Pizza Dough and an Update

I'm bad at newsletter updates, or blogging, or whatever this thing is. As everyone's mom has said at one point or another: "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all."

The world is on fire. I have little that's nice to talk about.

I'm also busy. The dumpster fire going on in the US inspires writing, just not here. The novel is almost finished to the point of querying agents. I've been testing the waters in pitch events already. I wrote a short story for a writing contest that I should hear results on soon. Win or lose, the story will appear here. I'm involved in a new venture to create some unique tools for fellow authors. More on that soon.

In addition to writing, I'm painting again. It's an on and off hobby, but I'm experimenting with prints, and I'm planning to offer them for sale. Perhaps I'll consider doing commissioned work.

It adds up to having less time to update here. It's not going away, but don't expect any sort of schedule. The skeletons of articles in the queue mock me whenever I log in.

If you're interested in all my work, please follow me on BlueSky where I post more regular updates. I'm also on Discord, but follow me other places first!

With that out of the way, let's make some pizza!

cfreak's pizza dough

Total time is about 30 minutes to prepare and a few hours for the dough to rise, depending on the temperature of your kitchen. This will make 2 or 3 pizzas, depending on size and thickness.

I use unbleached, All Purpose Flour. "Self-rising" or "bread flour" may give unexpected results.

Note: I cook this on a pizza stone. They're cheap and well worth it. It should work on a pizza pan, though you may want to cook at 450 F (232 C) instead. Note #2: If you buy a pizza stone, buy a pizza peel as well (the big paddle thing) otherwise cooking on the stone will be difficult!

Step 1:
Dissolve the yeast into the warm water. I find that my hot water out of the tap is hot enough.
Dissolve half the sugar in with the yeast.

Step 2:
In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda. Add the olive oil

Step 3:
The water, yeast, sugar mixture should develop a nice foam on top. Once it does, pour the mixture over the other ingredients.

Step 4:
Knead by hand. Keep mixing until you get a sticky dough. Sprinkle additional flour to keep the dough from sticking to your hands or the bowl. I knead the dough for 10 to 15 minutes to ensure good consistency. Cover the bowl (I use plastic wrap) and let the dough rise until it at least doubles in size.

Step 5:
Once the dough has risen, preheat your oven to 500 F (260 C) or as high as it will go if yours can't get that hot. If you're using a pizza stone, don't forget to put it in before you preheat.

Step 6:
Divide the dough in half or thirds, depending on the size of your pizza. If you only need some of the dough, you can freeze the rest. I do this often.

Form the dough. I make my pizzas on parchment paper that can go straight into the oven for the first bake. Helps with stickiness. Sprinkle a bit of flour on the paper.

If you want an airy crust that comes out thicker: work the dough by hand, starting from the center and working outward. This method takes a bit longer.

For thinner crust, use a rolling pin to smooth the dough, again starting from the center and spinning your crust in a circle as you go to keep it even.

Step 7:
Once your dough is formed, drizzle with olive oil and spread evenly. Optionally, sprinkle the dough with Italian herbs. I use oregano.

Step 8:
Pre-bake. Place in the oven for 3 to 4 minutes and keep an eye on it. Don't over bake. You want a slight surface crisp to ensure the final pizzas are done, and the sauces don't soak in completely.

Step 9:
Add toppings and bake. I like to bake my final pizza until the cheese gets a slight toast. Usually 9 to 12 minutes.

If you used parchment paper on your first bake, and you're using a pizza stone, I recommend you bake the final pizza directly on the stone.

Enjoy! And @me with pictures of your pizzas on BlueSky!