Pizza with Mushroom, Feta, Olives, Onion and Tomato

This past Friday evening, I decided, was a night that deserved time for relaxing (after barn chores of course). Not to mention that fact that I also felt like utter crap while dealing with a nasty sinus bug.

So the dinner menu was kept simple: pizza, accompanied by a salad of romaine, walnuts, blue cheese and balsamic vinaigrette.  A favorite dinner of mine. Only tonight I decided to try a little different technique with the pizza and make it in a pre-heated cast iron pan, rather than on the pizza stone.  Smaller pizzas, but easier to handle. Why not? 

I made the pizza crust the night before:

1 1/3 cups of warm water
1 tbsp. yeast
1 tbsp. sugar
3/4 tbsp. sea salt
1/4 cup of olive oil
3 1/4 cup flour

Pour your water into a bowl, whisk in the sugar.  Pour yeast on top, let proof ten minutes.  Add salt and olive oil, mix well.  Add the yeast mixture to the flour in a large mixing bowl.  Mix well until thoroughly combined.  If you have a mixer with a dough hook, this would be ideal.  Simply turn the mixer on and walk away for ten minutes, maybe uncork some wine? 

When dough has come together, cover the bowl with plastic and let it rise for two hours or overnight.  It is then ready to roll out (thick or thin?) and add you pizza toppings.  Bake your pizza at 425 degrees until done to your liking.  I prefer my cheese slightly browned, personally.