I asked my lovely assistant
Von to help me demonstrate the techniques for a perfect, mouth-watering, yum pizza.
It's all very easy to do, as
Von will demonstrate.
The night before you want to make pizza, make your dough. You can find the recipe
here. Seriously, I love this recipe. It is worth resting overnight in the fridge for. Not even kidding.
Two hours before you want to eat your pizza, pull your pizza out of the fridge and let it rest.
Also remember to let your pizza stone heat up for 45 minutes. This is very important! I use a 450 degree oven, but 500 would be even better. I just don't love the smell of the stone burning all of the "stuff" off. It stinks. 450 degrees cuts down on that smell.
Moving on.
Once your oven is ready and your pizza dough is ready and all of your toppings are prepped, gently pick up your pizza dough. It will be very stretchy.
Make sure that your paddle has plenty of corn meal so that you can slide it off onto the pizza stone.
If you are going to make a pizza with sauce, put a very thin layer of sauce. Remember a good pizza is simple. Fewer toppings equals a better pizza!
Make sure that once you get your crust on the paddle and you are adding toppings, leave your paddle on a flat surface. Remember it is suppose to slide easily.
Remember to be careful to not get the sauce or other toppings in the paddle. It's not really washable.
If you happen to drop your dough in the sink, please start over. I know this is a far fetched idea, I just wanted to make sure that just in case it happened, you would know what to do.
After your first pizza is complete, maybe you will be feeling a little more brave.
Von will now demonstrate the pizza dough toss. It is not difficult. Anyone can toss dough in the air and catch it.
Slowly and gently rotate your dough into a spin.
Gently toss it into the air while spinning.
Gently catch it with your knuckles.
Toss it once more.
Make sure that you calculate the height of your ceiling so that you will use the appropriate force.
And gently catch it.
By now it should be a large round perfect piece of dough that you can gently lay down on your well dusted (with corn meal) paddle.
Now you can start adding your toppings to your second pizza.
You have created a beautiful piece of work!!
Now gently slide the pizza onto the pizza stone. If you have correctly dusted the paddle, this should be easy-peasy.
I am sure it came off perfectly for you. Just in case it didn't, not all hope is lost. Think Calzone!
You did it! Now you can wait patiently for your pizza. It only takes a matter of minutes (7 or 8) so make sure that you are paying attention to your pizza and not goofying around the kitchen. You would hate to ruin your perfectly shaped Calzone, I mean pizza.
And Viola!
Perfect pizza! So yummy.
Join us next time on Cooking with
Von!
