Homemade Pizza

Pizza is a big deal in our family.  We eat pizza once a week.  It's my hubby's & son's favorite food.  When we lived in town we would just order pizza or grab a take-and-bake.  But living in the country has changed this habit & I have had to learn how to make tasty pizza from scratch.  I have been searching & altering pizza dough & sauce recipes for a couple of years now.  I finally have a recipe that I love & don't alter any more.  Here's the scoop:

Pizza Dough
A great pizza crust is most of the battle when making homemade pizza.  If you don't have a good crust folks just plain won't like it.  Here is my most favorite crust.  It bakes up light & fluffy with a crusty outer layer.  It is flavorful & the perfect foundation for a yummy pizza.  Plus, it's easy to make & requires no kneading
 Ingredients
(makes 2 large pizzas)

1 teaspoon active dry yeast

1 1/2 cups warm water

1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon sugar

4 cups flour

1/3 cup olive oil

Directions

Pour yeast into the warm water (make sure it's warm & not hot, hot water will kill the yeast) & stir once, set aside.  In a bowl combine flour, salt, garlic powder, sugar (sugar is "food" for the yeast, so make sure to stick it in there).  Drizzle in olive oil & mix until just combined.  Slowly pour in the water yest mixture & stir until dough forms into a ball.  In a seperate bowl pour in a little olive oil & spread around with your hand until entire bowl is coated.  Place the pizza dough ball into the oiled bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap & set in a warm place for 1-2 hours to rise.

This is how the dough compares from when you make it until it has fully risen.

Once dough has risen preheat the oven to 550 degrees.  On a large baking sheet drizzle a little olive oil & then spread around with your hands to coat the entire surface.  Do not wash your hands & pick up half of the pizza dough and set in the middle of the baking sheet.  Using your hands gently spread the dough around until it is at your desired shape & size.  If you like thick crust spread it around accordingly, if you like thin crust do likewise.  The crust will not look like it came from Pizza Hut, which is perfect.  You want it to look authentic & homemade.  As you spread the dough around you may want to add a little more olive oil to the top to help it from not sticking to your hands.

Now spread a little (not too much, nobody likes soggy pizza) pizza sauce on the top to within 3/4 inch of the edge.  Then cover with your favorite toppings.  Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes & enjoy immediately!

Homemade pizza is  quick & easy dinner.  You could even make the dough in the morning & set it in the fridge to rise all day so that when it's dinner time all you have to do is assemble.  It's also fun to make individual pizzas & experiment with toppings.  Or try using pesto as the sauce... the possibilities are endless.

Pizza Sauce

This is so easy you'll cry.  The best part about making your own sauce is switching up the flavor to meet your preferences.

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil

2 garlic cloves minced

1 can tomato sauce (15oz)

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 teaspoon Brown Sugar

Italian Seasoning to taste

Directions

In a saucepan over medium heat mix olive oil & garlic.  Cook a few minutes until garlic starts to sizzle.  Turn heat down to medium-low.  Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, brown sugar, & Italian seasoning to your liking.  Cook on low for about 10 minutes stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat.  You can now either use the sauce immediately or stick it in the fridge to use later. This will make enough sauce for about 3-4 pizzas.  Freeze left overs for later use.

Wheat Crust

Omit 1 cup of white flour & in it's place add 3/4 cup wheat flour.  This still keeps your crust light & fluffy but adds the whole grains we all need.  If you like a denser crust you could experiment with adding more wheat flour.

Tomato, Basil, & Goat Cheese Pizza

My new favorite creation is my Tomato, Basil, & Goat Cheese Pizza.  I make it on wheat crust (instructions below) & it is actually really healthy.  Coarsely chop the basil & goat cheese so there are large chunks.  Thinly slice the tomato into large circles.  Sprinkle mozzarella cheese all over the top so there is a nice layer but not a huge amount of cheese.  Arrange tomatoes and goat cheese on top of the mozzarella.  Bake in the oven as directed above.  About 1 minute from being done sprinkle on the basil & top with just a small amount more of mozzarella to hold everything together.  Enjoy at once.  The lightness of the tomatoes & basil mixed with the richness & creaminess of the goat cheese is like heaven.