Pizza Dough: What A Pain In My ***

Do you ever have one of those moments in the kitchen, where you say to yourself... This is not going well. I had about seven of those this week.

I was on a mission to learn how to grill pizza. Everyone told me to just buy the dough from the store, but that's not my style.

I started with a pizza recipe that I found online. I mixed the flour and yeast in my stand mixer like the recipe called for. Then I added the warm water and... wait a second, a dough hook? I don't have one of those.

So much for reading the entire recipe first.

Hoping to salvage my dough and water mess, I "hooked" the dough by hand. The recipe said it should take about 10 minutes in the mixer and the dough should look smooth and elastic. My method went on for about 15 minutes and ended when my arms were tired.  I put the dough in the bowl, covered it and put it in the fridge. The recipe said it should double overnight.

First of all, this was taking way too long! I had to wait until the next day to enjoy my grilled pizza? This better be the best homemade grilled pizza ever!

The next morning, nothing. The dough was the same as I left it. Some blob that had been kneaded by hand and hadn't risen an inch.

In the trash it went.

I needed a new recipe. One that wasn't going to take 24 hours. I was getting hungry!

The second recipe was a little better. Put the yeast and water together. Add some flour. Put it on a floured surface and start kneading. Except the dough kept sticking to my hands. I mean, really sticky, like I just put my hands in a pot of honey.

I'm sure it needed more flour, but that's when everything went downhill.

With my hands covered in gooey dough, my toddler decides to open a container of bubble solution and spill it on the floor. Before I could even roll my eyes, my husband arrives home and the dog starts going crazy. My daughter tries to walk to the garage door, but keeps stepping in the bubble solution and falling on her butt - It was like watching an episode of The Three Stooges.  My husband walks in to find me covered in goop and the kid covered in slippery bubble solution and crying on the floor. Welcome home honey!

The good news was this batch of dough did what it was supposed to and doubled in size. A few hours later I was able to put in on the grill and topped it with fresh mozzarella, basil and tomatoes. The dough was a little thick and needed some salt or garlic oil or something, but it wasn't bad.

I'm going to attempt to make another batch soon, but I may also check out the stuff at the supermarket. I know it's not my style, but making that dough was... well, you know.