Pizza

This recipe makes 2 medium pizzas.  The crust is light and delicate, not heavy.  No worries, it didn't come out crunchy like a tostada either.


Crust Ingredients:


1 package dry yeast
2 tsps. sugar
1 cup warm water (hot off the tap)
1/4 cup lard (I used Crisco) It's about 2 heaping tsps.
3 cups of flour plus one for dusting
Olive oil


In a large bowl, combine the warm water, yeast, sugar and Crisco.  Mix and mix as best as you can.  Add 3 cups of flour and mix, leave one cup of flour on the side.  Once mixed kind of well, dust a surface with flour, and place the dough on that surface.  Knead well, slamming down the dough a couple of times. 

Use some olive oil to lightly coat a large bowl.  Place the dough in the bowl and cover loosely.  let it rise for about an hour.
In the meantime you can chop up your toppings.
In addition to the toppings, you will need

1 pound of shredded Mozzarella cheese
crushed garlic (optional)
Oregano
One can tomato paste
2 small cans of tomato sauce with or without spices.

Prepare the sauce.  Put all the tomato paste and sauce in a container and mix well, add some crushed garlic to taste, oregano and salt.  Taste test the sauce.  When ready, put aside with the toppings.

When the dough has risen, plop it onto the flour dusted surface by turning the bowl upside down.  Cut the ball in half and knead.  Make two balls and let them sit on the counter for about 10-15 minutes.  

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

After the balls sat there getting a bit puffy, then grab one, and smash it flat with your hand.  then squish it flat.  Then you can use a rolling pin to stretch it to the size of your pizza pan.  Coat the pizza pan with a light coat of oil.  Place the dough, which now should look like a large tortilla, on it.  

Make the edges look like a tiny curb, as if you wanted to keep the ingredients from sliding off.  then spread the sauce carefully onto the dough with a rubber spatula.  (or your hand if you like, just be gentle.

Add a light sprinkle of cheese, then arrange toppings evenly.  I added about 2 handfuls of each topping, then more cheese.  I liked adding oregano sprinkles on top of all that.  Then carefully paint some olive oil on the edges, and sprinkle the whole thing with garlic salt.

Place in the oven and keep a close eye, it cooks very quick.  Mine took about 10-12 minutes and it was golden.

Now do the same with the next pizza, and enjoy..

If 2 medium pizzas is too much for you, you can always take the second dough ball, cover it with a little bit of olive oil.  Put it in a freezer bag, press all the air out and seal.  Then you can freeze it. 

When you are ready to use it, leave in the fridge overnight.  Then take it out and let it become room temperature before using it.  I just made both, and one  is all gone now, they go fast!