Powdered Sugar is not Flour

This is one of my favorite holiday cooking stories.  Ever.

Last Christmas my “gift” to my family was 10 days of gourmet meals – really.  (More on that in future posts, promise!)

Anyway, on my one night off from cooking an entire meal, (I was still responsible for popping the popcorn – stovetop NOT microwave – and making the hot cocoa,) Joel was going to make pizza for all of us.

Now normally, I LOVE his pizza.  As one of the original high-school-stoner-pizza-chefs at this place, he perfected his sauce (not too acidy, not too sweet) AND the perfect pie dough toss.  My only responsibility for his typical pizza is to make the dough and buy the toppings – mozzarella cheese, fresh pepperoni, olives, onions, tomatoes – basically whatever looks good and is in season.  He can layer the cheese perfectly and no slice is without it requisite toppings.

On this particular night however, things went horribly wrong.

I was in the other room doing something, (wrapping presents, changing the Christmas Carols CD, getting the cat out of the Christmas tree?) when Joel started to prepare the pizza.  He was midway through his second pie toss when I came into the kitchen and noticed the powdered sugar container on the counter.  (I transfer all of my baking materials – flour, sugar, powdered sugar and brown sugar – to HUGE plastic containers for easier storage and maximum freshness.)

I asked him why the powdered sugar container was on the counter and his response what a completely blank stare that said: What the F*&k are you talking about?

Again, I pointed to the powdered sugar container on the counter.  This time he actually responded with a verbal: What the F*&k are you talking about?

Uh, I think you might have used the powdered sugar to flour the dough surface.  And toss the pies.  Am I right?  I asked.

There was a shocked moment of silence as all of us took in the situation.

In the end we cooked and ate the pizza, (a bit sugary but yummy all the same.)  And I promised to label all of my baking containers in the future.

Here is the recipe for our pizza (made the right way):

Basic Pizza Dough (from Joy of Cooking)

Combine in a large mixing bolw or the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer and let stand until the yeast is dissolved, about 5 minutes:
1 package active dry yeast
1 1/3 cups warm (105-115 degree water)
Add:
3 ½ to 3 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar

Mix by hand or on low speed for about 1 minute to blend all of the ingredients.  Knead for about 10 minutes by hand or with the dough hook on low to medium speed until the dough is smooth and elastic.  Transfer the dough to a bowl lightly coated with olive oil and cover with a dry dishtowel.  Let rise in a warm place (75-80 degrees) until doubled in volume, 1 to 1 ½ hours.  Preheat oven to 475 degrees.  Grease and dust 2 baking sheets with cornmeal.  Punch the dough down and divide it in half.  Roll each piece into a ball.  Allow dough to rest another 10 to 15 minutes.  Flatten each ball of dough 1 at a time on a lightly floured surface into a 12-inch round, rolling and stretching the dough.  Place each dough circle on a prepared baking sheet and lift the edge and pinch it to form a lip.  Pizza is now ready to be topped.

Basic Pizza Sauce (from Joel Weisberger)

Mix in a large bowl:
2 – 8 oz. cans of tomato sauce
2 – 4 ½ oz. cans of tomato paste
1/3 cup water
Salt & Pepper (a lot more than you would think)
Italian Seasoning blend (to taste)
Canned Parmesean Cheese (for texture)
Sugar (for slightly sweet after-taste)

Top with : mozzarella, pepperoni, sausage, bacon, chicken, sliced onions, olives, tomatoes, pressed garlic, chopped basil, pineapple or anything you want!

Bake at 475 degrees for 12-15 minutes until cheese is golden brown on top with small pockets of dark brown cheese.