Cooking Pizza in an electric pizza pan

Posted on March 23, 2012 by bilrob

Cooking Pizza in an electric pizza pan

We have had electric pizza pans for many years. Our latest addition to the kitchen is a large stainless steel version which we use for cooking everything from pizza to paella. They are great! Easy to use and easy to clean. This article is primarily about cooking pizza however. So, what better way to start then to provide you with a great pizza dough recipe. You can of course buy ready made pizza bases in any supermarket – but they are not the same as home-made ones. You can also buy ready mixed pizza flour, but you also get all the preservatives and E numbers that you don’t really want.

You can make the dough the traditional way – on the table top and knead it by hand, or you can prepare it in your bread machine if you suffer from athritis and can’t put the pressure into your wrists by kneading. We have tried these recipes and they both work well.

BASIC PIZZA DOUGH

3/4 cup warm water or flat beer (105-115°F)
4 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
2 to 2 1/4 cups bread flour

Heat water in microwave until temperature reaches 105-115°F. (If the water is too hot, it will kill the yeast). Sprinkle the yeast onto the surface of the water and stir in until dissolved. Add sugar and stir in a teaspoon of flour; set aside for 5 minutes. The mixture should begin to bubble. If the mixture doesn’t bubble, either the yeast is too old or the temperature of the water was too hot and you should start over again with fresh yeast or cooler water.

After the yeast begins to bubble, add it to the remaining ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer (or other large bowl). Knead on low speed for 15 minutes or turn out onto a clean work surface which has been dusted lightly with flour and knead for the same amount of time.

The dough should feel slightly sticky when you are done kneading, but it shouldn’t cling to your hands. If it does, knead in a few dustings of flour. If the dough doesn’t feel slightly sticky, there’s not enough moisture; knead in a few drops of water.

Tip: To hydrate the dough just a little, soak a paper towel with water and wrap it lightly over the dough ball and leave it to rest for 5 minutes, then knead the extra moisture into the dough.

Exact measurements for the quantities of flour and water are never accurate since one batch of flour will absorb more or less water than another based upon storage and harvesting methods, age of flour and the type of wheat, the way in which the flour is milled, the weather, and a number of other conditions. Each time the dough is prepared is unique, but experience will teach you the proper consistency.

When the dough is smooth and elastic it is ready to begin the rising phase.

Place a few drops of olive oil at the bottom of a large heavy bowl. Place the rounded dough ball in the bowl and turn to coat the mass lightly with oil; this prevents the dough from forming a crust which would keep it from rising fully. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean, damp cotton towel and place in a warm place, free from draft. (Inside an oven, on top of a refrigerator or hot water heater are good spots if they are draft-free).

Allow the dough to rise, undisturbed until it has nearly doubled in bulk. This can take 60-90 minutes, depending on the yeast and room temperature.

At this point, the dough may be punched down (deflated – the air bubbles pressed out) and stretched to form a pizza crust and used immediately (or it may be sealed tightly in freezer bags and frozen for later use; defrost in microwave for 5-7 minutes or allow to sit at room temperature for 1-2 hours before using).

But to allow the dough to develop a more “pizza parlor” flavor, it may be refrigerated in a plastic bag (leave the top open so that the dough has sufficient rising room – tuck under the top so that the bag isn’t open to the refrigerator). Allow to rise in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours before pressing/stretching out into a pizza crust shape.

When ready to bake, set the baking rack in the oven to the lower or lower-middle rack and set the oven temperature to 475 or 500°F. Allow oven to preheat for at least 20 minutes. If available, a pizza stone may be set in the oven for a crisper crust. Pizza screens (a special mesh-bottom pan for just for making pizza) are available in restaurant supply stores if a super crispy crust is preferred, and these make a wonderful complement to a pizza stone.

While the oven preheats, stretch (don’t roll) the dough out to a 14 inch diameter circle (or much wider if you prefer even thinner pizza crusts). The dough may be pressed out on a work surface and transferred to an ungreased pan (sprinkle a little cornmeal or semolina flour into the pan to prevent sticking, or spray lightly with olive oil spray). Another method is to press the dough directly into the pan. Or if you’re feeling adventurous, stretch the dough out by holding it over the backs of two upheld hands, turning and allowing the dough’s weight and gravity to stretch it out (they use a variation of this method in pizza shops to make the famous “hand stretched” dough).

For a Sicilian-style rectangular pizza, place a few teaspoons of olive oil at the bottom of a square baking sheet and fit the dough into the pan, stretching the sides to form a rim and dimpling the top with your fingertips to create a place for the toppings. A Sicilian pizza is not doughy, but has a slightly thicker, crispy-bottomed crust with a higher ratio of fresh tomato sauce to cheese, and a bite of hot pepper. The tomato sauce is fruity, fresh and not overcooked and is barely laced with a fresh buffalo mozzarella cheese. A light sprinkling of freshly grated Romano or Parmesan cheese can be sprinkled on top before baking. It is not overly browned on top when done.

For either kind of pizza, brush the dough top generously with olive oil and sprinkle with 6-8 oz of mozzarella cheese. Top with a layer of pizza sauce seasoned with fresh basil and oregano; sprinkle 1/2 cup grated Provolone and a few handfuls more of mozzarella (or use slices of fresh mozzarella or bocconcini over the sauce).

Top with preferred toppings, such as sliced fresh peppers, mushrooms, onions, pepperoni, anchovies, cooked Italian sausage, etc. Sprinkle with a few hot red pepper flakes (according to taste) and salt and pepper. Feel free to experiment with toppings of your choice, varying the quantity and type of sauce or cheese (cheese ends from your local supermarket’s manager’s special section can help make for a very economical pizza!).

Bread Machine Pizza:

Many have requested a version of pizza dough for the bread machine. Here are two I use often. Add the ingredients to the bread machine in the order listed by your machine’s manufacturer. Keep in mind that pizza dough from a bread machine is a wonderful convenience and makes an excellent pizza, but if you want the chewy crust of a traditional pizza, you’ll have to knead by hand for 5-10 minutes (or use a stand mixer with dough hook, then finish up with a few minutes of hand kneading).

Bread Machine Pizza Dough with Beer:

1-1/2 cups flat beer
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 3/4 tsp. Active Dry Yeast

Bread Machine Pizza (plain):

1 1/2 cups water
2 tbsp. olive oil
3 3/4 cups bread flour
1 1/2 tbsp. sugar
1 3/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. Active Dry Yeast
ELECTRIC SKILLET PIZZA
1/2 lb. ground beef
1 1/2 cup. buttermilk baking mix
3/4 cup. milk
1 (16 oz.) can tomato sauce
2 tsp. oregano
1 cup. mushroom caps (opt.)
1 cup. shredded Mozzarella cheese

Brown ground beef in skillet, stirring until crumbly; drain. Combine baking mix and milk in bowl, mixing to form dough. Grease bottom and sides of cold 12 to 14 inch electric skillet. Press dough over bottom and sides of prepared skillet. Layer tomato sauce, ground beef, oregano, mushrooms and cheese over dough. Set temperature to 325 degrees. Bake covered for 20 minutes or until crust is brown.

How to cook pizza in an electric pizza pan

PIZZA IN A SKILLET

1 cup. thinly sliced plum tomatoes
Vegetable cooking spray
1 sm. onion, thinly sliced and separated into rings
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cup. finely chopped fresh spinach
1/2 (16 oz.) pkg. frozen bread dough, thawed
3 tbsp. no-salt-added tomato sauce
1/2 cup. (2 oz.) shredded part-skim Mozzarella cheese
2 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

Coat an electric skillet with cooking spray. Heat at 375 degrees until hot. Add onion and garlic; saute until tender. Add sliced tomato and spinach; cook 1 minute or until spinach is wilted. Remove from skillet, and set aside. Wipe skillet dry with a paper towel. Roll bread dough to a 10-inch circle on a lightly floured surface.

Coat electric skillet with cooking spray. Heat at 275 degrees until hot. Place dough in skillet, and prick dough with a fork. Cover and cook 10 minutes or until lightly browned on bottom. Spread tomato sauce over dough; sprinkle with Mozzarella cheese. Spread spinach mixture over cheese; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Cover and cook an additional 5 minutes or until cheese melts. Transfer to a large serving platter. Yield: 4 servings (about 246 calories per serving).
Protein 12.0; fat 5.7; carbohydrate 38.2; cholesterol 11; iron 0.9; sodium 637; calcium 209.

SKILLET PIZZA

1 (6 1/2 oz.) pkg. pizza crust mix
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 cup. pepperoni
1/4 cup. chopped onion
1/4 cup. chopped green pepper
1/4 cup. sliced black olives
2 cup. (8 oz.) shredded Mozzarella cheese

Grease a 12 inch electric or stove top skillet. Prepare pizza crust according to package directions. Line bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of the skillet with dough. Combine tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, and oregano; spread on dough. Layer pepperoni, onion, green pepper, and olives over sauce. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover and cook over medium heat (set electric skillet at 375 degrees) for 15 minutes or until crust is brown on bottom and cheese is melted. Slide out onto cutting board and cut into wedges or squares.
Bread Making with Bill & Sheila

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PIZZA - HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

Posted on August 24, 2011 by bilrob

PIZZA – HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

Although he did not realise it, Stone Age man was probably the inventor of the pizza. He mixed together ground wheat and water to form a type of dough, and cooked it in discs on or between Hat stones which had been heated up in the fire.

Primitive man continued to bake ‘bread’ in this way until the time of the ancient Egyptians, who invented the conical-shaped stone oven which was similar to the modern pizza oven of today. They used to bake their bread discs by sticking them to the hot outside walls of the oven, turning them over when they fell off and cooking them on the other side. The Egyptians left no record of having made pizzas, but there are references to a type of pizza made by the Greeks and Romans, which they topped with olives, honey or various other herbs and spices.

The name “pizza’ probably originated in Naples around 1000 A.D., where flat discs of a bread—like substance were first called ‘picea’ and then ‘piza’.

Pizzas, as we know them today, can be traced back to the 17008. They appeared long after the introduction into Europe of the tomato, which originated in Peru.

Previously this ‘strange fruit’ was used as an ornamental plant. It was later discovered that it could be put to better use. At first, pizzas were made and sold by the roadside on stalls and it was not until the early 1800s that the first Pizzeria appeared in Naples, where people could sit down at a table and
enjoy their favourite pizza accompanied by a glass of local wine.

Though well known, it is worth telling the famous story about the most renowned pizza e Pizza Margherita. In the late 1800s Queen Margherita was resident, as she was every summer, with her family at their lodge in Capodimonte Park in Naples.

Having heard so much talk about an innovation called pizza, she summoned the most famous Neapolitan pizzaiuolo (pizza-maker), Don Raffaele Esposito, to court and demanded to taste this new dish. The pizzaiuolo was so proud and honoured to show off his art that, apart from preparing the usual toppings which he served nightly in his pizzeria, he invented a special one, topped with mozzarella cheese, for his royal guest. (Some say that it was Don Raffaele’s wife’s idea!) Queen Margherita was so taken with the special pizza that Don Raffaele named the pizza ‘Margherita’
to commemorate the occasion. It continues to be one of` the most popular pizzas in Italy today.

The majority of pizzerias in Italy are still family businesses, but chains of pizzerias have sprung up all over the western world. Naples has, however, remained the home of the pizza and even in Italy pizzas made outside this city tend to have a different flavour.

The art of pizza making depends not only on the ingredients and the handling of the dough but also on the type of oven used. A real pizza should be baked in a wood-fuelled oven next to the charcoal
embers. This is what gives the pizza its typical flavour. It is a great shame that present legislation in some countries does not allow the use of open-fire ovens in restaurants. A pizza cooked in an electric oven is a poor substitute.

There are many different ways of making pizza dough. Some add oil, some add an egg, some make a dough first with part of the flour mixed with the yeast, allow it to rise and then knead it into the rest of the flour and water. (This is the method used by Italian bakers to make bread.)

After experimenting with these many different methods I have found that there is, in fact, not that
much difference in the finished product provided that you follow a few simple rules:

1 Always use strong plain flour.
2 Make sure that the water used is tepid and not hot.
3 If you are using dried yeast, use part of the quantity of water given in the pizza recipe to reconstitute it. (The packet can be misleading.)
4 The dough really must be kneaded for about 10 minutes — there is no short cut!
5 The dough must be allowed to rise covered, and away from draughts, until it has doubled in size.
6 If the pizza dough rises more quickly than you expected, you can knock it back and leave it to rise
for a little longer.
7 Always preheat the oven for at least 20 minutes before baking the pizza to make sure that it has reached the required temperature.
8 Use lard, instead of oil, for greasing the baking tray as it will be easier to press the pizza into shape.
(It is stickier)
9 Use a thin baking tray for baking the pizza as it will cook through better.
10 When starting to shape the pizza, you must really slap it down hard on to the floured table three or four times to eliminate any excess gases which may have formed during the leavening. (This is marvellous for getting rid of any pent up frustrations or anger, tool)
11 After shaping the pizza leave it to rest on the baking tray for approximately 15-20 minutes before adding the topping. The resulting pizza will be much lighter.
12 When adding the topping be careful not to spread it over the border. Never overload the pizza with topping or the dough underneath will not cook sufficiently and will be soggy.
13 Bake the pizza until it has risen well, the topping is cooked and the borders are golden.
14 Serve the pizza immediately. Cold or reheated pizzas are never the same.

Watching a real pizza-maker prepare his pizzas is a sight worth seeing. He tosses them in the air and slaps them down on the marble table with great gusto. I do not expect that any of us will ever match the performance of a true Neapolitan pizzaiuolo, but making pizzas is really easier than it would seem, once you have acquired the knack, and there are so many toppings to choose from, try out and invent, that it is well worth the effort. Pizzas certainly add variation and colour to your daily menus.

PIZZA SHAPES

Round Pizzas Turn the dough out on to the floured working surface and knead it two or three times. Start flattening and gently pulling the ball of dough out into a circle, working from the centre outwards, taking care not to tear the pizza.

Pick it up, and holding it vertically and working very quickly, turn it in an anti—clockwise direction between the thumb and forefinger of both hands as if you were turning a plate. Slap the pizza down onto the working surface vigorously and repeat this process two or three times until the circle is almost the required size.

Place the circle of dough on a greased baking tray and gently push it outwards from the centre until you reach the size needed. Form a thin border around the edges. Leave the pizza to rise for approximately 15-20 minutes before adding the topping.

Rectangular Pizzas (Pizza a taglio) Turn the dough out on to the floured working surface and knead it two or three times. Start flattening and gently pulling it out into a rectangle, lifting it up and slapping it down on to the table vigorously to eliminate the excess gases. Use a floured rolling pin to help y0u reach the required size. Lift the rectangle of dough on to the greased baking tray and push it, using your fingers, to the sides and into the corners of the tin. Form a thin border around the edges. Leave the pizza to rise for about 15-20 minutes before adding the topping.

Thickness: There are two schools of pizza- making: the Neapolitan and the Roman. The Neapolitans make slightly thicker pizzas (3-5 mm/1/8 – 1/4 in) with a thicker and deeper border in order to contain a richer topping. The Romans make a flatter pizza, about 3-mm/ 1/8 in thick, which is more biscuit-like. The Roman pizza tends to be drier than the Neapolitan one as the smaller quantity of topping is more easily absorbed by the dough in the baking.

The given quantities of topping are for Roman-style pizzas and all cover one large, two medium, or four small pizzas. (See note on sizes under the Basic pizza dough recipe which follows.)

Also, watch for following articles on this blog about how to make the perfect pizza dough and hundreds of pizza recipes.

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Cooking Pizza in an electric pizza pan