Pizza Night

Homemade pizza - it really doesn't get much better than this. Yes, I know, it is so convenient to call up your local pizza delivery joint and have dinner delivered in 30 minutes. But, do they offer delectable toppings like crisp red onion, crumbled goat cheese and sweet-tart grape tomatoes bursting with flavor? Probably not.

I have been making homemade pizza dough for years now. I have experimented making doughs by hand, using a breadmaker and the KitchenAid Mixer. By far, my favorite approach is to use the stand mixer. Most of the dough recipes out there call for hand kneading. At the end of the workday, I have no desire to knead dough for ten minutes when the stand mixer produces a perfectly fine result.

My current favorite recipe for pizza dough comes from Chris Bianco, the proprietor of Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix, Arizona. Chris Bianco is a genius with pizza and shared his recipe for dough with Gourmet Magazine back in 2003. Here is the link:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/PIZZA-DOUGH-108197

When using the stand mixer with this recipe, the kneading time can be decreased to 5 or 6 minutes using a dough hook. The most important thing to remember with pizza dough is to handle the dough carefully once it is risen. You do not want to flatten out the dough and lose all those air bubbles created by the yeast.

Toppings should be added to the dough to suit your tastes. Homemade pizzas generally fare better when the toppings are added with a light hand to allow the dough to rise properly without being weighed down.

Once you flatten out the dough and add your toppings (this can be done directly on a floured pizza peel or even on a baking sheet), the pizza should be baked in a fairly hot oven (at least 450 F or up to 550 F). The baking time will vary depending on the temperature of the oven, but allow 6 to 12 minutes.

In my house, good homemade pizza calls for a good red wine. Yes, I know, the acidity of the goat cheese on this pizza probably calls out for a crisp Sauvignon Blanc, but this is pizza! Pizza is, by nature, casual and comforting. To me, that means a flavorful red wine.

This wine is the Georis Winery Cowgirl Red (a Merlot/Cabernet blend) from Carmel, California. Georis Winery makes wonderful reds crafted with care. You should choose your favorite comfort red wine to drink with your homemade pizza.