Sean got fired up at Tender Fire Kitchen and returned to the ranch to throw his twist on a wood-fired pizza— pure slice of cowboy heaven.
Ingredients
· Dough makes 2–3 pizzas:
· 3½ cups 450 g bread flour
· 1 tsp sugar
· 2 tsp salt
· 1 packet 2¼ tsp instant yeast
· 1¼ cups warm water 100–110°F
· 1 tbsp olive oil
· Toppings:
Toppings:
· ½ cup crushed San Marzano tomatoes can use whole tomatoes and crush by hand
· 1 ball fresh mozzarella torn
· 2 –3 fresh basil leaves per pizza
· 1 –2 Italian sausage links precooked and crumbled
· Olive oil
· Pinch of salt
Method
Prepare the Dough
1. Mix flour, sugar, salt, and yeast in a bowl.
2. Add warm water and olive oil.
3. Knead by hand until smooth and elastic, about 8–10 minutes. Or use a Mixer with a dough hook. Run on medium to high speed until the dough comes together and the sides of the mixing are clean.
4. Cover and let rise for 1–2 hours until doubled in size.
5. Punch down the dough and divide into 2–3 balls.
6. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes before stretching.
Oven Setup (Two Pizza Stone Method)
1. Place one pizza stone on the lowest oven rack.
2. Place a second pizza stone on the top rack about 6–8 inches above the bottom stone.
3. Preheat oven to 550°F (or the highest setting available).
4. Allow stones to heat for at least 45 minutes.
Precook the Sausage
1. Remove sausage from casing.
2. Cook and crumble in a skillet over medium heat until browned and fully cooked (165°F).
3. Set aside.
Assemble the Pizza
1. On a floured surface use your hands to start forming a circle woking from the inside out. Once you have a rough shape pick it up and use you knuckles to stretch dough to a 10–12 inch round.
2. Dust a pizza peel with semolina. Do not dust with flour. It will burn at the high temperatures.
3. Place dough on the peel.
4. Spread a thin layer of crushed tomatoes. Do not add too much juice.
5. Add the amount of torn mozzarella you prefer.
6. Add the amount of crumbled sausage you prefer.
7. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and add a pinch of salt.
Bake
1. Slide pizza onto the bottom pizza stone.
2. Bake 4–6 minutes until crust is blistered and crisp and cheese is melted.
3. Rotate pizza halfway through cooking if needed.
4. Finish
5. Remove pizza from oven.
6. Top with fresh basil leaves and serve immediately.
