A tradition, a recipe and a sign of spring

I'll start with the sign of spring.  About a week ago I looked inside the goose house after letting them out in the morning and noticed a distinctive, round shape in the straw.  I gently put my hand in and felt around and sure enough - there under the straw was the first goose egg of the season!  It had been bitterly cold so the egg was frozen solid and cracked open but since then there have been two more.  Goose eggs are wonderful for cooking and baking.  

Now about the tradition...  Back in 1977 when Pete and I got married and moved to Ames, Iowa, I somehow established the tradition of serving pizza on Saturday nights.  And because we were poor as the proverbial church mice at that time, it wasn't pizza ordered in or bought at the store.  At the no-frills warehouse grocery store where I shopped, I could buy a packet of pizza crust mix for 19 cents.  Add water, mix, let rise for 10 minutes and then put in a pan, add toppings and cheese and in no time, semi-homemade pizza.  I loved those mixes!  But in a year we were living in Germany and of course, almost NO convenience foods there at that time!  I continued to make pizza weekly but used various yeast doughs with more or less success.  I don't remember that any of them were inedible but not the same as the easy mix.  In one of the packages that came from home, my mom included several women's magazines which I read from cover to cover.  And to my delight in one of them was a recipe for "Easy As A Mix Pizza Dough".  From that time on and for the next several decades that recipe became the foundation of our Saturday night pizza tradition.  The only major change I made to it was in 1982 when we purchased our grain mill and I used home-milled whole wheat flour from thence forth. 

This ancient baking pan fills the oven.  It's a relic from Germany and would be impossible to replace.

I sometimes wonder how many pizzas I've made in my lifetime.  Countless college students during our ministry years showed up at 6 pm on Saturday night for pizza and the weekly German soccer game.  And as our family grew, so grew their appetites and the number of friends that were invited for Pizza Night.  We've been married for almost 48 years and I figure I've made pizza at least once a week for most of those years, sometimes multiple large pizzas.  There were times I swore I was NOT going to make pizza every single Saturday night but then the reality of figuring out an alternative meal that was equally loved overcame my resolve and here we are, almost 48 years later, still having pizza most Saturday nights.  Nowadays it's usually just Pete and me and I'm still making a large pizza because I can't seem to scale back to "pizza for two".  Pete doesn't mind the leftovers and I've always been in the "cook once, eat twice" camp.  In the last few years I've changed to making the dough in my food processor, which turns out a fantastic dough.  My current recipe is very similar to the original "easy as a mix" but with a few tweaks.  I also use our homemade canned tomato sauce and since our diet is 90% plant based these days there are only vegetables on top with a light sprinkling of mozzarella.  Pizza is another example of simple food that is much better homemade - I know exactly what is in it because I put it there!  

Over the years Pete has suggested I keep a frozen pizza on hand for "pizza emergencies" and at times I have done that.  But like homemade bread, I find I can make a pizza much faster and with much less waste than it would take to go buy it.  Our trusty Bösen stone grain mill is STILL working after 40+ years!  The company is no longer in business but the German quality engineering is still working and I expect it to see me to the end of my life.  That's one purchase where there has never been buyer's remorse. I've made most of our bread over the decades since then, too, and it is the real "staff of life" with only whole grain flour, yeast, water, salt and no need to scrutinize the label for additives.  

Here's the pizza crust recipe I now use, adapted from Cooks Illustrated magazine.

Put in bowl of food processor:

16 1⁄2 ounces bread flour (I use at least 50% whole wheat)

2 tsp sugar

1⁄2 tsp instant yeast (I use regular active yeast and sometimes up it to 1 tsp)

1 large spoon plain Greek yogurt.

Add through tube and pulse until dough comes together:

1 1/3 cups ice cold water

Let rest for 10 minutes.

Add 1 1⁄2 tsp table salt and 1 Tbsp EVOO

Spin for 30-60 seconds.

Put dough in oiled bowl.  If using immediately, let rise at room temp a while.  Otherwise, cover and refrigerate dough for 24 hours to 3 days.  Let dough warm slightly. Roll out or press out with hands on a pizza pan. Put toppings on and bake in a hot (400-450) degree oven until bottom is crisp and top is browned.