The Quest for Yeast

Added green olives to one and black to the other

January 3, 201: Pizza, Pizza, Pizza. Woke up and went over to the Marina Bistro to see why our internet was down for the hundredth time. The Bistro provides our connection for a nominal fee. (Or should I say does not provide connection) The Bistro is in fact, a groovy little cafe with a progressive menu. All that being said, the healthy pizza they offer is little to be desired and gave me a hankering to make some homemade pizza for the crew. However, no yeast on board for making the crust; so, Ron and I went to the mega market, on foot, to purchase some fresh veggies and yeast in which to execute the perfect pizza. I was able to gather up some fresh red, green, yellow, and orange peppers, red onions, tomato's, can of stewed tomato's (it will have to do) and button mushrooms as they had no portabella. Now for the yeast, which proved way more difficult then I anticipated. After gesticulating to the non English speaking market employees the act of kneading bread, they all looked at me like just another deranged Americana. None seemed to ever hear of yeast and showed me to the baking and spice isle, neither of which had any yeast, just lots of packages with pictures of pigs and fish on them. There were 99 different varieties of garlic in various forms; granulated to powder and crushed, but alas, no yeast. Finally, the manager was brought over, as I refused to give up, and the desire for pizza was now at a fevered pitch. The manager was clueless and led me to the Tequila, as I am sure he thought I must be drunk and wanting to get more drunk! Finally, I discovered the small bakery at the back of the market, brimming with fresh breads and was able to make the young bakery goddess understand I desperately needed yeast, which she graciously sold me from their supply. Victory! The finished product was delicious! Here is the recipe and photo.

As one becomes an avid pizza maker you develop your own crust, I like to use 1/2 whole wheat flour to make a more healthy, yet traditional crust:
Combine in a large mixing bowl and let stand for 5 minutes, until the yeast is dissolved:
1 package dry active yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
1 1/3 cups warm water (105-115 degrees F)
Add:
3 1/2 to 3 3/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour (1 cup whole wheat pastry and the remainder white)
2 tablespoons Olive oil
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 tablespoon sugar (optional, but it does help activate the yeast)
Mix by hand until all the ingredients are well blended, about 1 minute. Knead the dough for 10 minutes on a floured bread  board, until the dough is smooth and elastic. Transfer the dough to a bowl that has been lightly coated with olive oil and turn the dough once to coat with the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place (75-80 degrees F) until double in size, 1-1 1/2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. grease and dust 2 pizza pans with cornmeal. If you have a pizza stone, place in oven to heat for 45 minutes. Punch the dough down and divide into 2. Roll each half into a ball and let it rest, loosely covered with plastic for 10-15 minutes while you prepare the toppings. 
You can use your favorite toppings and I opted for veggie, consisting of green and red peppers, mushrooms, garlic, fresh tomatoes, red onions, and green and black olives. The pizza sauce was tricky. You can buy a great sauce at Trader Joe but I had to make my own using a can of stewed tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, basil, oregano, and some tomato paste blended in the food processor.
Flatten each dough on a lightly floured surface, into a 12' round. If your adventurous you can use your knuckles making a fist and stretching the dough at the edge (flying the dough). Place each dough on the prepared baking sheet and lift the edge pinching it so the sauce doesn't leak out onto the pan. Use your fingertips to push dents into the surface dough to prevent bubbling. let rest for 10 minutes and then sauce and add toppings.