At least once a week our family, like most, enjoys a good pizza or two or three.  Our long standing family favorite has been 1/2 Hawaiian and 1/2 Pepperoni with Black Olive.  My personal favorite is Hawaiian Calzone. 

Thanks to some great inspiration and instruction from our friend Steve Bangos, we have started making our own homemade pizza once again.  After years of struggling to create a delicious pizza dough that was easy to work with and hand-toss, we have finally achieved good consistent results, with our Alaska Frontier Pizza, innovative like the people of the Alaskan Frontier.

Here's the recipe, or methodology, so give it a try!

Ingredients:

4 cups bread flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp dry yeast
{Mix or sift.  We use a cuisinart.}

1 Tbsp melted butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
3/4 cup Kenai River Brewing's "Honeymoon Hefeweizen" Beer
1/4 cup milk
3/4 cup hot water
1/2 tsp salt
1 heaping Tbsp sugar
{Mix in this order, striving to achieve a mixture in the end that is between 90-93 degrees F}

Preparation:

Pour liquid ingredients slowly into mixer (we use a Cuisinart), allowing flour mixture to absorb the moisture gradually.  If needed, add more flour until dough forms ball.  Knead.  Place in a large bowl, lightly greased with olive oil, cover with wrap.  Allow dough to rise for 4 hours or so.  Cut & divide dough into at least 3 round balls and place the 3 dough balls on a baking sheet, covered with plastic wrap, not allowing dough balls to touch each other (that would be bad, eh!).  Place in refrigerator for at least one day before forming into pizza crusts.  Stretch & toss dough using more bread flour on a counter or cutting board.  Get messy.  Stretch using the tops of your fists, counter pulling the dough, toss in the air just for fun, trying to catch it before it hits the floor of your cabin.

We prepare our pizzas on a wooden pizza peel dusted with corn meal to allow them to slide into the oven on a pizza stone preheated to 450°.  The hot oven and pizza stone ensure a nice crispy crust and a cooking time of 8-10 minutes depending on the thickness of your pizza and type of toppings.

Top with your favorite ingredients or stuff & fold in half for Calzone!  Bon Appetito!

Try some of these combinations when you don't know what to make.  Our list is always growing, with our newest creations at the top of the list and some photos below!

• Chicken Bacon Ranch:  Seared chicken breast with cooked bacon, buttermilk ranch dressing, mozzarella & colby cheese.
• Philly Cheesesteak Calzone: sauteed venison, moose, or caribou, onions, peppers, mozzarella & parmesan cheese.
• Alaska Smoked Salmon Pizza: smoked salmon, capers, onions, and cream cheese.
• Alaska Italiano Pizza:  Pan seared Halibut, mozzarella, parmesan, and marinara.
• Caesar Veggie Pizza:  Artichoke hearts, red/yellow/orange peppers, mushrooms, and caesar dressing with parmesan and provolone.
• New York Deli Pizza:  Venison pastrami, sauerkraut, sauteed onions & peppers, mozzarella, and chipotle mustard.
• Oktoberfest Pizza:  Moose bratwurst, beer sauteed onions, horseradish sauce, egg, mustard, and swiss cheese.
• Hawaiian Luau Pizza or Calzone:  Seared chicken, teriyaki sauce, pineapple, canadian bacon, mozzarella & cheddar cheese.
• BBQ Chicken Pizza: BBQ sauce, grilled chicken, provolone cheese, sweet onions, topped with fresh shredded cabbage..
• Swiss Raclette Pizza:  Grated Raclette cheese, sliced boiled new potatoes, raclette spices or coarse ground black pepper.