Sausage Pepper Pizza

This is such an easy way to make pizza and it is guaranteed to be a hit. And if there are leftovers, they are just as delicious the next day. The pizza dough comes from the Winter 2012 Fine Cooking Best of Breads issue #60.

Pizza Dough

You can make the dough a day or a couple of weeks ahead. Put the individual ballsi n zip-top bags and refrigerate overnight or freeze for longer.

Ingredients

Yields 4 balls of dough for 4 individual 8-inch pizzas

1 package (2 1/4 tsp) active- dry yeast

11/2 cups very warm water (110°℉)

18 oz.(4 cups) all-purpose flour; more for dusting

11/2 tsp.salt

2 Tbs.olive oil

Make The Dough

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water and set aside (a Pyrex 2-cup measure makes for easy pouring; be sure the cup isn't cold). Meanwhile, put the flour and salt in a food processor fitted with the steel blade; process briefly to mix. With the machine running, add the water-yeast mixture in a steady stream. Turn the processor off and add the oil. Pulse a few times to mix in the oil.

Scrape the soft dough out of the processor and onto a lightly floured surface. With lightly floured hands,quickly knead the dough into a mass, incorporating any bits of flour or dough from the processor bowl that weren't mixed in. Cut the dough into 4 equal pieces with a knife or a dough scraper. Roll each piece into a tight, smooth ball, kneading to push out the air.

Rise and Store the Dough

What you do next depends on whether you want to make pizza right way or at a later date.

If you want to bake the pizzas as soon as possible,put the dough balls on a lightly floured surface, cover them with a clean dishtowel, and let them rise until they almost double in size, about 45 minutes. Meanwhile, turn your oven on to 500°℉ with the baking stone in it, to let the stone fully heat.

If you want to bake the pizzas tomorrow, line a baking sheet with a floured dishtowel, put the dough balls on it, and cover them with plastic wrap,giving them room to expand (they'll almost double in size), and let them rise in the refrigerator overnight.

To use dough that has been refrigerated overnight, simply pull it out of the refrigerator about 15 minutes before shaping the dough into a pizza.

To freeze the dough balls, dust each one generously with flour as soon as you've made it, and put each one in a separate zip-top bag. Freeze for up to a month. continued on next page

Sausage Pepper Pizza

Toppings

1 lb David’s Pasture Breakfast Sausage, in a skillet break apart the sausage and cook the sausage over a medium burner until cooked through and browned

24 oz jar Marinara Sauce, buy one with simple and organic ingredients (like the one this link takes you too) I often look for Italian brands, but most importantly find a brand that fits your palette

2 - 3 Sweet Peppers (red, yellow or arange), seed and cut into strips, sauté in a skillet in olive oil over low to medium heat until just softened

2 Tbls Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 cups Grated Mozzerella

1/2 - 1 cup Grated Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano

Assembly

Lightly oil two large pizza pans or 2 baking sheets that are big enough to hold 2 small pizzas each. Use a rolling pin to roll out the pizza dough out on a lightly floured surface. Roll to fit the size of your pizza pans or pizza stone. if you have neither, roll out rounds and use the baking sheets. I prefer to roll the dough to be thin, roughly around 1/4 inch thick. If it is too thin it won’t support the toppings.

Spread marinara sauce over the pizza dough. I use approximately 3/4 to 1 cup for a large pizza. Arrange the cooked sausage over the marinara. Arrange the pepper strips over the sausage. Cover with grated mozzerella. Sprinkle grated pecorino or parmigiano over the top.

Bake

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place the pizza pans or baking sheets into the oven. Do not crowd the oven with too many pans. I prefer to bake one pizza at a time, because they have more hot air circulating around the entire pizza.

Bake for 20 minutes to see if the crust is firm. If it needs more time, bake another 10 minutes. Oven temperatures can vary, sometimes heating to 425 is actually 475, and gas ovens can have big swings. So know your oven and adjust the time accordingly to how quickly or slowly it is cooking.

Additional Topping ideas · Sautéed onions,fresh sage leaves,grated pecorino romano, grated Parmesan. Basil pesto,toasted pine nuts, slow-cooked garlic,grated Parmesan. Sautéed leeks, chopped arti- choke hearts, a bit of crushed tomatoes,grated Parmesan. Italian Fontina,Gorgonzola, sun-dried tomatoes. Garlic,olives, capers, anchovies, crushed tomatoes. · Sliced tomatoes, mozzarella, fresh basil. Thinly sliced prosciutto,ricotta, fresh basil,grated Parmesan. Cooked Italian sausage,sautéed onions,Fontina,mozzarella. Sautéed mushrooms,thinly sliced cooked potatoes, Gorgonzola,crumbled cooked bacon or pancetta

Enjoy! and let me know how it turns out!