Combine the flour, cornmeal, salt, and yeast in the bowl of your stand mixer. Add in the warm water and the melted butter. I like to mix the water and butter together first so that I just have to temp one bowl. It's important they are not too hot, or they will kill your yeast.
3 ½ cups all-purpose flour, ½ cup yellow cornmeal, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 pkg yeast (2 ¼ tbsp), 1 ¼ cups warm water (100-110 degrees), ½ cup butter, ¼ cup melted and ¼ cup softened
Using your dough hook attachment, stir the ingredients on low speed for about 5 minutes, or until the dough is soft and begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. The dough should feel soft and squishy. Add a tablespoon of water if it feels hard, or a tablespoon of flour if the dough is sticky, and knead to incorporate.
Put a small amount of olive oil in a large bowl. Place the pizza dough in a ball inside the bowl, and turn to coat all over with the oil. Cover and let rise for 1-2 hours, until it doubles in size. This should be in an area that is away from any drafts.
olive oil for coating
Once the flour has doubled, turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Punch down the dough to remove any air bubbles and roll into a large 15x12-inch rectangle.
Spread ¼ cup of softened butter over the top of the rectangle. Roll the shortest side up to make a dough log. Cut the log in half. Form each log into a ball and place back into our greased bowl. Cover with foil and place in the refrigerator for one hour.
½ cup butter, ¼ cup melted and ¼ cup softened
Pizza Sauce
While the pizza is rising in the refrigerator, place melt remaining butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Saute garlic for 1 minute, until fragrant, being careful not to burn the garlic.
2 tablespoon butter, 4 garlic cloves, minced
Add crushed tomato, salt, oregano, red pepper flakes, and basil. Once it begins to bubble, cover, and turn heat to medium-low. Simmer for 30 minutes, or until it is thick and hearty, stirring occasionally.
1 can crushed tomatoes, 28 ounces, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, 6 large fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped
After 30 minutes, remove lid. If the sauce is thick and heart then it is ready to use. If it is thin, continue cooking until it thickens. Taste and adjust seasonings, if desired.
Assembling the Pizza
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease two 9" cake pans with cooking spray.
Remove one roll of dough from the refrigerator, leaving the other one in the bowl. Roll it out a 12" circle. Place over the cake pan and using your fingers, press the dough into the pan being careful to remove any air pockets so that it is pressing tightly against the pan. Repeat with the second dough. Brush the top edges with olive oil
Layer mozzarella cheese slices over dough, using half for each pizza. Top with cooked sausage. Pour 1 ¼ cups of sauce over each pizza. Sprinkle ¼ cup of Parmesan cheese over the top of each pizza.
¾ lb mozzarella cheese, sliced or shredded, ¾ lb Italian sausage, sliced and cooked, ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
Place the cake pans on top of a large baking sheet to catch any spills. Bake 20-28 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.
Remove pizzas and cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then serve.
Nutrition
Calories: 933kcal
The nutritional facts provided are only estimates. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.