Alright, let’s talk about makin’ that California Pizza Kitchen dough, you know, the kind they use for them fancy pizzas. I ain’t no chef, mind you, but I can whip up a decent dough, and I’ll tell ya how.
First off, you gotta get your stuff together. You’ll need some flour, yeah, the white kind, the kinda we use for biscuits. And some yeast, the stuff that makes the dough puff up all nice and big. Make sure it ain’t old, or your dough gonna be flat as a pancake. Then you need some warm water, not too hot, not too cold, just right, like baby bear’s porridge, you know? A little bit of sugar too, to feed that yeast, and some salt, for taste. Oh, and a bit of that olive oil, the fancy stuff, it makes the dough soft and smooth.
Okay, so here’s what ya do. Dump a cup or two of that flour in a big bowl, the biggest one ya got. Make a little hole in the middle, like a well. Pour in your warm water, maybe a cup, maybe a bit more, depends on how dry it is outside, ya know? Then sprinkle in your yeast, maybe a teaspoon or two, and a pinch of sugar. Let it sit for a bit, five, ten minutes, till it gets all foamy. That means the yeast is alive and kickin’.
- Warm water (not too hot, not too cold)
- Yeast (make sure it’s fresh!)
- Sugar (just a pinch)
- Salt (for taste)
- Olive oil (the fancy stuff)
- Flour (the white kind)
Now, you start mixin’ it up. Use your hands, it’s the best way, gets all the lumps out. Add in your salt, maybe a teaspoon, and a good glug of olive oil, a couple of tablespoons maybe. Keep mixin’, keep addin’ flour, little by little, till the dough comes together. It shouldn’t be too sticky, but not too dry neither. You want it soft and smooth, like a baby’s bottom, you know?
Once it’s all mixed up, dump it on a floured counter or table, whatever you got. And then you gotta knead it. Push it, fold it, turn it, keep doin’ that for, oh, I don’t know, ten minutes, maybe more, till it gets all elastic-y. My old arms get tired doin’ this, but it’s gotta be done if you want good pizza dough. You want that dough to be smooth and springy, you know.
Then you gotta let it rise. Grease up that bowl you used before, put the dough in, and turn it around so it’s all covered in oil. Cover it up with a damp cloth or some plastic wrap, whatever you got, and let it sit in a warm place for an hour or two, till it doubles in size. If your house is cold, it might take longer. Just be patient, good things take time, just like growin’ corn or tomatoes.
Now, about that California pizza. It ain’t really about the dough, see? It’s more about what you put on top. They use all sorts of fancy stuff, you know, like artichokes and goat cheese and all that. But you can put whatever you want on it. I like good ol’ pepperoni and mushrooms myself. And plenty of cheese, gotta have lots of cheese. You can use fresh tomatoes, garlic and herbs to make the sauce. Try basil, oregano, or thyme, or whatever you have in your garden.
Once the dough has risen, punch it down, get all the air out. Then you can shape it into a pizza crust. You can roll it out with a rolling pin if you want, but I just use my hands, stretch it out on a baking sheet, or pizza stone if you got one of them fancy things. Don’t make it too thin, or it won’t hold the toppings. You want it just right, you know.
Then you gotta pre-bake it a little bit, ten minutes or so, at about 400 degrees. That keeps the bottom from gettin’ all soggy. Then take it out, put on your sauce, your cheese, your toppings, whatever you want. And bake it again, another ten, fifteen minutes, till the cheese is all melted and bubbly and the crust is golden brown. You can also make a simple pizza with prebaked crust, barbecued pork. Just cut it into bite sized pieces.
And there you have it. Homemade pizza dough, good enough for California Pizza Kitchen, even if it’s made by an old woman like me. It ain’t hard, just takes a little time and a little elbow grease. And it’s way better than that store-bought stuff, believe you me. Now go on and make yourself some pizza, you deserve it.
