Requests - a Two-Way Street

First, a big thank you to Pam, at Retro Renovations for writing such an interesting blog. I live in a late century townhouse that has a mid-century feel to it. Which I deny. But I totally appreciate the viewpoint. It was my niece, Nicole, who alerted me. Just like she did the Erica Wilson videos. Thanks, Nicole, for always being willing to share your spectacular finds and knowing just who to share them with!

On to pizza dough recipes. I'm more than happy to share. 

For 25 years my go to has been simple:

1 package of yeast dissolved in 1/2 cup warm water
add 1 tsp. sugar to get things going

Add this to 3 cups all-purpose flour
add 1 cup warm water
1 tsp salt

Mix. I used to do it all by hand. Now I use my Kitchen Aid mixer. 

Gradually add it 1 - 1 1/2 cups more flour. 

Knead for 5-10 minutes. Place in a greased bowl. Cover and let rest 1 hour until doubled. 

Punch down. Let sit for 5-10 minutes. Then form into two crusts. I can do the whole stretch and work it in the air thing and use a pizza peel. But I normally just divide the dough in half and work it right on the oiled pizza pan. Cause I like shortcuts. 

cheese, sauce, toppings, etc. Cook at 425. 

Now my new favorite crust recipe, because I never stop trying new ways to do things if I think it might be good:

This recipe is for Grandma Pizza and is from the March 2012 issue of Cook's Country. You get the recipe with a free 14-day trial membership here.

I'm not a member. I just happen to have purchased this issue. The recipe is super easy as the dough proofs right on the baking pan. 

In other requests:

I've had this request before - for my colorway for Stars. 

Unfortunately, this is my very own colorway. And though I've shared other colorways of other projects in the past, I'm not sharing this one in its entirety. I don't know want another version of this out there that looks just like mine. 

But. And it's a big but.

Here's a link to the post when I started Stars. I had a couple of false starts where I tried to make another colorway work for me. It was all based on a photo I took of the cherry blossoms at the Tidal Basin at dawn in 2006. 

With this basis, you might be able to make an even more spectacular version. But it won't be exactly the same as mine. 

And lastly, my request to you. Last week I wrote my pizza post after finding out an acquaintance had died far too young. Way too young as she was only a year older than me. If you are reading this, remember to dance. And to sing. And to share your life with some other spectacular human beings. Life's too short to live behind a wall. We all need someone we can share a slice of pie with. Sure. Sometimes sharing can hurt. But the rewards are far greater than the pain.