From Around The Family Table

Molly faced numerous cooking challenges while in Malawi. She found her métier with pizza, creating delicious combinations.

Basic Pizza Dough (for one large pizza):
Combine in a large bowl:
1 package active dry yeast
1 1/3 cups warm water
Let stand until yeast is dissolved; about five minutes.

Then add:
3 1/2 to 3 3/4 cups flour
2 tbsp. Olive oil
1 tbsp. Salt

Mix by hand or on low speed for about 1 minute to blend all the ingredients. Knead for about 10 minutes on a floured board. Transfer the dough to a bowl lightly coated with olive oil and turn it over once to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, 1 to 11/2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 475°F. Dust two baking sheets with cornmeal. Punch the dough down and form into a ball. Let rest, loosely covered with plastic wrap for 10 to 15 minutes. Flatten the ball of dough then roll and stretch into the desired form and shape. To prevent the filling from making the crust soggy, brush the top of the dough with olive oil.

Pizza Topping Suggestions
I generally make two pizzas, topped with the following (from bottom to top);

“White” Vegetarian Pizza
Pesto (brushed evenly on top of dough, no olive oil necessary in this case)
Shredded mozzarella cheese
Chopped marinated artichoke hearts
Crumbled feta cheese
Thin slices of onion
Minced garlic
Salt and Pepper

Prosciutto Pizza
Favorite type of prepared tomato sauce. (I try to keep the tomato sauce thin and to a minimum.)
Shredded mozzarella cheese
Shredded prosciutto
Parmesan cheese
Thin slices of onion
Minced garlic
Salt and Pepper

Bake in the preheated oven, on the bottom rack for about 12 to 15 minutes, until cheese is bubbling.


Source: Molly-Leuschel-Geurts