Mr. Man Could Eat Pizza Forever

My Mr. Man can sometimes be a fussy eater.  Picky's not my thing, though, and so sometimes it can get a bit complicated.  Whereas I don't bat an eye to eat chicken feet, he freaks out at the sight of the bone in a fried chicken leg.  When I can think of nothing better than to eat a plateful of fresh seafood, he thinks lobsters look too much like large red cockroaches and gags.  But, we've managed to make it work.

He enjoys when I cook "normal" food, of which includes PIZZA.  I love a nice thin crusty pizza, simple with light tomato sauce and a drizzle of mozzarella and fresh herbs.  But, he loves a nice greasy pizza with plenty of carnivorous meats.  When I told him that we were going to make our own pizza, including the dough, he thought it impossible.  He could have died happy thinking DiGiorno's was as good as it got.  But not in my lifetime!  So we made it together and there was no going back to the frozen stuff.  No more pizza boxes or delivery receipts from Pappa John's. 

Thin-Crust Pizza
Recipe adapted from The Best of America's Test Kitchen.  Makes 2 pizzas.

Dough
3 cups bread flour
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
1.5 cups ice water
1 tablespoon canola oil
1.5 teaspoons salt

Toppings
1/2 cup favorite tomato sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
Optional according to your tastes can include: diced bell peppers, mushrooms, sliced onions, olives, sliced pepperoni, Italian sausage, basil, crumbled hamburger, anchovies, sweet potatoes, the sky's the limit!

1) For the dough, process the flour, sugar, and yeast in a food processor for about 5 seconds to mix it up.  Slowly add cold water to flour mixture.  Combine until no dry flour remains.  Let dough rest in processor for about 10 minutes.

2) Add oil and salt to dough and process until dough becomes a ball.  Remove from processor bowl and knead for about a minute.  Shape dough into a smooth ball and place in an oiled gallon size Ziploc bag.  Refrigerate for 24 hours-3 days.  (It can also be frozen at this point and saved for another day.  Remember to wrap it tightly and label with date if you do this.)

3) Take your dough out of the refrigerator and divide in half.  Shape each piece into a ball.  Let stand for 1 hour while oven heats to 500 degrees.

4) With your hands or a rolling pin, roll out dough ball into desired thickness.  I like mine really thin.  Transfer dough to a pizza pan.  Spread with tomato sauce.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Add remaining toppings.  I also like to add a rain of fennel for that lovely, pungent taste.

5) Bake for about 10-12 minutes depending on you oven heat until bubbly and golden brown on some spots.    Let cool for a few minutes ( I know that will be hard!)  slice and serve.

6)  Repeat these steps for the 2nd dough ball.