Thanks everybody. Making pizza is one of my favorite things. Sometimes I worry that I'm posting too many pizza pics.
How much dough do I use? That can vary a little depending on if I want leftovers for lunch. But generally, 200 to 250 grams. I've gone as high as 300 grams. The dough in my last pic was 200 grams. I usually top it with 4 ounces of pre grated cheese. Yeah, you should grate your own but pre grated works and it's so much easier.
My pizza is usually pretty thin. Sometimes (more often) I roll out the dough in-between 2 sheets of lightly oiled parchment paper using a rolling pin with height rings on it. That works out pretty well but it doesn't get a lip on the edge. I'll bake it on a preheated stone (475f) on the parchment for 3 minutes and then slide the peal under it a little and pull out the parchment (gloved hand). Continue to bake for another 6 or 7 minutes. The last pizza I made, the picture last posted, I formed by hand, working the dough with my hands to make it round and making sure it has a nice lip on it. That was baked at 450f. I always treat the dough like I'm making a roll/bun (a boule) before rolling it out. That way I get a reasonable chance of getting it round. They don't always turn out round, but that's ok too, but less likely to take a pic of it!
My doughs are pretty easy to work with. They usually consist of equal parts of rye, semolina, white whole wheat and AP or bread flour, or equal parts of semolina, WWW and AP. Usually AP though, since it's usually King Arthur it has a fairly high protein content. Hydrate it at 65% plus more as I knead it. Used to use all water but more recently I'm using fat free milk, the milk makes the bottom brown more nicely. Using that mix of flour preludes getting window pane dough so it will pull apart fairly easy if it's made too thin. But I've learned how to handle it.
Pepperoni. I'm a firm believer in putting the pepperoni directly on the sauce, so dough - sauce - pepperoni. The reason being that the spices in the pepperoni interact with the tomato sauce, thus making the sauce more yummy. But there is also an argument for putting the pepperoni on last, so your tastebuds get a direct hit from it. On my last pizza, I put it on last to just make it look good. Now, you could do it both ways on the same pie, but I don't want to overdo it as it is high in sodium and fat.
ItalianCook, that little bit of greenery is a sprinkle of oregano.
BakeAunt, I agree, a pizza thread would be great.
