I can’t remember when the tradition in our family of having pizza every Friday night began. I was gifted with The Joy of Cooking at my bridal shower and I sort of laughed because cooking wasn’t something I thought I would ever do.
After we had been married a couple of years, we re-enlisted in the Marine Corps to go to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Once we arrived we soon realized that going out for dinner several times a week wasn’t an option. There was one restaurant we could go to, Blue Caribe, but it was run by the Navy and the menu very much resembled the food we could get for free in the chow hall. The one difference is that it was brought to us by waiters as opposed to being collected on the tray as we passed through the line.
I learned how to cook.
Although the recipe has changed over time, I found the original recipe in the Joy of Cooking and over the years, all of us has made the dough at one time or another. When the boys were in school and we were all busy, the first person home on Friday would be responsible for making the dough. This recipe is EASY and delicious and we are all pros at pizza dough making.
First you’ll want to combine the flour and the yeast in a mixing bowl.
Heat the water until it’s warm.
Add olive oil and mix into flour. Mix for 8 minutes or until dough is elastic.
Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl (I spray mine with olive oil spray!)
Let rise in a warm place until double. In Oklahoma in the summer time, this takes only about 20 minutes sitting on the patio!
You’ll want to preheat your oven to 350 degrees when you start to put the pizza together. Prepare a pizza stone by pouring olive oil and spreading to cover.
Then dust the stone with cornmeal. You don’t want to miss this because it really adds to the flavor of the crust.
Press the dough onto the prepared stone.
Spread the dough with the tomato sauce.
Sprinkle with garlic salt and Italian seasoning.
Then sprinkle with shredded cheese. We like to use an Italian blend.
Add your toppings. We like Canadian bacon, green peppers and black olives.
Bake the pizza for around 25 minutes and enjoy!
PIZZA DOUGH
Two 12-inch crusts (or one fat one, our choice)
Combine in a large bowl or the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 package (2 1⁄4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
Heat:
1 1⁄3 cups warm (105° to 115°F) water – we do this in the microwave for 1 min 20 secs.
Add:
2 tablespoons olive oil
Knead for 8 minutes by hand or with the dough hook on low to medium speed until the dough is smooth and elastic. Transfer the dough to a bowl lightly coated with olive oil and turn it once to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean cloth and let rise in a warm place (75° to 85°F) until doubled in bulk, 1 to 1 1⁄2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease 1 large pizza stone and dust with cornmeal (Do this! The cornmeal totally adds to the end result).
Press the dough onto the prepared pizza stone.
Prepare the desired toppings. We usually take an 8 oz can of tomato sauce and spread it on the dough. Sprinkle with garlic powder, oregano and basil, top with cheese and your choice of toppings. We love Canadian Bacon, green peppers and black olives. Mmmmm FABU!
Bake for 20-25 minutes. Enjoy!
Lauri Rottmayer is the author of the FABU Highway. When she’s not traveling the Highway, Lauri directs The Mrs. Oklahoma International Pageant, a competition for married Oklahoma women from ages 21-56.
You can visit Lauri’s websites at www.FABUHighway.com and www.TheMrsOklahomaPageant.com.
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