Sicilian Style Sausage and Pepperoni Pizza

 Sicilian Style Sausage and Pepperoni Pizza

The trouble with most homemade pizza dough recipes is that they’re a pain. You have to mix the dough, knead the dough. Let it rise. Clean up after it.  But not this one. This one is so easy. You don’t need a mixer or food processor. You barely have to knead it.  This is one of those throw it all in the bowl and mix it up and you’ve got dough! Tonight I made a Pepperoni and sausage pizza!  

Home Made Pizza Dough

1 1/3 cups of warm water (about 105 degrees)

1 tablespoon sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Whisk 1 1/3 cups warm water (105 degrees F) and the sugar in a bowl; sprinkle the yeast on top. Set aside until foamy, about 10 minutes. If it doesn’t foam, throw it out. It’s no longer good. Stir in the olive oil.

Whisk the flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in the yeast mixture. Gradually stir with a wooden spoon until dough begins to form.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes, dusting with more flour if necessary. Divide the dough in half and make two circles. 

Brush 2 large bowls with olive oil, add a ball of dough to each and turn to coat all sides with the oil. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature until doubled in size, about 1 hour, 30 minutes.  Roll out to the shape and size you want and top it with your 

Sicilian Style Sausage and Pepperoni Pizza

1 homemade pizza dough (above)

1 cup of your favorite pizza sauce

3 cups mozzarella cheese

1 pound bulk pork sausage, cooked and crumbled

1 cup pepperoni slices

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Spray a rimmed baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray, then  coat the bottom of the pan with a little olive oil.   Remove the dough from the refrigerator and transfer to a lightly floured surface.

Lightly flour the top of the dough and gently press into a 12 x 9-inch rectangle. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into an 18 x 13 inch rectangle. Transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet, fitting the dough into the corners. Spray the top of the dough with non-stick cooking spray and lay a sheet of plastic wrap over the dough. Place a second baking sheet on the dough and let it stand for 1 hour.

Remove the top baking sheet and plastic wrap. Gently stretch the dough to fill the pan. Spread the sauce in an even layer over the surface of the dough, leaving a ½-inch border. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese on top. Add the sausage and pepperoni and then top with the remaining cheese. 

Note:  I used a couple heating pads to sit my bowls of dough on top and they rise beautifully.  You can wrap your dough in plastic wrap and keep it up to a month in the freezer.

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