray @ 375-400F for about 30-40min, basically until it looks like this.....

Now I know a lot of people boil the tomatoes and peel them and smash them down and I think that is great... but just a bit too much work.    Why spend the time peeling when God, or well Kitchen Aid invented BLENDERS.   Put your finger to work and use it I say.  Throw the roasted veggies into a blender and liquify.  

This will create a smooth tomato shake that is just begging for some herbs and spices.  Pick your favourite dried herbs and spices and put them in a big pot and let it simmer for several hours until the herbs have been absorbed and all the flavours are mellowed together and the sauce has reduced removing any excess liquid from the tomatoes. The sauce will fill your kitchen with some amazing aromatic smells.

Time to CAN
Well I was no expert before and I am no expert now but thankfully I am not the first to blog about canning tomato sauce so I searched out the web for best practices of canning and this is what I learned.

• Wash & Sterilize the jars - Run them through the dishwasher, HOT HOT HOT - lids and all (but lids off)   Then boil the jars for 10 minutes and then keep them on simmer until ready to use. Simmer the lids in a separate pot.  
• Fill the jars - When the sauce is ready, use tongs or something other than your hands to pull out the jars from the water.   Grab your funnel or spoon or ladle (if you don't mind a small mess) and pour the sauce in to the jars.  If you are using spoon or ladle tap the jar after each scoop to ensure air is removed and the sauce settles together.
• Spacing and lemon juice - leave about 1/4 inch at top and put about 1/4 teaspoon of lemon juice at the top to prevent spoilage.   Also review the jar to ensure no air pockets and remove with a knife.
• Seal and Re-boil - Once the jars are sealed, place them in boiling water for about 35min (for half litre) or longer depending on the size of the jar.  Many websites said to ensure the jar is covered by an inch or two of water but I was only able to get the water up to the base of the opening and all my jars sealed
• POP!!  - After the seal and re-boil is complete and you have removed the jars you have nothing left to do except wait for the pop.   When you are a first time "canner" there is no sweeter sound that POP!  It can take up to 24 hours for your jars to seal so don't worry if you don't hear it right away.   After 24 hours lightly press the jar lid to ensure it was sealed.  Once it is vacuum sealed you can store them at room temperature until ready to use.  

Although it may seem like a long process, it is well worth it and not as bad as it seems.  With the roasting method you don't have to do everything all in one day.  I roasted on a Thursday night and then pureed and jarred on Saturday morning.   I can guarantee the roasting/puree method is faster than boil and peel plus you get the added bonus of the roasted flavours.  If you are interested in making a lot of homemade sauce and not comfortable with canning you can always fall back to freezing and thaw as needed.   

Try your own sauce and trust me you will enjoy the results.