Jamin and De’Etta’s Pizza Tips

If you want more info or photos or whatever – consider buying the download here and let Beverly Collins teach you the trade secrets. You receive an e-Book and a step by step video….plus about 1000 other "top secret" and "blue ribbon" recipes . We really believe this was worth it – as our family now likes the texture etc of our pizza and so we aren’t buying it at Papa Johns. This will save us at least 2K a year. (That info is for Mike because we had to buy a stone, screens and probably a pizza paddle – the oven singes your eye lashes).

First – I think any sauce or crust recipe that you enjoy will be fine (our favorite is below), as long as you use the flour she recommends and the technique. Once again, I was skeptical about this (like the spinach thing) but it really DOES make a difference.

Dough: High gluten, spring flour (grown in northern climates) is what she recommends. 14% protein/gluten or higher. Examples of this are Prairie Gold from Wheat MT or she recommends King Arthur as a good source – choose unbleached, high gluten flour (hard spring wheat).

Forget bread making – make dough, divide into balls, oil dough, place in Ziploc or airtight container, let rise SLOWLY in fridge for 2 – 5 days. This gives a yummy flavor!!!

Add more oil or don’t knead for softer dough.

Don’t roll the dough. Put your handprint in the dough, start stretching dough out with your fingers from the middle. Tossing the dough helps stretch it too if you are adventuresome. Slapping your dough is required and who isn’t ready to do a bit of slapping by FRIDAY?.

We add garlic and Italian seasonings to our crust from time to time. Let your taste buds guide YOU.

Sauce: just a hint of ground fennel is yummy….try it…just a hint 1/16th -1/8th tsp per cup of sauce????

Cheese: Try a blend of Muenster, Mozzarella and cheddar – to die for! Top with Asiago after it comes out of the oven….so good. Again, you may have different tastes. Use what your family likes.

Toppings: Choose what you like – leave less in the middle (same with cheese and sauce). Put items that burn easily on first.

Equipment:
Use a stone (1/2 inch thick) Pre-heat for 30 minutes in HOT oven before using.

Pizza Screens – OK you can buy these online….I ordered 15 inch pizza screens from Amazon.com ….they work but had to be flattened with a weight when they arrived. The company says they’ll “take steps to fix this”. These really made a difference in our pizza – we used them for the first time this week. We saw improvement with the other steps but this one prevents burning and lets you cook at a higher temp. You put the dough on them, assemble the pizza, slide it onto the preheated brick to bake and then slide it out during the last minute or two of baking….you can then get another pizza ready to go on your screen…slide the pizza from the brick to a cutting board and slide the new screen on to your heated brick…..get the idea here?

When your screens arrive, spray with non-stick food spray (or oil) and bake them in a 350* oven for 20 minutes. Respray with each use.

Pizza Paddle (peel) – we don’t have this – we think it would make moving the hot pizza off the stone easier…..but hey singed eyelashes and nose hairs are an adventure around here.

Oven – 550* oven for 5 – 10 minutes is all it takes. If your oven doesn’t do 550* go as high as you can. I think this is one reason our dough now tastes like “pizzeria” and not “reshaped bread”.

Bake on the lowest shelf that you can. This dough turns out solid all the way through…doesn’t droop when you hold a slice up, isn’t burned, isn’t gooey in the middle….

Really – watching Beverly make pizza was invaluable….and I loved reading about her time with a major pizza company as Director of Quality Assurance and Research Development. If you have $19.95 you will enjoy the downloads click link in first paragraph.

OK we realize that we’ve combined several recipes to come up with the one we like….Beverly Collin’s, Jamin’s (Pizza Hut knock off), and mine (from an Italian friend). How fun. We’ve created our OWN MOTHER/SON RECIPE! As Jamin says, “We DO have something in common!”


American German Pizza Crust (because we are)
Makes 1 16 in pizza
2 12 in pizzas
5 individuals

1/2 C warm (110*) water
½ tsp yeast (this is way less than both of us used to use)
1 T honey (way less sugar than I used to use)

Dissolve the above items.

¾ COLD water
1 ¼ tsp sea salt
2 T olive oil
2 – 3 C flour (use hard, spring, high gluten flour - 14% or higher)
1 tsp garlic powder (Jamin measures – I dump so probably use more)
1 tsp onion powder (same comment)
(opt) Italian Seasoning (for MY pizza I add this rosemary, thyme, sage, oregano, basil – I dump)

To the first three ingredients: Add cold water and 2/3 of flour; mix well. Once you have a pancake like batter…set aside for 30 min – 3 hours (can skip this step).

Add oil, salt and spices. Work in enough flour to form stiff dough (firm but slightly yielding). If you choose to knead – knead 8 min by hand or 4 min by mixer. OR you can let it stretch and develop over the days in the fridge. You’ll know your dough is ready when you form it into a ball, set it on the counter and in one minute you see it “relax” but don’t move….sort of like tense muscles relaxing. If your dough flattens out or moves a lot…add more flour and try again.

Oil the balls, put them in Ziploc, and put them in fridge until doubled or more…2 – 5 days. During this time the dough ferments and you get wonderful flavor and texture.

Top with your toppings….use less sauce, cheese and toppings in the middle.

Bake at 550* on pizza screen and preheated brick (see above notes) for 7 – 10 minutes. Check in 2 – 4 minutes to see if bubbles are forming and pop if you don’t want bubbles. This turns out browned but not burned, you can pick a piece up at the corner and it doesn’t droop or fall apart. You can eat it with your fingers and don’t need a fork…it isn’t gooey in the middle. In other words – keep it low and slow. Keep it cool. The slow rising makes a PIZZA crust texture instead of bread with sauce on it texture.

FYI a friend stationed in Italy said they bake their pizza in 700* ovens for 2 – 4 minutes.

What a day!!!

I was thinking the day was "hectic" but good but I suddenly realized that it may have been a bad day afterall.....maybe not. It did end well - Mike called and laughed and laughed that I accidently sent an email meant for him to SHS. AND I made a comment in the email that I meant one way but has another meaning so all in all it is humiliating...but his laughter made the day a good one.....

Until I got off the phone.....started reading more on this e-coli spinach outbreak. We don't have TV. We have a news black out. Late last night I began to read about it on SHS. Then this a.m. I saw the headline in our paper. I started reading more tonight and realized that the very spinach we bought and have been eating since Tuesday is the spinach that has been recalled and to which the outbreak has been traced. So...that gives us a bit of insight into the strange flu bug that Jamin and I are experiencing. Here's a link to the story that lists the companies. Thanks to Chris for impressing on me this a.m. the need to quit eating the spinach though I was very skeptical and still thinking it was some sort of internet hoax. I'm certainly glad we didn't eat MORE of it....

The hectic/bad parts of the day:

Mike needs me to find a file. It's a VERY important file. I've looked all through his office three times and can't find it.

The girls ended up needing a new set of tires. We got their oil changed.

I picked up two more meds at the pharmacy....and the paperwork for the civilian appts for a mammogram and pap...they called again.

Josiah's cell phone died and I had to buy a new year of service.

We bought all the things we hadn't bought earlier that the girls needed. I only wanted to visit and play with them and I spent most the day in the stores.

But the day WAS good:
We got a lot done.

I had some great time to visit with Bre.

We found everything we needed except for a bike carrier for their car and a swim suit top for Bre.

I got to talk to Mike.

I discovered that I need to throw out our spinach before we all got ill.

Jamin made dinner and it was great - pizza.

We went for a family walk and saw LOTS of deer.

*Cassanova* and *The Lemon Drop Kid* came in from Netflix.

Yes - it WAS a good day....because I'm going to CHOOSE JOY!

Choosing JOY!!!!

James 1:2 - entire book already

Bikin

I was determined to either walk or bike this a.m. I did NOT beat Stacia up.

I ended up heading out with Nolan, Arielle and Stacia in the bike trailer. We rode 3.5 miles. The bikin kids did great. I like to walk or ride with them before school...but since we still aren't doing school....they've been sleeping late.

Stacia did "fairly well". We turned down our driveway to find Zander in his whitey tighties, on his trike, coming to find us. He'd escaped while Jared was . In his defense Jared popped around the van at the same moment that I reached Zander. I dream of my 10 mile rides....but I'm going to have to quit staying up until 2 a.m. if I really want to see them back.

Bre practices her "mother's evil eye look" A child's favorite toy - we vacummed immediately after this to avoid choking hazards.

PIZZA SAUCE (Jodi - I think it's vegan)

2 6 oz cans of tomato paste
1 15 oz can of tomato sauce
1 tsp Thyme
1 tsp of Basil
1 tsp Marjoram
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
2 tsp Oregano
1/2 Tbl Honey
1/8 tsp Crushed Red Pepper

I add a bit of crushed fennel to some of the sauce - yum.
*add 2 Tbl water as needed

Mix all ingredients
Cook on low to simmer 10 - 20 minutes.

Makes - enough for two pizzas....We quadrupled the recipe and got four quart size bags. We're going to make 8 times this recipe next time. I freeze them and pull out a bag on Friday a.m.


Note: Adding my mega ingredients



24 (6oz) cans of tomato paste

12 (15 oz) cans of tomato sauce

1/4 C thyme

1/4 C marjoram

1/4 C basil

2 T garlic powder

2 T sea salt

1/2 C oregano

1/2 C honey

1 1/2 tsp red pepper



*1 1/2 C of water as needed

*I like fennel in this but the children really prefer it without



mix all ingredients

Cook on low to simmer 10 - 20 minutes

freeze. Makes 11 quarts - 33 pizzas

THIS AND THAT

Hmmm….ever had a day when you ran all day but can’t for the life of you remember what you did? That’s today.

I did some cleaning up this a.m.

I ran the boys to House of Faith. They had a fun day. This is proving to be an eye-opener for them and an avenue to do something meaningful in the community.

While the boys were at House of Faith I dropped by the chapel. Our Bible Study books are in. The funny thing is that Miss Ivey found 5 copies in the book room – a mysterious room that I have yet to see – and we could have had them on Tuesday. We chatted. I felt sorry for them – the chapel is SOOOO short staffed right now. For those who get military chapels…there has been only ONE enlisted Chaplain Assistant on base for the past two weeks. I think we’ll bake some cookies in the a.m. and run them up to him. Poor guy. He’s cheerful though and picked my spirits up today just chatting with him.

We left the chapel and I took Krista to see a doctor here on base. Do you remember this tri-care sage from a few weeks back? Yes – we paid over $200 to get her seen and get her meds off base because tri-care said they can’t see her while she is home. Dr. W – the commander of flight medicine called and said he WOULD see her and to bring her in. I did. He gave her the prescriptions for the meds she needed so that we can get them AGAIN this time on the AF’s Dollar and then they’ll be in Walgreen system for her to pick up for the co-pay in WA. He also looked at her moles. Two weeks ago Tri-care was insisting that this is cosmetic and they wouldn’t remove them. He looked – said, “Oh no – they are NOT cosmetic!” and said they need to be removed and biopsied. Since she is leaving in less than a week :::sigh::: she’ll follow up on this in WA. BUT now it should be in the computer that HE feels they need to be removed and biopsied…which is what Krista and I said two weeks ago. :::sigh::::

Krista and I ran to the commissary and BX. We bought all the toiletries that two girls will need until Christmas….I suppose I don’t need to give you a list. I will say that I got a strange look for a few items…but wait until December when we stock up for NINE MONTHS! :::snort::: At the BX I picked up packaging that I hope will work to mail out old SL manuals. LOL We still had time before picking the boys up so we came home.

The girls went and picked the boys up from HoF. They planned their trip. They are going to spend a few days with their old youth leaders in CO and the leaders are arranging to have several of their friends have a sleep over on Friday night. I’m a bit worried about this as they have to leave bright and early to finish their trip on Saturday a.m. but they are invincible and need no sleep. {bg}

Mike called – 6 p.m. our time – 2 a.m. his time. I forgot to ask him the question about packages and such from Debbie and Chris on SHS….but I’ll remember. Mike called just as I was leaving. We had promised to meet a friend’s husband, mother and children at a restaurant. By the time we got there we were very late and the line was out the door – Mr. Gattis. :::snort::: We didn’t stay. We went to Burger King instead. In the middle of dinner Zander stood up on the bench and started belting out at the top of his lungs “Our God is an Awesome God, He reigns from Heaven Above”. The others were a bit embarrassed but I told them that if he has a heart to worship it should be encouraged.

We got home and John and Cathy and kids were here from Dallas. We had a good visit. They had ordered some wheat and such and so we loaded them down and they headed off. John separated from the Army to go to seminary and come back in as a chaplain. We talked about his professors and such. Today he lost his Sgt stripes and tomorrow he pins on 2nd Leut rank in the reserves/candidate program. We have another Tech Sgt. That is thinking of doing the same thing – he’s the worship leader in our Contemporary service. I’ve tried to tell them all “no more” until we leave…but they aren’t listening.

Josiah got huge kudos from a manager at work tonight. He was told he was the hardest worker than man had seen and that he would want Cy to work with him if he owned his own business. Never, never give up….this is the same 6 year old that was very clever at avoiding chores. :::snort:::

I heard good things about my baby girls from WA too – it was a good parenting day!

I guess that’s all I did today.