Best. Pizza. Ever.

So, Christmas was awesome. Nathan & I got to spend time with my awesome family, and we're going for round two with his awesome family over New Years.

I got some fabulous kitchen gear that I'm super excited about using. :-)

My in-laws got me this book:

The Bread Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum

I used the pizza dough recipe in this book to make the most wonderful pizza ever. Like most bread-type doughs, it's best to make this dough in advance and give it extra time to rest. Though I didn't give it the overnight treatment, I did allow it the minimum 2-hour rest period, and it turned out pretty awesome. The dough was nice & fluffy, plus we used good olive oil that added a nice flavor. 

After letting the dough have its initial rise, I formed it into a nice round & allowed it to rest on the pizza pan before pressing it into a pizza-crust shape & allowing it another 45 minutes to rest.

The dough, formed in a ball & resting on the pizza pan.

The toppings (plus tomato sauce. and minus the zucchini)

The pizza crust after cooked for 5 minutes.

The finished product. Best. Pizza. Ever.

We used a chunky basil tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, spinach, vegan pepperoni, and parmesan cheese. I baked the dough by itself to let it set some, then put on the toppings minus the parmesan, baked it for another 5 minutes, then topped with parmesan & baked it a bit more. YUM. 

Now, I never used to be a big fan of meat analogues, but lately I've found some good ones. I liked these pepperoni slices on the pizza. It added a nice spice without the fat and grease of animal-based pepperoni. I've never eaten anything of this brand before, but I'm glad we did. 

Honestly, making this pizza dough was worth starting early & making it from scratch. It used minimal ingredients, was pretty hands-off, and tasted so good. 

I guess that means no more Jets pizza, and I'm fine with that. :-)