Ramekins cooking class

Bill and I had a great time celebrating his birthday with a cooking class at Ramekins in Sonoma.  Not cheap, but for a 3 hour extravaganza of food, beer, and socializing, it was well worth it.  Especially since Bill will now be cooking pizza for me with some frequency - we learned how to make the dough (easy!) and grill it on a gas outdoor grill - delicious.  He'll also be adding grilled salad to his repertoire.  Grilled salad, really?  Yup.  Pretty flammable but adds an intense, smoky flavor to a classic caesar.  If you're looking for a really special event in the Sonoma area, Ramekins really did make for a fun evening.

Pizza Dough:

2 cups warm water

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon dry yeast

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon salt

6 tablespoons olive oil

1 and ¼ pounds bread flour

Toppings:

Fresh mozzarella

Tomatoes

Arugula pesto

To Do:

Mix yeast, water, sugar in mixer bowl.  Dissolve yeast and sugar.  Let rest for 10 minutes.  Then with dough hook and mixer on low, add salt, olive oil, and slowly flour.  Add flour just until dough comes away from side of bowl.  Dough will be wet and sticky.  Knead for 10 min at high speed.  Remove from bowl, knead by hand until smooth.  Put in greased bowl, let rise until doubled.  Punch down then divide into 8 balls and rise 30 minutes more.  Oil grill rack, put grill on med-high heat.