Perfect Pizza Dough

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Perfect Pizza Dough

Who doesn’t love pizza? I know we do. Once a week in our house, usually Friday nights, is pizza night. I make the dough in the afternoon while the boys are napping, enjoy a cup of tea while the dough rises (or maybe try to catch a little catnap myself!), and then I let the boys help to top the pizza before we put it in the oven.

Turning out a pizza as good (if not better) than your local pizza joint’s requires a few things: #1 – a hot oven. #2 – a pizza stone. And, #3 – practice. When I first started making pizzas at home, I had a really hard time rolling out the dough. They’d tasted great, but were severely mishapen. I think that was my problem; I was rolling, not stretching with my hands and letting the dough do all the work.

After a couple of attempts I was producing perfectly round pizza doughs, and all was right with the world. It’s a rarity for us to order a pizza out anymore; partly because there aren’t any decent pizzerias in our small town, and also because they’re just so dag-gone fun to make at home!

If you haven’t found the perfect pizza dough recipe yet, look no further. Using bread flour is the key to a crispy, chewey crust. And, it’s a dream to work with! Let the pizza delivery guy pass your house by next time you’re craving pizza, and make it at home. I’m sharing my recipe for homemade pan pizza next week, so make sure to check in then!

Perfect Pizza Dough

1/2 cup warm water
2 1/4 tsp. instant yeast
4 cups (22 oz.) bread flour, plus more for dusting
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 cup water, at room temperature
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Measure the warm water into a 2-cup liquid measuring cup. Sprinkle the yeast over the top. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the bread flour and salt, mixing briefly to blend. Measure the room temperature water into the measuring cup with the yeast-water mixture. With the mixer on low speed, pour in the yeast mixture, as well as the olive oil. Mix until a cohesive dough is formed. Switch to the dough hook. Knead on low speed until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat. Cover with clean kitchen towel and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Press down the dough to deflate it. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough into two equal pieces. Form each piece of dough into a smooth, round ball. Cover with a clean kitchen towel. Let the dough relax for 20 minutes.

To bake, preheat the oven and pizza stone to 500? F for at least 30 minutes. Transfer the dough to your shaping surface, lightly sprinkled with cornmeal. Shape the dough with lightly floured hands. Brush the outer edge lightly with olive oil. Top as desired. Bake until the crust is golden brown, and cheese is bubbling, 8-12 minutes.

Source: adapted from Baking Illustrated, via Annie’s Eats

Taco Pizza

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I love to take leftovers from one night’s meal, and make something the next night that’s completely different. Leftover taco meat is great for these kind of applications. To date, my favorite use had been these stuffed peppers. But, after finally getting this recipe right where I wanted it, I think they may have to move over!

The first time I had a taco pizza it was at this little local pizzeria that is now closed. She made great “pies” there, big bubbly chewy crusts – a true New York pizza, which is hard to come by here in our rural area. She often had a “special” pizza on the board, which featured something fun and different. One day at lunch we threw caution to the wind and tried the taco pizza. I was hooked!

So, here’s my version. A base of taco sauce, which adds a little spice to start things off. Then topped with mozzarella and cheddar cheeses, seasoned beef, thinly-sliced red onion, chopped fresh tomato, and black olives. If you like things a little spicier, add some sliced pickled jalapenos to give it an extra dose of heat. If you’re tired of traditional pizza toppings, give this a whirl – I know you’ll love it!

Taco Pizza

1 round pizza dough
1 Tbsp olive oil
3/4 cup taco sauce
3/4 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup leftover seasoned taco meat
1/2 cup fresh tomatoes, diced
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup black olives, sliced
1/4 cup pickled jalapeno slices (optional)
fresh cilantro, roughly chopped, for garnish

Preheat the oven and a pizza stone to 500° F.  Allow the stone to heat for at least 30 minutes.  In the mean time, lay a large piece of parchment paper down flat on the counter (large enough to accommodate your pizza).  Sprinkle lightly with cornmeal.  Gently roll out or shape the pizza dough into a large circle, leaving a thicker ring around the edge for the crust. Brush the outer edge of the pizza with olive oil.

Spread the taco sauce in a thin layer evenly over the unbaked crust.  Sprinkle with shredded cheeses.  Top with seasoned beef, chopped tomatoes, sliced onion, black olives, and pickled jalapenos (if desired).  Once assembled, carefully transfer the parchment round and pizza to the preheated baking stone and return to the oven.  Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and browned.  Slice, serve, and enjoy!

Source: inspired by Paradiso Pizza in Oak Hall, VA

Apricot Glazed Green Beans

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First off, in case you didn’t notice, the site is looking quite a bit different this morning. I’d like to send a big shoutout and thank you to my friend Jen for doing the redesign. She is so talented, and I really can’t thank her enough.

So, these green beans. They’re amazing! I’m not usually a fan of green beans, unless in a soup or the like. But, sauteed in some of this sweet (yet, sour sauce) with a little bacon thrown in for good measure – and I could have ate the whole bowl.

It’s perfect for Thanksgiving. Green beans are a traditional side on most turkey day tables, but it’s usually in the form of green bean casserole. This is much lighter and fresh, leaving more room for turkey & gravy! But, I also see myself enjoying this take on beans in the summer too – when green beans are pouring out of my garden. Definitely a keeper!

Apricot Glazed Green Beans

1 lb fresh green beans, trimmed
6 clives of bacon, cut into pieces
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, finely chopped
1/4 cup apricot preserves
3 tbsp white wine vinegar
kosher salt

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 Tbsp salt, then add the green beans, and cook until just tender 3 to 4 minutes. Drain and run under cold water to cool.

Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a medium skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and shallot, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic begins to brown, about 2 minutes.

Stir in the jam, vinegar, and 1/4 tsp each salt and black pepper. Add the green beans and toss to coat. Fold in the bacon. Serve warm.

Source: adapted from Woman’s Day, November 2012

About

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About Me

Hello! I’m Laura, your resident food blogger here at Tide and Thyme. I’m a wife and stay-at-home mother to 3 little boys on the beautiful Eastern Shore of Virginia, on Chincoteague Island – America’s Happiest Seaside Town (as voted by Coastal Living in 2014).

I’m a Maryland girl, born and raised – and I couldn’t imagine myself anywhere else other than the Eastern Shore. We can usually be found at the beach or on the boat, or in the backyard making our next batch of homebrew beer.

We are so fortunate to have such an abundance of fresh seafood and produce here on the Eastern Shore, I love to take advantage of it every chance I get. I love to try new recipes, learn about food history, and just talk to folks about food in general. If you have any questions, suggestions, or would just like to say hello – please do so here. I love hearing from my readers! Also be sure to keep up with me via Instagram, as I’m always sharing snapshots of life here on the Eastern Shore!

About the Blog


I started Tide and Thyme back in 2007, as a way to share my love of cooking – as well as a place to have my favorite recipes in one place. I updated on and off through the years, but it’s really grown to be something that I look forward to doing everyday.

There is always a new recipe that I’m looking forward to trying, and then sharing with you guys. It’s forced me to be better about menu planning, and re-utilizing leftovers – two areas which desperately needed improvement upon before I started blogging.

But most of all, it’s brought me closer to new friends in food – in all parts of our world. The internet really is an amazing thing, and I’m so glad you’ve found my little nook of it!

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