Creature of Habit

When I first decided to write about Andrew's and my pizza dough making experience today, I didn't realize that I was repeating myself, in a fashion. If you're one of the brave souls who's been reading my ramblings for a year or so (or you know, you know how to click into the archives) you'll see that for Victoria Day 2008 I also did a pizza post! Eh, what can I say? Victoria Day = parties, and if it's as chilly outside as it was today (though it was sunny, a rarity for the 2-4 weekend!) you don't want to be the poor guy out on the deck tending the BBQ! However, if you are lucky enough to be blessed with a climate that's more awesome than mine - say San Antonio or where my friend Johana is near Bogotá, this pizza crust would hold up well on the grill too.

This dough, like my earlier Nutell - Umpkin Crescents, is the result of too much pumpkin in the house and not a logical use for it in sight! Andrew always comes to my rescue when it comes to alleviating my overburdened fridge, even when I'm sure he doesn't really want any more food! He brought over a myriad of stuffings for the calzones we wound up baking with the dough - a fat free recipe since I swapped the 1/4 cup of olive oil for pumpkin. Vegetarian pepperoni and chicken, along with a packet of mixed Asiago and Provolone cheese cubes, got layered on top of an herby tomato paste base, then I sealed them up, cut some steam vents and popped 'em in the oven.

The smell was divine - and I can understand why Andrew was hovering over the freshly baked packets while they cooled just enough so that he could take a bite without being burned! He claimed it was so I could take a picture, so I'll go with that excuse theory. Anything to keep him happy, healthy and fed!

I think this dough is an adaptation of a Reinhart recipe, though I'm really not sure (all my IE favourites bit the dust recently *sob*). It will make a regular-thickness, 16" crust, or (my personal favourite) a minimum of eight mini pizzas. I'm a sucker for the cracker-thin type of pizza - I like my toppings unhindered - so I can usually get 10 good-sized flats. The trick with the thinner crusts is to bake them immediately, at least partially, so that the yeast gets killed off and it keeps the thinness (you can also "dock" them like pie dough to keep them flatter). Of course, if you prefer the doughier texture, letting your shaped rounds rest about 20-30 minutes before firing them is best!

Pumpkin - Herb Pizza Dough
Serves 8
1 1/4 cups flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp gluten flour
1 packet instant yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp garlic powder
1 1/4 cups warm water
1/4 cup canned pumpkin puree

1. In a large mixing bowl (this is easiest in a stand mixer), whisk together the flours, gluten, yeast, salt, herbs and garlic powder.
2. Mix together the warm water and pumpkin, then add to the flour mixture and mix well.
3. Knead with the dough hook or by hand for 7-10 minutes, until cohesive and fairly smooth (it will still be a little sticky).
4. Place in a lightly greased bowl, turning to coat the top. Cover and let rest 30 minutes.
5. Deflate the dough gently and divide / roll out as desired.
6. For a thin, crisper crust, par-bake immediately at 425 for 5-7 minutes before topping and finishing your pizza. If you want a thicker crust, allow the rolled out dough to stand 15-30 minutes to slightly rise again.

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 178.1
Total Fat: 0.8 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 20.4 mg
Total Carbs: 37.4 g
Dietary Fiber: 4.3 g
Protein: 6.7 g

I'm going to hand this off to Susan of WildYeast this week (I know I'm really early!) for her YeastSpotting event!