Pizza Experiment #5

In which I have decided to try and punch the living daylights out of our taste buds.

#4 was an improvement over #3... but still, the crust was too too bland.
Kris has twice suggested now that I do a garlic butter brushing onto the edges of the crust.  I am trying hard to develop a recipe that does not require that added step, because dammit- the rest of this is effort enough without me having to go and make yummy garlic butter as well.  (Not to mention the additional dishes THAT would make.. we don't have a dishwasher dammit!)

Changes this time are that I doubled the "salt," added another half teaspoon of garlic, removed the rosemary, and replaced it with balsamic vinegar.  Also, I picked up some "Better for Bread" flour, and am using that for the first time tonight.  (I've been using All Purpose until now) And the final change is that I noticed after the pizza had been in the oven for 9 minutes, that the oven was set to 450 instead of 425.  Shock horror!

Pizza Experiment #5

1/2 – 3/4 c. warm water
1 T. dry active yeast
1 t. brown sugar (for the yeast)
2 c. flour
1 T. Olive Oil
1 T. Balsamic Vinegar (its called experiment for a reason folks!)
2 t.  Russell's Original Spice Blend (or Salt- though probably a little less salt)
1.5 t. chopped Garlic (I use the freeze dried stuff)
1 T. Corn Meal

1. Combine 1/4 c. water with yeast and sugar. Stir to dissolve the yeast, set aside until bubbly (about 5 minutes)
2. Mix flour, salt, garlic, then add the oil, and the balsamic vinegar
3. Preheat the oven at 450˚
4. Stir the yeast mixture into the flour mixture, adding water until it forms a ball you can work with. Knead for a few minutes until doughy.  Cover with cloth and let stand for 10 minutes.
5. Dust parchment paper with the corn meal, and spread the dough out on parchment.  
6. Add desired toppings.
7. Slide the pizza onto the pizza stone using the parchment for a smooth transition.
8. Bake at 425˚ for around 10 minutes- until cheese is just turning golden. 

RESULTS:
Well... finally the crust had some flavor!  But, the crust was ridiculously hard to cut, and was at times unpleasant to chew.  I am going to assume that was due to the accidental higher temperature, though it could be the new flour.

Kris's review remains a steady "good, but nothing exceptional."   After getting that review, the follow up questions revealed that he was unaware that I had made the dough from scratch... which led to a "it was better than last time" praise.  Improvements none the less.