Horse with Hair and pizza

"Horse study" 9x9 inches on green colourfix
Preliminary sketch for "horse study"

It's been a while, I know. I've been busy taking yet another cat to the vet. Oh well, life's little responsibilities. ;)
I've always loved making pizzas. The other day, my brother and I got to make pizzas together. It's a fun and delicious recipe to to make. Why buy those pizzas that burn a hole in your wallet-and your pocket?
Want the recipe? It's agonizingly simple, she says temptingly.
1 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees F)
1 (1/4 ounce) envelope active dry yeast
1 teaspoon honey (or sugar if you don't have it, no sweat, ;) )
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups flour
optional: yellow cornmeal to sprinkle on the pan for texture


In a large bowl, combine water, yeast, honey, and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, stirring to combine.

Let sit until mixture is foamy (you'll definately know, it gets a foamy, spongey light brown texture to it with little bubbles); about 5 minutes (and don't you dare touch it!)

Add 1 1/2 cups of the flour
and the salt, mixing it until it is fully combined. Continue adding flour (you may have to add more or less, depending on how moist it is where you are) until it's not goopy anymore (keep in mind the finished dough will be soft and droopy, just not wet or sticky).

Knead the dough for 3 to 5 minutes until it's nice and smooth and stretchy ( make your dough relatively flat with a few thumps of the heels of your hands, and then fold it over and sort of close the "bag" you've made without punching the middle. Do this over and over again until time's up.) Make sure your hands are well floured and don't be shy to keep adding flour to the dough (it gets sticky as you work it, so you have to add more flour as you go.)

Oil a much larger bowl and turn your dough (which you've formed into a loose ball) inside the bowl to get it well coated (this is what the other bit of the olive oil is for). Feel free to add more oil to get it moist-you don't want it to dry out while it rises.

Cover with plastic wrap or a damp wash cloth. Let rise in a draft-free, warm place for 1 1/2 hours. My secret to impressive rising? Place a casserole dish into the bottom rack of your oven. Heat between two cups to a quart of water for between 2 1/2 to 5 minutes (it should be hot!) and pour into the casserole dish. Your bowl with the dough should be on the second rack above it. Close the door quickly (but gently-the yeast is easily disturbed!) and set your timer. I have found that this is the best way to ensure a good rise. One raised, you can flatten this out to one 15 inch pizza, and bake it in a 425 F oven for 10 minutes bare, and then 10 minutes with a little heated tomato sauce and your favorite toppings. Bake for the other 10 minutes and voila! Your homemade pizza is done!
Then you ask, what if I want to do this for guests, or for when I come home, but I don't have time to let it rise? Make it on a weeked or free day, let it rise, and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or put it in a zip-lock bag, and pull it out whenever you want. These make great dinner rolls, and bread sticks too.

Now go make that pizza dough! ;)