Thick Crust Pizza

  A few weeks ago Tom came home with a vegetarian cookbook he found for me on clearance. He paid just $3. I've been enjoying all the recipes I want to try and one - a Thick Pizza Crust - caught my eye. I have other markers spread throughout  the book  so I know I'll  have a good time trying other recipes.

 The pizza I made yesterday morning is probably my all-time favorite.  I love deep dish pizza and this one is to die for.

 The basic dough consists of just five ingredients:

3/4 cup warm water
1 teaspoons sugar
1/2 ounce active dry yeast
2-1/2 cups bread flour
1/2 teaspoons salt

 As usual, I warmed the water slightly in our microwave, added the sugar and stirred in the yeast. I waited five  minutes for it to foam. It's always good to "proof" the yeast before using it.

I then added it to the flour and salt already placed in a bowl  and mixed thoroughly.

 I kneaded this mixture for five minutes on a pastry cloth and then formed it into a ball and placed it into a small bowl which I had sprayed with olive oil. Flip the dough to cover both  sides with a thin layer of oil.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and keep in a warm place until doubled.

 The recipe calls for a 30 minute first rise. I gave it an hour and a half.

  I rolled the dough out, stretching it to fit a non-stick cookie sheet and poked it with a fork every couple of inches to allow the steam to escape.

 I placed this in a warm spot and allowed it to slightly rise again. Probably 45 minutes. IT merely puffs up.

 Then I placed it in a 500° oven for about 6 minutes. The top will begin to dry but will not brown  in that  short time.

 It's now ready to add pizza sauce (we were given a bottle of homemade pizza sauce last summer). I went easy to avoid soaking the dough but Tom thinks I should have added more. Probably so.

 I added olives (my favorite pizza topping); Tom added fresh mushrooms. We covered the top with  shredded mozzarella cheese.

 Here's the pizza ready to go into the oven. I like leaving the edges free of sauce or toppings. The bread is a treat by itself.

 I baked it at 425° for about 19 minutes. I watched as the crust began to  brown and turned the cookie sheet half way round after about ten minutes (the rear of my oven is hotter than the front).

I did not find it necessary to add olive oil or cornmeal to the cookie sheet since it was non-stick. The pizza released easily. A non-stick sheet or a pizza pan would probably require oil.

 We ate the whole thing. It's certainly more labor intensive than just buying a pizza dough but the taste and texture makes it worth the effort. It's certainly  the best pizza I've ever eaten.