Pizza from scratch!

I was perusing foodie websites looking for something interesting to recreate, when I came across a very simple recipe on GiltTaste for fresh ricotta cheese, the perfect topping for pizza dough, which I've also been dying to attempt.  Turns out both recipes are much simpler than I imagined and so low maintenance, given you have an hour+ to let them both rest.

The experiment was an utter success!

Honey wheat pizza dough
(makes 2 pizzas, or 1 pizza and 1 dough to freeze for next time)
This was so light and fluffy on the inside with a slightly crispy crust


1 T honey
1 1/2 cups warm water (less than 115 degrees as to not kill the yeast, aka, less hot than a shower)
1 T active dry yeast or .5T instant yeast
1 T olive oil
1 t salt
1.5 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups white flour
1/4 cup chopped, pitted olives (optional)


Dissolve honey in warm water. Sprinkle yeast over the top, and let stand for about 10 minutes, until foamy.
Stir the olive oil and salt into the yeast mixture.  Mix in the whole wheat flour and 1 cup of the all-purpose flour until dough starts to come together.

 

Tip dough out onto a floured surface and add enough of the remaining flour so that dough is soft and kneads easily, but not sticky, then knead until  the ball of dough becomes smooth, about 10 minutes.

Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, and turn to coat the surface. Cover loosely with a towel, and let stand in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour. 
[This is when i started the ricotta].

When the dough is doubled, tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and divide into 2 pieces.

 

Form each into a tight ball.  If freezing, double wrap in plastic and freeze for next time.  Knead in olive pieces (or any other mixing) for 2 minutes.

Let rise for about 45 minutes until doubled.  Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Roll out with a rolling pin to form the general shape and size, then,drape it over both of your fists, and gently pull the edges outward evenly, while rotating the crust until the center is about 1/4 inch thick. When the circle has reached the desired size, place on a well oiled baking pan or stone.

Bake crust for 10 minutes.
Add toppings and bake for 15 to 20 more minutes (depending on thickness) in the preheated oven, until the crust is crisp and golden at the edges, and cheese is melted on the top. 



Homemade Ricotta - Makes 1 cup fresh cheese

Ingredients:
1 Quart whole milk (or low fat, but while is tastier!) (Important: You cannot use ultra-pasteurized or UHT (ultra-high temperature processed) milk. The container will say this clearly on the label.  Otherwise it will just say Pasturized - which you can use. 
1/2 t salt
1/8 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (gives a delicious lemony taste) or distilled white vinegar, or ½ teaspoon of citric acid dissolved in ¼ cup of water, or other similar acid

Heat milk and salt.  Pour the milk with the salt into a large pot over medium heat, stirring every couple minutes. Using a thermometer, heat the milk to180°F, not more than 185°F; the milk will be steaming on the surface and just about to start simmering. This is the temperature where the milk’s proteins start to break down and will easily form curds. The larger your pan, the faster it will heat up, so keep an eye on it.  Should take less than 10 minutes for this quantity.

Drop the acid.

 

When the milk has reached 180°F, shut the heat off, move the pot to your countertop and immediately pour in half of the acid while gently stirring. The acid makes the now-loosened proteins in the milk bind back together, forming “nets” that trap moisture and fat. As you stir, you will see the milk start to chunk up and curdle. After about 20 seconds, add the rest of the acid and continue stirring for 1 minute. Let the pot sit undisturbed for 10-15 minutes.

Drain and rest.  Set two layers of fine cheesecloth, or a nut milk bag in a bowl or mesuring cup.

Gently pour the contents of the pot through the lined colander. All the whey will drain, and you’ll be left with a cloudlike mass of fresh cheese sitting in the cheesecloth. (If you’re Martha Stewart, you’ll save the whey for other cheese making projects.) Set the colander over a large bowl and put it in the refrigerator to allow more whey to drain for at least 1 hour and presto! you’ve just made fresh ricotta cheese.

It's really that easy!

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