Don & Nicole Rogers Awesome Homemade Pizza

Dough Ingredients:

-1 package of dry yeast
-1 teaspoon sugar
-1 cup warm water
-1 tablespoon kosher salt (you can decrease the amount to make dough less salty)
– Extra virgin olive oil
-3 cups 00 flour, plus more for dusting

Directions:

-Using a mixer with a dough hook, combine the yeast, sugar, and warm water. Stir gently to dissolve. Let the minutes stand until it starts to foam, about 5-10 minutes.
-Turn the mixer on low and add the salt and 2 tablespoon of olive oil
-Add the flour a little at a time at the lowest speed until it all has been incorporated. Increase the speed to medium, stopping periodically to scrape the dough off the hook.
-Feel the dough. If its crumbly, add more water. If it’s sticky, add more flour (just 1 tablespoon at a time). Mix until the dough gathers into a ball.
-Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and fold a few times. Knead until smooth and elastic. Form into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl. Turn the dough to coat.
-Cover with plastic wrap or damp cloth and let it rise in a warm spot until doubled in size. May take up to 1 hour.
-Once the dough is domed and spongey, turn it out onto a lightly floured counter. Roll and stretch into a cylinder and cut into 3 separate pieces and let it sit for 10 minutes to make it easy to roll out.
-Roll or pat out the pieces into a 12” circle, about 1/8” thick.
-Brush the crust with a thin layer of olive oil and add your favorite toppings.
-Put into a 500 degree preheated oven and bake for 12-15 minutes until the crust is golden and crisp.

Don and Nicole made 3 pies. (Because why not!!) The started with a plain white. First the brushed Extra virgin olive oil over their rolled dough and topped it with fresh mozzarella and shredded mozzarella.

For pie #2, they used a combination of Don Pepino and homemade fresh Maryland tomato basil sauce, sweet Italian sausage from Mastellone Deli & Wine Shop on Harford Rd., fresh and shredded mozzarella, pepperoni, kalamata olives, locally grown red onion and our garden fresh basil. It was served with a drizzle of balsamic reduction.

Lastly, pie #3 featured a base combination of sliced tomato (locally grown, of course!) and the sauce blend used on pie #2 topped with fresh and shredded mozzarella and basil and locally grown onions.