Jayni, artist stir up Italian pies

Join “Jayni’s Kitchen” this week for “Wood-fired Pizza with Artist Louis Copt.”

Host Jayni Carey and Copt will prepare the recipes below.

A new show debuts at 6:30 p.m. each Tuesday on Sunflower Broadband Channel 6 and repeats at 8:30 p.m. The show is also broadcast at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday-Friday, 9:30 a.m. Sunday and 8:30 p.m. Monday.

Louis Copt’s Pizza Dough

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1/4 cup warm water
2 teaspoons dry yeast
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups all-purpose bread flour (King Arthur preferred), or quality unbleached white flour

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast and honey in 1/4 cup of warm water. Let the mixture bubble and rise for 5 to 10 minutes. Blend in the olive oil, 1 1/2 cups of warm water and the salt. Add the flour and mix well. Turn the dough out onto a bread board or another floured surface and knead, adding extra flour as needed, until the dough is smooth and elastic. Form the dough into a ball and place it in an oiled bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Punch the dough down and divide into 6 balls. Cover with a cloth until ready to use. Makes six 10-inch thin pizza crusts.

Louis Copt’s Pizza Sauce

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2 tablespoons olive oil
2 to 3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 28-ounce can imported Italian (plum) tomatoes
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/2 cup dry red wine (optional)

Heat the olive oil in a sauce pan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute, until softened, but not browned. Chop the tomatoes and add them, juice included, to the pan. Stir in the remaining ingredients and cover the pan with a lid. Simmer the sauce over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cool before using. The sauce is best if rested overnight in the refrigerator. Makes about 4 to 4 1/2 cups of pizza sauce.

Pizza Max

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1 ball of Louis Copt’s Pizza Dough
olive oil
Louis Copt’s Pizza Sauce
mozzarella cheese, shredded
cooked chorizo sausage, thinly sliced
pineapple chunks, fresh or canned
pickled jalapeño peppers slices

Stretch one ball of pizza dough by hand; then roll out to about 10 inches in diameter. If cooking the pizza in a wood-fired oven, or on a pizza stone in a traditional oven, sprinkle corn meal on the rolling surface and the wooden peel to facilitate the sliding of the pizza into the oven. (The cornmeal gives the pizza that “pizza parlor” taste.)

Oil the pizza by drizzling the olive oil in circular pattern over the pizza dough. Spread one ladle-full of pizza sauce, (about 1/2 cup) on the dough. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Add chorizo sausage, pineapple chunks and jalapeño peppers slices. Makes 1 10-inch pizza.

To cook wood-fired pizza: Cook the pizza in a wood-fired oven for about 2 minutes total, turning a quarter turn every 30 seconds or so, until the pizza is browned and the cheese is bubbly.

To cook pizza on a pizza stone in a traditional oven: Place the stone on the lowest rack in the oven. Heat the oven to 500 degrees for about 1 hour. Sprinkle cornmeal on a wooden pizza peel to help the pizza slide off. Cook the pizza for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the crust is lightly browned and the cheese is bubbly. If desired, the stone can be moved under the oven-broiler to brown the top of the pizza after the crust has cooked.

To cook pizza in a pizza pan in a traditional oven: Oil a pizza pan and sprinkle with cornmeal. Stretch one ball of pizza dough by hand; then roll out to fit the pizza pan. Place on the lowest rack in a 500 degree oven and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the crust is lightly browned and the cheese is bubbly.

Spring Pizza

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1 ball of Louis Copt’s Pizza Dough (see recipe above)
olive oil
Louis Copt’s Pizza Sauce (see recipe above)
mozzarella cheese, shredded
asparagus spears, steamed
fresh cherry tomatoes, halved

Stretch one ball of pizza dough by hand; then roll out to about 10 inches in diameter. To cook the pizza in a wood-fired oven, or on a pizza stone in a traditional oven, sprinkle corn meal on the rolling surface and the wooden peel to facilitate the sliding of the pizza into the oven.

Oil the pizza by drizzling the olive oil in circular pattern over the pizza dough. Spread one ladle-full of pizza sauce, (about 1/2 cup) on the dough. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Top with asparagus and cherry tomato halves. Makes 1 10-inch pizza. Use one of the cooking methods listed in Pizza Max recipe.

White Pizza

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1 ball of Louis Copt’s Pizza Dough
olive oil
fresh baby spinach leaves, rinsed and well-drained
Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

Stretch one ball of pizza dough by hand; then roll out to about 10 inches in diameter. To cook the pizza in a wood-fired oven, or on a pizza stone in a traditional oven, sprinkle corn meal on the rolling surface and the wooden peel to facilitate the sliding of the pizza into the oven.

Oil the pizza by drizzling the olive oil in circular pattern over the pizza dough. Top with enough spinach leaves to cover the pizza. Sprinkle with crumbled Gorgonzola cheese. Cook the pizza using one of the methods listed in Pizza Max recipe. Makes 1 10-inch pizza.