October is National Pizza Month - Brooklyn Style Sicilian Pizza

Ingredients
-1 package of yeast (or 7 grams worth)
-1 teaspoon of honey
-1 cup of warm water
-1 teaspoon of table salt
-3 cups of bread flour
-3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
-14-16 slices of sliced mozzarella cheese
-1 1/2 cups of tomato sauce
-1 block of Pecorino Romano cheese
-Your favorite toppings
-1 tablespoon of corn meal


Directions
Step 1 - In a small bowl mix together 1 package of yeast, 1 teaspoon of honey, and 125 mL of warm water. Stir together well and let the mixture sit for 15 minutes.



Step 2 - Add in 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 375 mL of warm water to your mixture and stir well.



Step 3 - Add in 1 cup of bread flour to your mixture and stir well until it forms a batter-like substance. At this point add an additional cup of bread flour, stir well, and then finally add in 1/2 a cup of bread flour. Mix everything together until stirring becomes difficult.



Step 4 - Pour your dough mixture on to your counter along with 1/2 cup of bread flour. Knead the dough thoroughly until all of the additional flour on the counter has been absorbed in to it.



Step 5 - Take 1/2 of a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and lightly coat your dough before placing it in a bowl. Leave a damp (but not wet) washcloth on top of it for one hour.



Step 6 - After an hour has passed remove the washcloth and punch the air out of your dough before removing it from its bowl. This recipe only calls for about half of the dough made here, so place the half you don't use in a sealed bag in the refrigerator for later (it should keep for an additional two or three days).




Step 7 - Take roughly 1 1/2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and spread it out on your cooking sheet. Spread your dough out to cover the sheet and then flip it once to oil the other side and then spread the dough out to cover the lip of the cooking sheet as well.


Step 8 - Cover the dough with a layer of sliced mozzarella making sure to leave no part of the dough exposed (apart from the crust) and press down gently when done.



Step 9 - Add a layer of 1 1/2 cups of tomato sauce to dough and spread it out as evenly as possible.


Step 10 - Take your block of Pecorino Romano cheese and alternate grating it in to large and small pieces. Spread a good amount on top of the pizza. At this point you can also add on any toppings you'd like.



Step 11 - If you have a baking stone make sure to put it on the bottom rack of your oven before turning it on to 450 degrees. Place your cooking sheet on the top rack and let your pizza cook for around four minutes before rotating it once and then letting it cook again for another four minutes (if you don't have a baking stone then just cook it for around six or seven minutes on each side until the crust and cheese turn golden).


Step 12 - After you have turned the pizza in the oven remove your baking stone and place 1 tablespoon of corn meal on it and spread it out to form a very thin layer. Once your pizza has cooked for a total of eight minutes remove it from the cooking sheet and place it on your pizza stone.


Step 13 - Bake until golden and enjoy!



The Verdict
It might not be the most traditional way to make a pizza but it sure was delicious (it also tastes great cold the next day). It's also very filling so make sure you have a few people to split this with; I couldn't even finish half of it. The recipe I used for the dough ended up tasting a lot better than the last one I used so I'll definitely be sticking with this one from here on out.

Next up, pizza and eggs!