pizza recipe | The Daily Gumboot

Homemade pizza just plain tastes better. We know this. What you, our readers, might also know is that my favourite Daily Gumboot Correspondent – and very dear friend – Katie Burns once shared with our community the greatest pizza recipe in the history of the world.

Here is the link to the greatest pizza recipe in the history of the world: delicious.

Last night Michelle and I harvested some homegrown cherry and heirloom tomatoes as well as some fresh basil, rosemary and thyme from our mostly-sustainable balcony* for one of our three pizzas. Now. My belly will tell/show you that I’m something of a pizza connoisseur. So, please trust what I say. Hand-picked, homegrown toppings taste better and fresher than what you buy in a grocery store and waaaaaayyyyyyyy better than the stuff in a pizzaria. Part of the deliciousness is surely the taste itself – from vine to pizza in 10 meters and 15 seconds. Another part of the deliciousness comes from our minds and souls letting us know that we made smart, healthy, local, satisfying, and sustainable decisions. After all, human beings are always satisfied by their good work.

Look. I’m the first to admit that Michelle and I have a long way to go before we’re 100% local. We need a flour mill, we need more mushroom harvesting trips into the woods, and I need permission to turn our guest bedroom’s closet into a cheese cave (if everyone could please supportively comment below then this idea/dream of mine might have a fighting chance!). Most importantly, our household will strive to be more like Katie’s and pursue infinite tomatoes (as well as infinite other veggies) en route to year-round, ongoing, and non-Monsanto-and-high-fructose-corn-syrup-based seeds, sauces, soups, and so much other homegrown delights.

If you take one thing out of this blog post make it this shopping-related question: where does my food come from?

In conclusion, here are some pictures of the harvest, preparation and consumption.:

*Editor’s note: yes, I realize that I talked a lot of talk about how my balcony would soon be the most sustainable one in all the land; following non-partisan reviews by s||A and Alex Grant this community will know just how far the Bornk! balcony has to go before being the most sustainable one in Vancouver.

(Editor’s note: Katie Burns is on assignment in Downtown Europe, where, apparently, there are slow internet connections. So, I’m posting this article at her behest. And I just want to say one thing about it. This recipe below changed my life. It is the best pizza you will ever taste and, because my fiance and I always cook it together, it certainly builds a delicious kind of community. In fact, I’m hungry right now…)

I grew up cooking. I remember making pie early on with my grandfather, who my brothers and I called Grampy Donuts (for his amazing homemade donuts). I would regularly bake with my friend across the street, raiding our mothers’ cupboards and leaving piles of dishes. And with my mum I’d help make cookies and the occasional birthday cake. Making food is something I’ve always done with my community of family and friends.

I started making pizza around 15 years ago using a close variation of the below recipe. Growing up in rural Nova Scotia the closest place to buy pizza was a half hour drive away and we were far outside of delivery range (aka “Grecoville”). If my friends and I wanted pizza our choices were go to a pizza place in town, pop a frozen pizza in the oven, or cook your own from scratch. I more often than not preferred to make it from scratch, using a recipe introduced to me by my mum out of a cookbook that I no longer remember the name of.

Making pizza from scratch has been a great way to build community, whether with friends from high school, roommates in during undergrad, or the potluck pizza party Jim and I threw during the first year of his PhD in Toronto. It is easy, fast, and can be customized for almost any taste.

I typed "Galactic Pizza" into Google Images and this is what came up. I don't disagree, do you?

Ingredients for 2 pizzas:

1 1/3 cups of warm water
1tsp – 1 tbsp of yeast (traditional or instant works, use more for a
thick crust or less for a thinner crust)
1tsp of salt
2tbsp olive oil
4 cups of flours (at least 1 cup white)
Toppings, including your preference of sauce and cheese(s)

1. Put warm water in a large mixing bowl and add the yeast. If you
are using instant yeast you can move to the next step right away, but
if you are using traditional yeast wait about 10 minutes for it to
poof.
2. Add the salt and olive oil. This is also the time to add any extra
seasoning (I like crushed red chilies or Italian seasoning).
3. Start adding flour, stirring it in first and then kneading
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kneading) it for around 5 minutes.
4. Set the dough aside and let it rise for at least 20 minutes. This
is when you can preheat the oven (425 degrees-ish) and get the rest of
your ingredients together.
5. Once the dough is ready, divide it in two, flatten half of it on a
cookie tray or a pre-heated pizza stone, add sauce, toppings, and
cheese. Try not to put too much on or it will take longer to cook.
6. Put the pizza in the oven and cook it for around 20 minutes, until
the cheese and the crust start to brown.

- Katie Burns

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