FANCY CRUST!

yo.
no jokes.
this is what's up:
GOOD CRUST.
yup.
i missed out on new haven food while i was in CT.
i had more to do than i had time for,
so that meant i was eatin' light and fast while i was there-
when i got home,
i made myself the best dang pizza pie i've had in a minute, man.
f'real neighbors.
the GOOD CRUST was what carried it to victory, too.
look at this bad b!tch,
and then listen to what was poppin'-

WOOOOOOORD.
that's a classic jaun, if ever there was one.
fire-roasted crushed tomatoes!
homemade vegan meatless spicy, smoky, sexxxy pepperoni!
caramelized onions!
grated miyoko mozz'!
minced violife mozzarella!!
chopped scallions on top,
and fried garlic and fresh parsley sprankles for the win.
that's all so freakin' delicious....
but the crust, neighbors.
that was where the awesomeness all started.
-
*
GOOD CRUST!
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in your stand-upright mixer, with the dough hook hooked on,
first bloom:
1 cup warm water;
1 tsp dark brown sugar;
1 pkg fast-actin' yeast.
after a quick 5 minutes, add:
1 cup king arthur flour;
1 cup king arthur bread flour;
2 tsp sea salt;
1-2 T warm water to keep it loose.
2 T dried shallots;
2 T fire-roasted tomato flakes.
i kneaded it in the machine for ten minutes,
let it rise for fifteen, before handling it with wet hands,
and stretching it out on my olive-oiled seasoned steel tray-
where it rose until my oven hit 485 fahrenheit convection degrees...
-
dudes, y'all dunno just how elite that business was,
or how much it hit the spot.
-
the pepperoni scene was the TRUTH.
that's my red lentil seitan sausage, (the recipe is posted here often)
plus smoked paprika, black pepper, paprika,
a dash of tamari, and liquid smoke, plus half a cup of water,
and a tablespoon of oil...
boiled until the liquid is absorbed along with all that flavor,
and then crisped up jusssst a bit from the oil in a hot pan, man.
-
how long did it bake?
until it was done.
how fresh did it take?
as long as it had to.
how expert was it, though?
all the way past a perfect ten, up to eleven.
-
maybe y'all aren't about that classic magic pizza time,
but i am.
and i felt rewarded for my effort.
*
long walks and cold butts.
that's what i had going on yesterday, in between connecticut,
AMPERSAND TATTOO,
and pizza at the Folk Life & Liberty Fortress.
two kids, their delicious mother, and me, plus crabby,
hiked along the long forest roads of alton.
mmhmmm.
the kids got sleepy from sittin' in the carriage-
we got sleepy from pushing and pulling those little dudes,
and the dog?
well, he was so psyched to see grass (it's still snowy af in the woodsly goodness)
that he rolled in SO much sand he turned into a glittery beige silica dustcloud;
so he got a bath after pizza time.
what a day-
i lived a small section of three separate lives all in a row,
with overlaps connected by long drives on bad roads.
i have so much love and so many feelings and so much going on that i fell asleep
as hard as i've done.
now i'm back up and at 'em,
and it's work work work work work today.
unless this baby decides today is the day,
and then i'm back on the road again.
we'll see what happens,
and it ALL really always is;
never quiet, never soft....