Greg,

Can you send me the shopping list for the pizza stuff? And possibly where to get it? All I remember is the KitchenAid mixer which I have been lusting after for over 10 years. Now I have a reason to get one.

Thanks,

Gloria

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Gloria,

Sure:

- Mixer with dough hook

The dough hook is standard equipment on the KitchenAid. We have the higher-end model with the fixed head and bowl that cranks up, but the less expensive model with the tilt-up head should work too.

You can find the Kitchen Aid mixers at any kitchen store.

- Pizza stone (goes in oven)

Make sure you measure your oven before you go shopping! Some stones are square and some are round. Ours is square, but I'm sure it doesn't make any difference.

I'm sure most kitchen stores have stones too. I got mine at Cost Plus a long time ago.

- Peel (the wooden paddle used to get the pizza out of the oven)

I've seen metal peels too, but I think they're better suited to professional pizza ovens. I think wood works better with the stone.

You'll find peels wherever stones are sold. I got mine at Cost Plus.

- Screens

You don't need a screen, but they're cheap and they make life a lot easier. The alternative is to put corn meal on the peel, lay down the rolled out crust, put on the toppings, and then try to slide the pizza off the peel and into the oven. This is how I started, and it usually works just fine, but the first time a wet crust sticks to your peel and you dump the topping all over your oven you'll go out and buy a screen. With the screen you build the pizza on the screen and move the whole thing into the oven. I think it makes the crust come out better too.

Get two screens so that you can rotate between them when you're making more than one pizza. Make sure the screens are about the same size as your stone.

Smart and Final has the best screens and they're dirt cheap. In fact, you might go there first and see if they have any of the other stuff. I'm sure they'll have the best prices.

- Pans

Smart and Final has the best pans too. You want a big enough pan that the cooked pizza doesn't spill over the edge when you cut it.

- Pizza Cutter

I like the roller cutters. Get one with the biggest cutting wheel that you can find.

That's it for the equipment. For the dough, you need:

- Flour (all purpose works; bread flour is better)

3 1/2 cups per dough. I always make double batches (7 cups)

- Yeast

You'll go broke buying the little packets for $1/ea. Go to CostCo and buy the 1lb bag of Red Star yeast -- keep it in a sealed container (small mason jar) in the fridge and it should last you for a year or more.

1 tablespoon per dough. Proof it in one cup of warm water. Again, I make double batches, so I put 2 tablespoons in 2 cups of water. I also add a pinch of sugar to make sure the yeast activate.

The KitchenAid book has a dough recipe, but this is the basic idea:

1. Start by proofing the yeast.

2. Measure out the flour into your mixing bowl while you wait. Add a little salt. Install the dough hook in the mixer.

3. When the yeast is good an frothy, pour it into the mixing bowl and turn the mixer on low.

4. When the dough makes a ball, and the mixer starts to bog down, turn off the mixer.

5. Coat the dough lightly with olive oil to keep it from drying out. Leave it in the bowl, cover with a towel, and leave it to rise. During the winter, I turn on the oven and set the bowl on top of the range near the oven vent, but as long as your house isn't too cold I think you'll be fine.

6. Let the dough rise for 1 hour. It will double in size (or more).

7. Roll out the dough (half if you made a double batch) and transfer to the screen. The trick is to fold it up, move it, and unfold it. Otherwise it will stretch and lose its shape.

8. Put on your toppings and stick it into the oven (preheated to 500 with the stone on the middle rack).

9. In about 10 minutes, start checking for doneness. You want the cheese to turn a golden brown without anything starting to burn.

Some toppings are tricky because they burn so easily -- in those cases you can consider partially cooking the dough before you put them on.

-Greg