Pizza Dough

I realize that my previous post was a yeast bread recipe, but I wanted to share with you one of the first recipes I prepared upon moving to Mexico.

I love pizza and so does the rest of my family. One of the first things that my husband and I noticed when moving to Mexico, was that the pizza wasn't up to our standards. Nothing that we tasted here came close to the pizza that we were used to back home in the States.

Then I remembered making pizza from scratch on a few occasions. All I had to do, was find my recipe for pizza dough and then head to the local bakery to buy some yeast. One of the panaderías (bakery) is owned by my husband's godfather, Don José. I had hoped to find packages of quick active dry yeast, because I had never used any other kind, but was told by Don José that his bakers only used fresh yeast. Don José reassured me that using fresh yeast was no different than using the quick active dry yeast, and that maybe, one day, I'd prefer using the fresh. Don José gave me (he refuses to charge us), the amount of fresh yeast that I would need for one kilo of flour. (One kilo is just a little over 2 pounds.)

Needless to say, we were able to enjoy a delicious pizza. And on a very happy note, packages of instant yeast are now readily available at one of the local cremerías (shops). Here is my recipe for pizza dough.

Pizza Dough


Ingredients:

• 2-1/2 to 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 envelope instant yeast*
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup very warm water (120ºF)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:
In large bowl, combine 1 cup flour, undissolved yeast and salt.

Stir very warm water and olive oil into flour mixture.  Beat 2 minutes by hand or with an electric mixer on medium speed.

Stir in 1 cup of remaining flour; mix well. Stir in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough.

Knead on lightly floured surface for 8 to 10 minutes, until dough feels smooth and elastic.

Place dough in a large bowl that has previously been sprayed with vegetable spray; turn greased side up. Cover with plastic wrap and let set 30 minutes or until dough has doubled in size.

Shape dough into smooth ball. Divide and roll dough to fit desired pan(s). Top pizza with your favorite toppings. Bake at 400ºF for 20 to 30 minutes.  Enjoy!!!

*Note: You can also use quick active dry yeast for this recipe.  Just dissolve it in the hot water and let it set for about 10 minutes before adding it to the flour.

With Love,
Leslie Limon