Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Confessions of a Dough Boy: Part 1 "Pizza Dough"

Have you ever felt something so malleable, soft, squishy, and a little firm all at the same time?  Wait don't answer that.  I'm really talking about dough; a mixture of flour, water, and sometimes yeast. This gooey goodness has been a staple item since ancient history.  Dough Boy has been personally perfecting his batches for many years.  It's good ... actually it's amazing!  However, I must confess.  I have a particular obsession with this particular "dough boy" ... but hey what can I say?  He's good with his hands ... I mean baking which is a hands-on sort of thing.

Let's take a visual tour of Dough Boy's basic pizza dough perfection.  It's a simple "no knead" (although a few folds and spins are necessary) recipe that can be kept in the refrigerator or freezer and pulled out when you feel the desire for homemade pizza or flat bread.

Most of the recipes you find for pizza dough are basically the same.  However, using a scale to precisely measure the ingredients makes for pizza perfection.  Dough Boy has come up with his own measurements for pizza dough success.

See below.

 
Flour: 1020g
Salt: 21g
Yeast:  9g
Water:  765g
 
Mix away!
 
 
The consistency should look like the image shown below.
 
 
Remember to lightly dust the surface where your dough will be formed.  It doesn't take much flour ...

 


Dough Boy recommends to repeat the rest of the steps below three times.

Fold the dough over, about one time each side.


Form in to a round mound.  Then, take it for a few quick spins ...


Cover with a clean cloth and set for 10 minutes.


Remember to repeat the above three steps two more times (3 times total).
 
Use immediately, refrigerate if you plan to use in a few days, or freeze for later.
 
Freezing tip:  Section dough in to (4) 450g portions.  Place each portion in to a one quart sealed baggy.
 
Pure. Simple. Pizza dough perfection.
 
Need pizza topping ideas?  Post your requests in the comment section.


Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Another Food & Photography Blog?

Why am I here?  I'm passionate about traveling and culinary adventures near and far.  I also have this creative tug in my mind that continually pours out made-up imagery and describing words that can sometimes distract me from my everyday life.
 
I ask myself but why start a blog...especially about travel and food?  Aren't there a million resources for the world to log on to and explore?  Of course there are, but they would not be MY explorations, MY famed food possessions, and images from MY mind.  Plus, let's face it.  I want that pull, that creative explosion that comes to mind every time I sink my teeth in to a bite of something.  The popular and the less traveled cultures and places excite me.  They make me think.  They make me "be". 

Documenting and photographing food and life around the world is truly MY passionPlus, who knows...maybe my favorite food journalist and chef extraordinaire, Anthony Bourdaine, will think my findings are interesting and entertaining!

Pizza at 2:00am in NYC - always good!