After 27 hours it was finally time to feed my starter....1 cup of regular, all-purpose flour seemed almost anti-climatic after the long day of anticipation and worry. Maybe it was the dry milk, but it just didn't look like it had obtained the yogurt consistency I needed. Before unwrapping the plastic, I couldn't help but worry: was there really yeast fermenting in there? I was only barely decent at creating the magic that was bread using store-bought insta-active-dry yeast; was I over-reaching by trying to create my own....? Neer one to dwell on potential failure, I embraced my "Go down fighting" attitude and took the plastic off....no movement...gentle shake of the glass bowl...JIGGLE!!!! It was thick!!! It was gloopy!!! It was not the thin, watery concotion I had mixed yesterday! I had successfully completed step one!!! 

Bolstered by this victory, I carefully measured out the cup of flour. 

I didn't have a plastic spoon, so I used my red, can-withstand-the-fires-of-hell Kitchenaid set icing spatula. The recipe said to "blend" it in until it was smooth, but I was so worried that mushing everything around would separate the milk from the water from the yeast (if there was any even in there yet) I more or less gently folded some in....and quickly found it was getting sticky....suddenly, with far more than half a cup to go, I was doing more scraping than stirring. Out of blind faith, or perhaps just to avoid losing my nerve, I steadily folded in the rest of the flour. 

Here's what I was left with, after getting out as many lumps as I could: 

It's not the greatest picture, but it's almost a dough in and of itself. Now I'm waiting for it to get bubbly. I hope I know when to use it...two to four days...I know I'll be checking every day.

******UPDATE*****: Complete and utter failure. :-( I came home on Day 3 and found that I grown about four to six different types of mold. It was not fun to clean up, either. So, for now, active dry yeast in a jar it is. 

My daughter wanted me to bake something for Halloween. Here we go!

Originally posted on 10-16-2010 at Evil Shenanigans

Pizza is one of those things that is either done very well or done very badly. I don't waste my time on bad pizza. Honestly, there is no excuse for gummy crust, plastic cheese, and manufactured toppings when fresh, wholesome ingredients are available. With that in mind I went on a little shopping spree for toppings, and I'm ashamed to admit I went a little overboard - about $50 overboard! - on toppings and exotic cheeses, but trust me when I say it was totally worth it!

For me this pizza has the perfect balance of smokey, spicy, sweet, and savory all on a crisp and chewy crust. The secret of this pizza is not loading it down with toppings and cheese. Each topping packs a lot of flavor so a little goes a long way. My rule of thumb is to add enough so each slice gets a little of the love! This is also a good place to break out some good cheeses, none of that ready-shredded business. Last, and by no means least, is the crust. My crust is made with a Texas beer, Shiner Bock. A lot of pizza recipes have you proof your crust for a day or two in the fridge to develop flavor. Using eer rather than water gives you that long proofed flavor with out the actual long proof.

Sweet, Smoky, and Spicy Pizza on a Bock Beer Crust Yield 4 medium or 2 large pizzas

For the Bock Beer Crust:
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup semolina flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast (or 2 teaspoons instant yeast)
1 1/2 cups Shiner Bock, or any bock, beer
1/4 cup water
Olive oil for brushing

For the herb sprinkle:
1/2 teaspoon dry oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground fennel
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon dry thyme

For the cheese blend:
2 - 6 ounce Fresh buffalo mozzarella, sliced thin
1 cup smoked young cacioavallo, or smoked provolone, grated
1 cup fontina fontal, grated
1/2 cup grana padano stravecchio, or Parmesan

For the toppings:her
2 cups Simple Tomato Sauce (recipe here)
1/2 cup caramelized onions
4 strips Candied Bacon, cut into 1″ pieces (recipe here)
3 ounces hard Spanish chorizo, sliced thin
1/2 pound button mushrooms, sliced and browned
4 - 1/2″ slices of fresh pineapple, grilled and cut into 1″ pieces
Fresh basil for garnish

In the bowl of a stand mixer, with the hook attachment, combine the flour, semolina flour, baking powder, and salt.

In a small bowl proof the yeast, if using active dry, in 1/2 cup of beer. Once foamy, about ten minutes, add it to the dry mixture along with the remaining cup of beer and the olive oil.

Mix on low speed for three minutes. The dough should be fairly sticky but form a smooth ball. If the dough seems dry add the water one tablespoon at a time until no dry flour remains. Increase the speed to medium and mix for 5 minutes.

Turn the dough out on a lightly floured surface and form it into a smooth ball. Place in a greased bowl, turn once to coat, and cover with plastic until doubled in bulk, about 2 hours.

Heat the oven to 500 F with a pizza stone on the lowest rack of the oven for thirty minutes before you are ready to bake.

Once fermented turn the dough out on a lightly floured cutting board. Gently press the dough to degas then divide into four equal pieces. Round the pieces and let rest, covered, for ten minutes. (You can place any dough you don't need in a freezer bag and freeze for up to two months at this time.)

Once rested form the pizza crust to your desired size and thickness by picking up the dough and gently stretching in a circle. Transfer the dough round on a semolina dusted square of parchment on a pizza peel or the back of a baking sheet. Brush lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with the herb mixture.

Bake for two minutes, then remove the crust from the oven, discard the parchment.

Spread 1/4 to 1/2 cup of tomato sauce evenly over the pizza, then spread 2 tablespoons of the caramelized onions over the sauce. Add 4 or 5 slices of the fresh mozzarella, 1/4 cup each browned mushrooms, and 1/4 cup grilled pineapple chunks. Next add 1/4 cup each of the smoked young cacioavallo and fontina fontal. Add 5 or 6 pieces each of the chorizo and candied bacon. Finish with freshly grated grana padano stravecchio.

Bake the pizza for an additional 8 to 10 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbling and the crust is crust is brown. Garnish with fresh torn basil, if desired.

Enjoy!