Learning to make Pizza from Martina

Last night we were invited over to Martina's house to learn how to make Pizza.  After being here for more than a year and a half I was so happy to learn how to make pizza.  This was a family recipe from her grandmother.

So I will share this secret recipe with you and keep it to use again and again.

Martina's Pizza. (Really it is her grandmothers recipe)

This makes 2 jelly roll pan size pizzas

6 cups of flour (best to use half Manatoba flour and 1/2 type 0 flour)

2 fists full of salt

1 big pinch of sugar

3-4 T olive oil

1 cube of yeast

2 1/2 cups of warm water

Put cube of yeast in 2 1/2 cups of warm water and let sit for a few minutes.

In a separate bowl : Add 5 1/2 cups flour 

Add salt and sugar and mix in with flour

Pour 3-4 T of oil on top of dry ingredients

Pour in yeast and water into flour mixture by about a half cup at a time and mix by hand and then keep adding until all mixed

Put the last 1/2 cup of flour on the table and knead dough til smooth 5-10 minutes

Round up in a ball and put back in bowl.

Mark a big X on top of dough with a knife and cover with a cloth.

Let rise til double and punch down and let it rise again.  You can punch down and let it rise many times.  The better it is supposedly.  But let it rise at least two hours.

Divide dough in half.

Put 1 T. Olive oil in each pizza pan to grease pan.  Rub in well

Drop in 1/2 of pizza dough and just work it in to cover the whole bottom of the pan with a slight turn up the side.

Pizza sauce:

Peeled ripe Roma tomatoes, blended and sautéed in pan with olive oil and garlic.

Fry it up to combine flavors and then add salt to taste and as much fresh basil as you like.  Makes a very thin and runny sauce and that's what you want

Margherita pizza:

Cover dough with  tomato sauce and bake in hot oven 200* C or 400* F just until edges are turning brown.  About 8-10 minutes . check often in the last few minutes

Remove and add diced mozzarella and sprinkle olive oil lightly over that

Back in the oven til cheese melts...just a few minutes

Remove...add fresh basil and eat!

Fiori di Zucca

Don't put tomato sauce on this one

Cut up zucchini flowers and put on top of of dough

Sprinkle lots of pepper over all of it and add 2 pinches of salt

Then add what ever you want ie: bacon, ham, or sausage, 

Sprinkle olive oil all over it and bake it til edges turn lightly brown

Remove and add mozzarella cheese and return to oven to melt cheese

Garnish afterwards with basil

We also made some small fried pizzas, by making about 4-6 inch circles of dough that we just formed with our hands from small balls of dough.  Then we fried them on both sides in peanut oil and put the fresh red sauce on it and topped with fresh Parmesan cheese and fresh basil.  These were Anziano Scherbel's favorite!