Home Sweet Home, McCarthy style!

Bags are unpacked. Water has been pumped. Walls have been scrubbed. Just many of the chores Matt and I have had since we've arrived here in McCarthy. Though there is still snow on the ground, the sun continues to come out and play, and doesn't seem to set now until 10:00 or so. We are getting settled in for sure, but the food cravings seemed to have multiplied since there's an absence of a quick fix ~ mainly, Taco Bell and Subway!  Oh, what I'd do for a Double-Decker Taco Supreme or a Veggie and cheese sam'ich on italian herbs and cheese bread! Yesterday, pepperoni pizza would not leave my mind, and due to the lack of Domino's delivery, or even Digiorno for that matter, I was on a mission for home-made pizza. 

Now, I must admit that baking has never been a talent of mine. Bread making, in particular, has always been intimidating, so I have a special fondness for my bread maker. McCarthy, however, doesn't allow for such pidly appliances as a bread machine. So, for the summer of 2011, I will face my fear of bread making and will take on such challenges as whole wheat, focaccia, and bagels. Oh dear. 

Back to the pizza dilemma. Home-made pizza dough. How hard can it be? Actually, and to my delight,  it was quite easy. And delicious (to Matt's delight!)! It required about 15 minutes of prep work and an hour or so for rising, and then a beautiful and exquisite creation of pepperoni, onions, canned 'shrooms, and red peppers came together. It was a beautiful thing. 

For those of you who are also intimidated by such things as pizza dough, I have included the recipe I used. So face your 'dough' fears and create your own concoctions of carbohydrate goodness. 

Happy Baking!

Pizza Dough (taken from Bread Winners, by Mel London)

For the leavening:

1 package of dry yeast

1/2 c warm water

1/2 tsp honey

For the dough:

4-5 c whole wheat flour

1 Tbl oil

1 c water

Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm water, add 1/2 teaspoon honey and stir. Let stand for about 10 minutes to become active. 

Put 4 cups of flour in a large mixing bowl, stir in oil, 1 cup water, and yeast mixture. Mix thoroughly. Coat your hands with flour and turn out the dough onto a floured surface or board. Knead thoroughly for 8 to 10 minutes. Divide the dough in half- you should have 2 pieces that weigh about 1 1/2 pounds each (or 4 pieces of 3/4 lb. each). Form the dough into balls and place on a floured surface, cover with a towel and let them rise to double (about 1 hour). (Dough makes roughly enough for 2 large or 4 small pizzas and can be frozen for another time). 

Punch them down and form 2 circles. On the floured surface, roll out each circle with a rolling pin to fit a  16-inch or 8-inch circular tray. When the circle is approx. the right size, place it on the circular tray and shape it exactly to the size of the tray. Using your fingers and pressing into the edges of the dough, make a small raised ridge all around the circle to hold the sauce. Preheat oven to 500*. Decorate your pizza with chosen toppings, place pizza on lowest oven shelf, and bake for 10 minutes or until desired crispness is achieved.