Thursday, July 28, 2011

Hi, I'm Meredith and I'm 4 years old.

Maybe it's because I'm working with preschoolers this summer, or maybe it's because I'm back at home living with my mom for the summer, but I'm pretty sure I have reverted back to the status of a 4 year old.  

Proof #1:  I have nap time again.  I haven't napped since I was a preschooler.  (That's kind of a lie - I have. Especially my freshman year in college when sleeping at night didn't really happen often).  Besides that - preschool it was.  Even then, I don't think I actually napped during nap time.  The only thing I remember is being yelled at for peeling wallpaper off the wall when everyone else was napping.  Maybe this experience ruined "napping" for me.  Who knows. 

Proof #2:  When you ask a 4 year old what their favorite food is, what will they say? Pizza. When you ask me what my favorite food is, what will I say? Pizza. 80% of the time.  When it comes to meals and snacks, I don't usually eat a ton - I believe in portion control.  But when it comes to pizza I have ZERO control.  I will sit down and eat 6 pieces.  Its so gross, but sooo good!

So to celebrate my 4-year-old-ness, I have a recipe for pizza dough that literally takes 10-15 minutes to make.  It doesn't need to rise.. you just make it, throw on your toppings, and pop in the oven!  My sister and her boyfriend told me about it - they found it at this site and I added a few things.

1 package active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp if you use jarred yeast)
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 cup warm water 
2 1/2 cups bread flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried basil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  In a medium bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water.  Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

Stir in flour, salt,oil, basil, and oregano.  Beat until smooth.  Let rest for 5 minutes.  

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat or roll into a round.  Transfer crust to a lightly greased pizza stone dusted with cornmeal.  Spread with desired toppings and bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.  Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

I made this two times.  This first time I made a margherita pizza.  I made homemade marinara sauce - I made up the recipe for the sauce - didn't write it down so I have no clue what I put in it.  When I re-create it I'll post it.


Pre-Oven

And then I made mini-pizzas!  Pic before I cooked them for these as well:
(Cell phone pic - really high quality, as usual! hah!)

Enjoy!


3 comments:

  1. Oh my - that margherita pizza looks PERFECT! I wish I could be eating that right now!

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  2. Haha that happens to me all the time-- I make something and forget all the ingredients that I put in

    Have a good weekend :)

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  3. I never thought of the dried spices in the dough. I like that!

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