Beans Pizza

This dough is something I have been making for many years.  If you have the time it’s as easy as 1, 22, 3.  I use it for pizza, stromboli and garlic knots.  Making your own pizza is an affordable and fun thing to do…all you knead 🙂 are a few ingredients, a big mixing bowl, and a good size board to knead & roll out your dough.  But here is a secret: If you let this dough rise in a covered oiled bowl for a half hour..there is little need to roll out the dough. If you punch it down, cover it and let it rise a second time, it is sometimes even easier to work with…and you won’t need a rolling pin!

1 cup of water about 115 degrees
1 envelope or 2 1/4   teaspoons active dry yeast
2 tablespoons salad oil (olive oil, canola, any veg/salad oil)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

Before you start, get all your ingredients together and put 2 1/2 cups flour in large mixing bowl.  Next, check your water temperature..if its not warm enough the yeast won’t be activated, and if the water is too hot the yeast will be killed.  That is why I use a thermometer.. 110-120 degrees F will be good.

Dissolve your yeast in the water, mixing with a spoon or fork..  Add sugar, salt, oil and once combined, pour this mixture into the bowl with the flour.  Now you are going to stir 22 times.  This sounds strange…but trust me.  Just start counting after the first few stirs, and then put your spoon or fork down and set the timer for 5 minutes.  This is the doughs resting time.  During this time you can also rest..just be sure to have a floured board ready so when the timer goes off you are ready to knead.  Your dough should look like this…it basically looks like a not so hot mess.

Next you want to bring that dough together so that you can knead it until smooth.  Gather it together with your hands, pressing to combine everything into a ball or disc  and put onto a floured board with your hands floured.  Knead the dough adding small amount of flour at a time if it is sticky.  Here is a nice definition I found..   “Bread dough is kneaded to distribute the yeast and develop gluten for an even texture.  To knead, pick up the far edge of the dough and fold over the bottom edge. Press down with the heels of your hands, pushing the dough away from you. Turn the dough one quarter turn and repeat the process. When properly kneaded, bread dough will be smooth and satiny, stretchy and no longer sticky.”

Soft as a babys bottom.  Next you want to put your dough into a large, clean, oiled bowl, turning the dough around in the bowl so it has a very light coating of oil.  Cover with a kitchen towel, or two…and leave in a warm spot to rise at least 30-60 minutes..

Once the dough has risen, punch it down, cover and let rise again, or flour your hands and roll out dough or simply press into whatever pan you are using.  Whatever pan you use- spray or oil it.  If you have a pan like this you can make a deep dish pizza.  Prick dough with a fork to avoid big air bubbles in your pizza.  I don’t always remember to do this…

Choose your toppings and drizzle top of pizza and crust with oil before baking at a high temp…I do 475 for about 20-25 minutes.  I use cookie sheets, large cake pans, just about any pan will do..I will add stromboli instructions soon…its just as easy & yummy as this pizza.

Here are some pictures of pizza and stromboli that I’ve made..