GRANDPA SUNSHINE'S
PIZZA RECIPE
2/3 cup of warm water
2 cups of flour
1 package of dry yeast (for up to 2 pizzas)
A pinch of salt
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 tablespoon of Caro Syrup (light)
Dissolve the yeast in the warm water, (be careful not to get the water too hot or it will kill the yeast). Stir in the salt, syrup and oil. Add the flour and beat the mixture at least 30 times, more if your arm can take it. Form into a ball and cover with a damp cloth and put in a warm place to rise - usually 20-30 minutes will do it. Remove the dough from the bowl and round out onto a pizza pan that has been lightly oiled and sprinkled with corn meal. If you have a stone for your oven, that is better yet. The corn meal acts like little ball bearings that will help roll the pizza off the pan so it can be cut on a wood chopping block. Put anything on top that your little heart desires and bake it in a pre-heated oven at least 450
° until it looks like you think it ought to look.For a good "doctored up" sauce, buy 4 large jars of RAGU meat flavored sauce and about 8 Italian sausages. Par boil the sausage for about 20 minutes in a good rolling boil. It is a good idea to stab the sausage with a sharp fork so that most of the fats boil out. Simmer the sausage in the sauce for 4-6 hours. Add 2 finely slivered bell peppers, 2 coarsely cut onions, 4 or more garlic buds finely chopped. Add 1 bottle of beer, 1 cup of white wine and 1 cup of Gin. Add things like 2 to 4 bay leaves, parsley, oregano, rosemary and whatever else you might have on the spice shelf. While the sauce is still hot, put the sausage into the RAGU jars and pour the sauce over them. If you put 2 sausages in each jar, then come Pizza making time, they are ready to pull out of the jar and slice for one of your toppings. Put the lids back on tightly and as the jars cool they will seal again (watch and listen, the tops will click) and they will keep indefinitely in the refrigerator. By the time the sauce simmers for most of the day, it will have cooked down to a little more than the original 4 jars worth.
A mixture of mozzarella, cheddar and swiss cheeses are good on top of the pizza. ½ to ¾ lb. of these grated and mixed together for each pizza. Also, add grated Parmesan after baking.
Proportions for more than one Pizza.
2 pizzas - 1 1/3 cups water to 4 cups flour
3 pizzas - 2 cups water to 6 cups flour
4 pizzas – 2 2/3 cups water to 8 cups flour
A sausage pulled out of the jar, heated, halved the long way and put on an Italian roll, topped with sauce and mozzarella and put under the broiler makes a wonderful hot sausage sandwich.