The first holiday party I attended was, appropriately scheduled on the first day of December-my official start date for the winter holiday season. The guest list was filled with families with small children, so the host decided to cater to the appetites of the attending majority and make it a pizza making party.
Everyone who came to the party, brought a pizza topping, a children's book for the kid's book exchange, and a chocolate or beer themed item for the adult gift exchange.
Jeanette, the hostess, supplied the essential pizza ingredients: red sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, and lots of wonderful pizza dough- you've got to try it.
Jeanette's Pizza Hut Pizza Crust
1 c lukewarm (105-110) water
1 pkg yeast
1 T sugar
1 T oil
1 tsp salt
Mix
yeast in water. Add rest in order given. Add 2 c flour, beat till
smooth. Add ½ c more flour until stiff. Let rise a few minutes. Roll
out in round and pinch edges to hold fillings. Fill with toppings.
Sprinkle 1 tsp cornmeal on pizza peel, stone or pan.
Bake 15-20 minutes at 450 degrees.
Party goers made several pizzas with a variety of toppings cooked in Jeanette's double-decker oven, on "pizza peels." Several pizza peels were involved,other guests brought their own. I had never heard of a pizza peel before but, as soon as I saw one, I recognized it from the many pizza parlors I have dined at. Pizza peels, a.k.a bread paddle or bakers shovel, look like big wooden cutting board that act as a pizza pan, with a long handle to keep your hands away from the heat when you slide it in the oven.
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Pizza on a peel, also known as a bread paddle or baker's shovel - (
quezi.com
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Everyone left the party full and happy, carrying new books, chocolates, or a bottle of holiday ale, along with news and memories to carry through the New Year. The first holiday party of the year will be a hard one to top.
