Merritt Family Pizza Night

This past fall, Moe and I were introduced to the art of pizza making.  Our friend's Cambey and David have shown us that as the process is just as important fun as the actual food you are going to eat.  Pizza night is a wonderful way to engage a large group (and family) and get everyone into the cooking spirit!  My parents came in town, and the last night they were here we shared this wonderful tradition with them!  Everyone was up in the kitchen participating (even my dad who is hardly the cook)! I hope you all enjoy it as much as we have and will continue to throughout the years.

Merritt Family Pizza Recipe
Source:  Cambey and Dave
Serves:  4 Pizzas

4 cups pizza sauce (recipe - Homemade Pizza Sauce)
2 - 8 oz bags of shredded mozzarella cheese
Pizza dough - homemade or store bought (recommend whole wheat from Whole Foods)
Salt and Pepper
corn meal
pizza paddle
pizza cutter
pizza stone

Place pizza stone in a cold oven (very important so stone doesn't crack).  With pizza stone in oven, preheat oven to 550 degrees (if doesn't go that high, 450 degrees will work).  Put some flour on a working space and place dough on surface and roll.  If dough sticks to surface or rolling pin then sprinkle more flour on the dough.  Roll out and every couple of rolls rotate dough 45 degrees in a circle until you reach a 9-10 inch diameter circle.

You can store the rolled out dough on wax paper if you aren't ready to use and can stack them with a piece of wax paper between.  

When you are ready to cook pizza, put wooden pizza paddle on the counter and sprinkle with corn meal so that the pizza will slide off easily onto the pizza stone in oven.  Using your hand spread corn meal evenly over paddle.  Place pizza dough on the peel.  

 
Put a thin layer of sauce on dough.  Cover with toppings depending on which type of pizza you are making.  

Once toppings are complete, use peel to slide pizza onto pizza stone. Close door.  In a minute or so open door and using a fork to turn pizza 45 degrees and shut door.  Check pizza every 30 seconds to a minute turning with fork ever so often.  The pizza is done when the crust is dark brown and almost black.  Using fork, drag pizza onto a pizza try.  Slice immediately and eat!  


Pizza #1 - Tomato, Mozzarella, and Basil
2 tomatoes, sliced thinly
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
1 mozzarella ball, sliced with liquid removed
1 cup pizza sauce

Pizza #2 - Prosciutto and Buffalo Mozzarella
8 slices of Prosciutto
1 container of Buffalo Mozzarella, drained - remove excess liquid with Scott towel
1 cup pizza sauce

Pizza #3 - Pepperoni with Roasted Red Peppers
10 large Pepperoni slices from the deli
2 roasted red peppers (can use jarred or prepare your own on grill)
red pepper flakes (optional)
1 cup pizza sauce
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Pizza #4 - Red Onion with Rosemary
1/2 red onion, sliced long ways and then halved
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, diced
1 cup pizza sauce
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Pictures from the evening...

Ratings:
Miss J, 10 out of 10
Moe, 10 out of 10

- Miss J