We all know grandmas are the best cooks. They overfeed us with food and love. Today we are making an Italian grandma pizza with a fluffy dough with crispy edges and bottom. This amazing texture is topped with a delicious homemade tomato sauce and a some fresh ingredients. I did take some creative liberties and made some customization to my pizza. Follow along with me and I will share the recipe with you. Feel free to customize it to your taste (as long as you do not use pineapple).
This recipe makes one pizza.
Ingredients
For the Dough:
- 4 Cups of Flour
- 2 1/4 TSP Dry Yeast
- 1 3/4 Cup Water
- 2 TBS Olive Oil
- 2 TSP Salt
For the Sauce:
- 1 diced onion
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 3 medium crushed tomatoes
- Oregano
- Basil
- Zaatar
- Salt
- Black Pepper
For the Toppings:
- Mozzarella
- Parmesan
- Mushrooms
- Bell Pepper
- Zaatar
- Oregano
Making the Dough
Lets start by proofing the yeast. In a small bowl add the yeast and the water. Stirr well and let it rest for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, you should see some bubbles on top. If you do not, you may have to get another packet of yeast and start again.
Add the proofed yeast to the bowl of a stand mixer along with your oil, salt, and half of your flour. Attach your dough hook and mix until combined. Add the rest of your flour one cup at a time. Mix until incorporated and a dough forms.
Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let it rest for one hour until dough doubles in size. Meanwhile you can start working on your tomato sauce and prepping your toppings (check the section below).
Once the dough has risen, deflate it and start folding as follows. Grab the side of the dough (make sure you grab a good amount) stretch it up towards you then fold it towards the middle of the bowl. Rotate the bowl and start again until you’ve stretched all the sides. Let the dough rest again for 40 min.
Coat your baking sheet with a generous amount of olive oil. The oil will make your crust and sides crunchy. Put your dough on the baking sheet and gently stretch until it reaches the sides and corners. If the dough starts to resist you by shrinking, let it rest for 5 minutes and continue. Let the dough rest for one final time for 20 minutes until it is puffed and full of air bubbles.
Your dough is now ready for the sauce and toppings.
Making the Sauce
In a pan, cook the diced onion with the minced garlic in 1 Tbsp of oil. When golden, add your crushed tomatoes and add oregano, basil, and zaatar. Then season to taste with salt and black pepper. Let it simmer on low heat for 15 min.
Assemble and bake
Spread your sauce on the dough, add your preferred topping. I added sliced mushrooms, shredded Parmesan, green bell pepper and zaatar. Bake your pizza at 500 degree Fahrenheit or 250 Celsius for 20 minutes. Remove your pizza and add the Mozzarella and oregano. Return your pizza to the oven for an additional 10 minutes and the crust is golden.
Slice and enjoy! 🙂
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Thanks!