Pizza Dough Recipes

Pizza one of my favorite foods. There are so many versions and ways to prepare it.  With tomato sauce, a rich garlic sauce white pizza, margarita style pizza. Just to name a few and so many toppings to choose from. Also you can make pizza fritte ( fried dough), calzones, stromboli.  This versatile dough will get you making all of those and more so read on!

                                

Margarita Pizza (shown in pictures above) Fresh Tomato and mozzarella, slices of fresh garlic, sprinkle with oregano and top with fresh basil drizzled with olive oil. You can add anything you like in spices, this is the traditional way I like spinach or escarole on mine.

 Pizza Dough (use for pizza, calzones, pizza fritte, garlic knots, sausage rolls.)

Pizza Dough

4 1/2 cups all purpose flour 
1 pk dry yeast dissolved in 2 cups warm water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
4 tablespoons olive oil

Mix until forms a ball, knead until smooth and elastic, add more flour if dough is sticky , this should not be dry but firm until a ball forms. Rise in a bowl covered with a wet towel, until doubled in size in warm spot, away from draft.... stretch out on a large cookie sheet. Brush top with olive oil, top with tomato sauce, cheese and any other meat toppings of choice suggestions:  sausage, peperoni, mushroom, peppers, olives, (ham, pineapple),( spinach, broccoli, ricotta, garlic ), sliced tomatoes and feta cheese, or any combo of your choice .... Bake until crisp and brown on 430 degrees,  keep checking for desired crispiness......

 Other toppings can include, peppers ,eggplant, mushrooms, meatballs, olives, anchovies, zucchini, chicken, shrimp, feta, cheddar, fontina or mozzarella cheeses combined.

Video Of Pizza Fritte (Fritta) Italian Fried Dough :

Pizza Fritte

Variations: Take 2 to 3 tablespoons of dough depending how big you want these, and make doughnut shaped rings, or solid shape depending on what you like.  Place on waxed paper let rest about 15 minutes. Fry in deep, hot oil. While warm, traditional Italian Zeppole, fried dough and what we bought at the feast in Upstate N.Y. you would shake or sprinkle with powdered sugar, regular sugar or cinnamon sugar... taste the best eating while still hot.....see video.  My kids loved to spread peanut butter and cinnamon sugar on them not the traditional way to eat them!



             My mom's recipe for Dirty Sausage rolls
                late Margaret Ann Fanelli Colenzo

                               

Sausage roll or loaded with options below

1 lb of fresh pizza/ bread dough
1 1/2 lbs of Italian sausage cooked and casing off cooled
4 eggs
2 cups of mozzarella
4 tablespoons of grated cheese or more to taste
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon black pepper


Mix sausage ,eggs, spices and cheeses in a bowl set in refrigerator.Roll out dough about 1/4 inch thickness into approximately 12 x 12 rectangular. Spread mixture over the dough, roll up and place seam down on cookie sheet, place in a warm area, to rise around an hour. Brush tops with egg whites. Bake at 450 for 10 minutes and lower to 375 degrees for the remaining time. Sausage roll is done when crispy and brown. Slice and enjoy. You can make individual mini ones as well using a handful of dough for each one.


Variations:Add to sausage omit the eggs, add mozzarella cheese, grated cheese and spices along with any combo below. These are called adding the ricotta cheese in the pocket. Calzones. Stomboli is with meats, peppers, mushrooms, chopped tomatoes, black or green olives, onions, mortadella, salami prosciutto .... If using vegetables saute' vegetables with sausage and drain (always cook raw meats). You can also add Ricotta cheese, fresh chopped parsley, basil, chopped tomato, fresh garlic chopped, greens like spinach or escarole. You can also add ham and mozzarella, ricotta with grated cheese into the dough to make a cheese and meat Calzone. You can also substitute Pepperoni for Sausage.

Garlic White Pizza
Make a round pizza pan stretched out thinly in a pizza pan greased with olive oil and floured hands. Rise till double or line with parchment paper so it won't stick. Note for a very thick pizza use a greased deep cake pan.


Garlic Pizza sauce:
1 pound of pizza dough
2 tablespoons melted butter, 2 tablespoon olive oil.
2 cloves finely minced garlic
3 tablespoons olive oil

Sprinkles evenly with oregano, basil, parsley, salt and pepper if you love garlic add some garlic powder too.

Sprinkle evenly with Romano grating cheese

Top generously with mozzarella shredded cheese and bake in a hot oven of 430 degree preheated hot oven and bake until browned.

Optional: 1/2 cup of whole milk ricotta cheese mixed with 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil, place random spoonfuls over the pizza before topping with mozzarella cheese

If you would like to make focaccia bread dough click here