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| Servings: | 4 |
| Author Notes: |
Updated by Mitch Mandell on 2/25/2009: Well they said it couldn't be done but I've found a better pizza dough. Although I still love and will continue to make this dough, Cheri has perfected the truly perfect pizza dough. This recipe has stood the test of time since I created in in the early 1990's. Since then Cheri has had ample time to formulate and test 100's of different dough recipes and I gotta say she finally did it and here's a link to Cheri's Favorite Pizza Dough. Althought not to be outdone, this recipe is still a great base for a Chicago Style Pizza and a personal favorite. Hopefully Cheri won't try and out do me on this one too. --------- Mitch Mandell (co creator of this site) claims to make the world's best pizza dough. By his own admission, any time you bring the word "world" into a description (Disney World, Camping World, Burger World), it must be good. After a lot of coaxing, Cheri got Mitch to share his pizza dough recipe with the Fabulous Foodies who visit this site. Since this recipe is his baby, let's let him take it from here. Mitch's Pizza Dough Notes: I know it's called "Basic Pizza Dough", but the only thing basic about it is how to make it. Most people say "this is the best crust I've ever had." Many times with grocery store or take out pizza the edge of the crustis left on the plate. Well, that won't happen with this crust. Your family and friends are sure to eat the whole thing. When all your friends ask you for the recipe, you can come to the top of this page and email it them at the click of a button (we figured this would save you a lot of time copying or printing it out. ;) This dough is easiest to make in a food processor or bread maker. You can, however, make it by hand (there's just a lot of mixing and kneading that way). Feel free to add ingredients to the dough to make it more interesting. I've often added minced garlic or rosemary or basil. I've even added chopped peanuts for the Thai Style Pizza (recipe link below). It's your pizza, be creative. |
| Ingredients: |
3 1/2 cups flour 1 cup warm water 2 tablespoons yeast 2 tablespoons honey 1/4 cup olive oil 1/2 teaspoon salt |
| Instructions: |
Three choices in mixing your dough:
Some Food Processors come with a dough blade. If you have it use it. If you don't, just use the standard cutting blade. My dough blade broke from over use (some would call it pizza abuse, but that's another story) and the regular blade works fine. Pour in warm water. The water should be about 85 to 115° F. Test it with your hand. It should feel very warm, but comfortable. Add the honey and salt. Mix on low for about 20 seconds. Add the yeast and mix on low for another 5 seconds. Add 1 cup of flour, mix on low for 10 seconds. Add the olive oil and mix until blended (about 15 or 20 seconds more). Add the rest of the flour (and any other additions) and mix on high for about a minute or two. The dough should turn into a ball and roll around the processor. If the dough does not ball up because it's too dry, add water one tablespoon at a time until it does. If your mixture is more like a batter, add flour one tablespoon at a time. Adding water or flour as needed to get the right consistency will assure you always get a perfect dough. Just remember to do it in small amounts. Once the dough is balled up, place the ball on a floured board and knead for about a minute. This builds the gluten which helps the dough to rise and become fluffy when cooked. Place the dough in a plastic grocery bag or a covered bowl and store in a warm, dry area to rise.
You're now ready for the next step: Rolling out the dough. This dough can also be made in advance and refrigerated for a day or so, or even frozen. Be sure to let the dough come to room temperature before using. To Mix Dough in a Bread Machine:Throw all the ingredients in, set to dough only setting, push start and walk away. That's it! No work, no hassle. If you don't work for something is it really worth having? In this case, you bet! Once the machine "beeps" and your dough is ready, it's time to go on to the next step - Rolling Out The Dough. This dough can also be made in advance and refrigerated for a day or so, or even frozen. Be sure to let the dough come to room temperature before using.
After about 45 minutes the dough should have about doubled in size. Show it who's boss and punch it down. That's right, give it a good smack so it deflates. Let it rise for another hour to an hour and a half. The dough is now ready to be rolled out. You can punch the dough down one more time if you want and wait another hour or two before rolling out. The choice is yours. This dough can also be made in advance and refrigerated for a day or so, or even frozen. Be sure to let it come to room temperature before using. |
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stiffen crust... Is it about the honey?
Written by: Tsneem06 August 2009 |
| Thanks for the recipe. I made this pizza dough with all-purpose flour (there are no other options where i live), the result is so stiffen golden crust. What should i do to make it softer? Is it came from the honey?, because i tried another dough with honey and the result is the same. I don't use pizza stone, just a pizza pan in a regular oven (200 degree). Please help. |
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Cheri's crust rocks
Written by: Russell McElroy11 June 2009 |
| Hi Cheri And Mitch I have used Cheri's recipe four times since I last corresponded with this web site. Cheri's recipe for pizza dough is easy and produces a consistently perfect crust. My only tip is, add the dry ingredients gradually while the food processor is running to prevent excessive liquid level in the processor. Crispy, tasty supports to the center, chewy and versatile, I have found my crust.
Thank you, Russell McElroy
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Lovely Dough
Written by: Erin31 May 2009 |
| Living at 7,000 feet, it's a challenge making many baked goods and having them turn out properly. I made the pizza dough above and enjoyed wonderful results! Out of the recipe above, I got one nice 12" round pizza (I like mine thinner) and two personal-size pizzas (great for freezing). Two tips I'd like to offer: sprinkling cornmeal under your dough on a cookie sheet makes the pizza slide right off the pan when done; and, after I rolled and stretched the dough out, before I added my sauce, cheese and toppings, I let the dough "rise" about 10 minutes first (this ensured the thinner dough would be just a bit lighter and bake more evenly, so I didn't end up with a wiggly tip to my pizza slices :) I did try the recipe again, using two packets of yeast instead of 2 T. of yeast and enjoyed equally good results. Thank you! | |
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Bread Machine
Written by: Mitch Mandell27 March 2009 |
| It's perfectly fine to bake it after the first rise. It's not necessary to let it rise again from the bread machine. | |
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Bread Machine Use
Written by: Jane27 March 2009 |
| Hi, I was wondering since my bread machine's dough cycle only has one 70 minute rise, should I let it rise a seond time before rolling and baking? Thanks! | |
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Freezing Dough
Written by: Mitch Mandell20 March 2009 |
| It's probably best to let it rise once, punch it down, then place in the freezer. When you're going to use the dough, let it come to room temp after taking it out of the freezer. | |
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Freezing dough
Written by: cat dale19 March 2009 |
| We love this dough recipe because it has never failed us, despite living at over 9000 feet in altitude! This may seem like a no-brainer, but if I want to prepare in advance and freeze this dough, would I allow it to rise the full 3 (1 1/2 & 1 1/2) hours before freezing? Also, after it thaws to room temp, should I do anything extra with the dough other than roll, decorate, and cook? Thanks! |
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Thanks
Written by: Fred26 February 2009 |
| Thanks Cheri and Mitch. Although this recipe is not exactly what I'm looking for, I continue to build off it. Actually the last post by Russell kinda tied in with my frustration with the dough. I am exploring more of the artisan style now and I'll keep you posted. This is the recipe that actually got me off my butt and into the kitchen. My wife can't wait until I find the perfect dough because she is tired of having pizza 3 times a week. | |
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Re Russells Comment
Written by: Cheri Sicard24 February 2009 |
| Hi Russell, This recipe does make a kinda of sweet yeasty dough (I've never had it taste like toast though). A whole lot of people like it as is, as evidenced by the comments below. I think it's good, but I prefer a crust like you described. As Mitch (creator of this recipe) is my friend and business partner, a friendly rivalry developed, with him telling me to let him know when I had come up with the "perfect" pizza dough. It took me over a year, but I have come up with such a dough. it is to my taste a perfect pizza, but of course, this is subjective. (It has now become Mitch's favorite dough too). Cheri's favorite pizza dough takes less than 5 minutes to make using a food processor. You can find it in the Related Recipes section above or click to http://www.fabulousfoods.com/recipes/article/46/28295 for Cheri's Favorite Pizza Dough. |
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Toast
Written by: Russell McElroy24 February 2009 |
| I don’t know what others expect from their pizza crust, I prefer one that bubbles up, has a chewy texture and a crispness that supports the majority of the slice. I enjoy the flavors of olive oil, salt, and the seasoning that a pizza stone imparts and a slight hint of yeast. I tried this recipe out of procrastination. I normally prepare my dough the night before using a recipe for no-knead artisan bread (google it) that uses only ¼ tsp of yeast. I’m sorry I came across this recipe on the internet and wasted all those fresh toppings. I followed the recipe using my trusty bread machine. The dough was up to the top when finished but when punched down it was dry. In spite of it’s dryness it stretched nicely and it browned up perfectly in time with the toppings. However it had the consistency of toast and the flavor of, surprise, yeast. In fact after making two pies my whole kitchen (it’s big) smelled of yeast not pizza. I would normally experiment and try something like more water or, hand or machine mixing except I think that a recipe that requires Two Tablespoons of yeast opposed to ¼ tsp is not worth pursuing. I’ve learned that patience is a virtue with pizza crust too. |
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What size pizza?
Written by: Cheri Sicard19 February 2009 |
| In answer to Christine's question -- When we first started making this pizza (Mitch has been making this dough for years) we would make a single big pizza, albeit a thick crust pizza. As I am always watching my weight, in my book, less crust is better, so lately I have been rolling it out thinner and making two medium to large pizzas. So, it all depends on the effect you want. I have also used the recipe to make 8 very small, kid sized individual pizzas. | |
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What size Pizza do you make w/ this dough
Written by: Christine Lord19 February 2009 |
| I made this using the whole recipe on a cookie sheet. The dough was a bit soft on the botom, but my kids LOVED IT!! I am just wondering how others use this dough. Does anyone use it for teh whole pizza, or do you make 2? I cooked it at 400 for about 20 minutes. The crust was nicely browned and hte cheese was bubbly. Cooked it on the bottom rack. Love the sauce recipe. I like my crust a bit crunchy on the bottom. I am making it again tonight. Also my M-I-L liked it, and she has not eaten pizza with us before!!!Thanks so Much!! | |
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Amazing!!
Written by: miranda15 February 2009 |
| After losing my mother in-laws pizza dough recipe I started searching the internet trying to find one that was as good as hers. after trying about a dozon or so I found this one. It is amazing, Just as good as my mother in-laws if not better and with half the work. Thank you for sharing this recipe Ive been useing it for over a year now and it has Always turned out wonderfully, and in responce to a previous comment I read I have switched out the honey with sugar once or twice and it still was amazing I just needed to add a few more tablespoons of water. So again Thank you I Love this recipe - Miranda |
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Next time
Written by: Russ Holbrook06 February 2009 |
| Hey Mitch, Thanks for the follow-up. What I meant was I couldn't taste the honey in the crust, and I DID follow the instructions. I was looking forward to a touch of sweetness in the crust to balance some of the flavors in the sauce and toppings I used. I'll try it again, though next time I think I'll refrigerate the dough overnight, let it rise to Empire State Building proportions, cut the dough in twos and work it paper thin before baking. If I have better results next time I'll let you know. | |
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An improvement on the original
Written by: Cheri Sicard06 February 2009 |
| Since it was first published, I have made an improvement that even Mitch admits is better than his original. Substitute 1/2 cup semolina flour (a whole grain flour that really improves pizza and pasta taste and texture) for 1/2 cup regular or bread flour. You can usually find semolina in the flour section of the supermarket. Bob’s Red Mill is one brand that is usually readily stocked in a lot of areas. Also to answer some questions here: Russ -- you could substitute sugar for honey, but leaving this out completely will affect how the yeast rises. Also this does make a yeasty rather thick dough, thin crusters will not like this crust. Jack -- The servings refers to 4 individual servings (about) not pizzas. That said, I have taken this dough and divided it to make double the number (2) thinner crusts to serve 8. Mitch likes it thicker. James -- I personally find that no matter what an individual recipe says, to get the oven as hot as it can get (the stone too ) ahead of time. Usually that's 550 degrees for home ovens. Professional pizza ovens are much hotter. The pizza cooks faster and I find I don't have a problem with crispness. Another tip is to cool for five minutes or so before eating when the pizza comes out of the oven. Place on a wire rack tilted at a slight angle so that any moisture drains off (especially if you used a lot of veggies on the pizza). If it looks like my pizza has a lot of moisture and/or oil on top, I will even take a paper towel and blot it off. Now I will admit that Mitch's dough is good, but my own perfect pizza dough is a different consistency. That recipe is coming to the site soon. Stay tuned! |
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Sorry Russ
Written by: Mitch Mandell06 February 2009 |
| You can please some of the people some of the time, but you can't please all of the people all of the time. I'm just happy you're out there trying. If you find or create a recipe you like, we'd love to have you submit it. Also, since you did not really follow the recipe it's not totally fair of you to say you didn't like it. Honey or sugar is a very important component in how a dough rises and it's consistency. Perhaps your dog would like it better if you added the honey next time. |
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Not Good
Written by: Russ Holbrook05 February 2009 |
| Sorry Mitch, I tried this thing last night, and frankly it was like pizza toppings on a thin cake with no flavor. The crust grew to about 1/2 inch thick in the oven, while the toppings mysteriously stayed the same. It wasn't deplorable right out of the oven, but it was way to thick for me. The real test of a good crust however is how it tastes the next day out of the fridge. I wouldn't have fed the leftover cold pizza to my dog. I think the crust actually rose again over night. It was dry, tight, and I couldn't even find the honey (2-TBSP) that the recipe called for. Time to start from scratch dude and let me know how that works for you. Zero thumbs, all down. | |
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This is the best pizza dough ever
Written by: Barbara E. McKinney14 January 2009 |
| My husband and I have dabbled with various recipes for pizza dough - I stumbled across this one this week-end and we are not devotees!!! We finished the pizzas we made and my husband was still searching for more - This my "go to" pizza dough from now on!!! Thank you Mitch. | |
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Servings
Written by: Jack Higgins12 January 2009 |
| Does the servings number in the recipe refer to the number of pizzas it should make or the number of people who would eat one pizza made from this recipe? I made a 16inch pie and the crust was very thick. | |
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crispness
Written by: James Rhuda30 December 2008 |
| Hi there, i've been working pizza restaurants for 3 years and i decided to start making my own dough and sauce. this recipe is delicious i love the taste but i cant figure out why the texture isnt coming out right. I have a pizza stone and everything but even if the outside is brown almost at the point of burnt the dough isnt crispy, the inside is always soft. I was also wondering why the dough won't stop rising, i make a double batch of this to have dough for the week but if i dont make a pizza right away with it the dough just keeps rising and busts out of the tupperware haha. any advice on either issue? i tried a little less yeast and it helped a little with the crisp but its still soft pizza | |
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Great Recipe
Written by: Ando Tsuzuki24 November 2008 |
| This recipe is seriously one of the best. Its easy and it tastes good. I really think this recipe is better than some of those fancy recipes that are such a hassle to make and they don't even taste good. Thanks for posting this recipe(: | |
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Make Your Own Pizza Party
Written by: Marie Kidder22 November 2008 |
| This is my first time to make my own pizza dough. This was very easy to make, and the primer was very helpful. I made two batches, using unbleached flour, for my husband and I and our son's family (4 adults-2 children total). I set out the ready-to-go dough, sauce made from Mitch's sauce recipe, and a variety of toppings on a cutting board - pepperoni, 2 kinds of cheeses, olives, red pepper, green pepper, tomato and onions. I also set out a bowl of lettuce. We made our own pizzas with our own toppings. We used the toppings to top our salads, too. It was great. My son used to manage pizza places, and was able to play with the dough and throw it in the air. He compared it favorably with doughs made professionally. We laughed a lot while we all made our pizzas, and a calzone with the leftovers. A great way to spend a Friday night after a work week. Thanks, Mitch! | |
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Yeast?
Written by: Mitch Mandell21 November 2008 |
| Fred, that is a common question. 2 Tablespoons of yeast can taste a bit like a brewery, but a lot of people like that yeasty flavor. You can adjust your yeast level anywhere form 2 teaspoons on up, depending on the flavor you want. | |
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Yeast?
Written by: Fred19 November 2008 |
| Is it necessary to add so much yeast? I have made this dough twice, using different flours and both times the yeast taste is very noticeable. Thanks. | |
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Question on Flour
Written by: Mitch Mandell17 November 2008 |
| Good question and one we get a lot. It's totally fine to use bread flour with this recipe. In fact, that's the flour I used to use exclusively. It will make your crust a little more airy and puffy, which is great if you like it that way. We like to mix and match flours here for a little variety. Sometime we'll use semolina for a more traditional dough or wheat flour for something a little different. The dough is not rocket science and if you follow the proportions it's fun to experiment with different flours for different tastes and textures. | |
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question on the flour
Written by: Mirapu16 November 2008 |
| first of all,sorry if this is a silly question. just wondering if you can use bread flour w/this or if you should not or should use it and why? thanks so much! | |
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Best pizza dough recipe I've tried
Written by: Josh11 November 2008 |
| I have tried many recipes and they ranged from mediocre to horrible. Tonight I made the best pizza to date. The crust rivaled almost all restaurants I have ever tried. If I had a wood fired oven, I think it might would come out on top of the heap. The proportion of ingredients is very different than what I have tried before, so I was doubtful that it would turn out well. I guess this is the right balance of ingredients. For one, you called for more than twice the yeast than I usually use. And second, you call for quite a bit of honey (I had to sub out for agave nectar since I'm vegan). I guess it makes sense that if I kept trying nearly identical recipes, then the dough would never turn out any better. Well, my search for dough recipes had ended on this page. Thanks, Mitch! |
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Mix by hand
Written by: Cheri Sicard30 October 2008 |
| Thanks for pointing this out in the instructions. Mix by hand is just that, mixing by hand. I have fixed the instructions to reflect this. When you do get the hang of making the dough, you'll see just how easy it is and wonder why yo didn't try it sooner. | |
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About mixing by hand
Written by: Dan Scott30 October 2008 |
| I'm a novice when it comes to the kitchen. In the "mix by hand" part it says to mix on low. Does that mean to use an electric mixer? I usually prefer to avoid electric tools. How can that be explained to someone like me who is (a little bit) clueless? | |
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Erica Marcus issues public mea culpa
Written by: Cheri Sicard31 July 2008 |
On 7-31-08 Mitch received this email from food writer Erica Marcus regarding her column unfairly trashing this recipe and website: Mitch, at the end of my column today, I issued a "mea pizza culpa": Please convey this to Cheri as well. Again, apologies. All best, Erica |
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Honestly THE best pizza dough ever
Written by: Anna Conway30 July 2008 |
| I LOVE this pizza dough. I give this one out to everyone I know (though I only use 1tbps of yeast....) I make this dough every few weeks - tried, tested and fabulous!!! | |
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I registered just to post a comment!
Written by: Troy30 July 2008 |
| I began a search today for pizza dough and came across this one (it was one of the first Google hits). I was interested and decided to use this recipe. Then I began to read the comments and due to the response I decided to read the article by Erica everyone was talking about.After reading the article, I decided to try the recipe the article referenced as an authenticated recipe (or whatever word you want to use). So I made both! I did not have an oven that would go to 800 degrees Fahrenheit, so I can't really say that I followed the Peter Reinhart recipe exactly; but I did follow both as closely as possible and cooked all the pizzas in a 500 degree oven (on a pizza stone on the bottom rack of the oven). The oven was well pre-heated with the stone and only one pizza was cooked at a time.The entire family was involved and we called the "Mitch" dough the "sweet" one because of the honey in it. I guessed that simply calling it sweet would turn my wife off; however, we all agreed (my wife included) that Mitch's recipe was not only better, but also easier to work with. We decided that the Peter dough was too dry, not crispy, just dry (again, an 800 degree oven probably would have changed that, but at 500 degrees, the toppings will burn before the crust is crispy).I cooked the pizzas for about 6 minutes on 500 and the toppings came out perfect. I used ½ cup of sauce based on a recipe I found here (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Exquisite-Pizza-Sauce/Detail.aspx) which I did add some red wine to and modified to my family’s taste. This sauce is AWESOME!! I don’t care who came up with it, just use it!While I have to admit that I do GENERALLY agree with the Erica article, I also believe that there are a lot of talented cooks/chefs out there that have some great recipes! The most obvious comparison that comes to my mind is when it comes to smoked meats or Cajon cooking. Who wants to get a smoked brisket recipe from a chef trained in France? If I want some smoked ribs, brisket or pork butt, I am going to look to a red neck for advice. Also, if I want some killer gumbo or jambalaya (even though Emril has some awesome Cajon recipes) I want to get mine from a "coon ass".I believe that the best recipe comes from an individual's research and adaptation to his or her own tastes.THE BOTTOM LINE: This is a great pizza dough recipe! I have tried it and recommend it!
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Not all Internet journalists are created equal
Written by: Heather29 July 2008 |
Mitch, Here's my .02 on the editorial by Erica Marcus...it probably won't be printed so I'll share a copy with you. Thank you for the great dough recipe! Heather
In the 7/23/2008 article “Not all Internet recipes are created equal” by Erica Marcus, what kind of questions are "Do you know how to cook?" or even "Do you exist?" to someone seeking a recipe. #1 If one did not exist, recipe seeking would not be happening. #2 Most people are aware of their capabilities in the kitchen and if they can’t cook, then nuke-able MREs are the way to go. |
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A follow up to Erica Marcus' column
Written by: Cheri Sicard25 July 2008 |
| A food blogger in the UK was particularly incensed at the spirit of Erika Marcus's ctritical artcile. Even though he credited the recipe to me instead of my business partner Mitch Mandell, we nonetheless appreciate the support. Read Erica Marcus' original offending article at this link Read UK blogger Mr. Qwerty's commentary athttp://thehellitis.blogspot.com/2008/07/not-all-internet-recipes-are-created.html | |
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Pizza Dough Recipe Creates Controversy
Written by: Cheri Sicard25 July 2008 |
Dear Erica, How reliable is a critique of a recipe by a writer that has never tried it? How reliable is a writer that does not research her stories? Had you delved deeper into the story as a "real" journalist does you would have found out that I have worked with chefs and pizza experts to create my pizza recipe. During my days in advertising I worked with restaurants and pizza restauranteurs and I learned what it takes to make a great dough. I have made this dough hundreds of times and modified it numerous times before posting. Now If I was making a gourmet, 5 star meal then you may have something as I never claim to be a chef. But making peasant food like pizza is not brain surgery. If you don't personally like sweet, yeasty dough that's fine. Many people do. There are other pizza dough recipes at FabulousFoods.com that use less honey and yeast for those that want a more traditional dough. But, try recipes and talk to the creator before critiquing it. Would Anthony Bourdain or Ruth Reichl write or tape a review before eating at a restaurant or trying a recipe? I don't think so. You may want to try a little research before you trash someone and something you have never tried. That's Journalism 101. I know, I took Journalism 101. Here's what a few have written about my dough that have actually made it. (I have many, many more e-mails as almost everyday I get praise by people that have actually made the dough) -------- Just wanted to say thank you for the great pizza dough recipe on your web site. As an Italian American living in beautiful San Miguel de Allende Mexico I yearned for some great pizza (Domino's is our best option). Now I can make my own which remind me of my dad's great Napolitano pizza's. Thanks again! Marco Giancola ------- I googled your recipe and was going to have my daughter and her neighborhood kids make pizzas at a BQ we were having. The kids loved it and the adults were suprised at how great the pizzas came out. We were all fighting and begging the kids to give us another bite. Thank you for sharing. Heidi Mylo --------Just dropping a note of thanks for the recipe here: http://www.fabulousfoods.com/recipes/breads/yeast/pizzadough.htmlI've made 3 pizzas so far with it. I reverse-engineered my favorite pizza from a local restaurant (spicy white sauce, red onion, pepperoninis) and it was the best pizza I ever ate. Even my wife was suitable impressed. Paul F. Bramscher --------we did a quick search last night for a pizza dough recipe -- and i'll have to say it might be the world's best.....pretty darn good. Patti --------Erica, I could go on and on, but the people have spoken. Right now, your opinion has NO credibility as you've NEVER eaten the food that you write about. You can please some of the people some of the time but you can't please someone who's never tasted your cooking. ----------Mitch Mandell Publisherwww.FabulousFoods.comwww.FabulousTravel.com www.FabulousLiving.com |
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After about 45 minutes the dough should have about doubled in size. Show it who's the boss and punch it down. That's right, give it a good smack so it deflates. Let it rise for another hour to an hour and a half. The dough is now ready to be rolled out. You can punch the dough down one more time if you want and wait another hour or two before rolling out. The choice is yours.
Once the dough is balled up, place the ball on a
