Homemade Pizza

We love pizza.  Just about any kind - pepperoni, supreme, BBQ chicken, chicken-spinach-tomato... doesn't matter.  We love it all!

Tonight we're having a homemade pepperoni, mushroom, black olive with a tomato sauce base. 

I broke into pizza making slowly, at first using the pre-made store bought crusts.  After I learn the basics of good bread making, it seemed only natural to make my own pizza crusts.

Little did I know, that homemade crust is far easier than most other baking!

My go-to recipe came from the Internet.  I'd site the source but I honestly don't know where I picked it up. 

Ingredients:

1 cup warm water (approx 110 degrees)

1 tablespoon white sugar

1 packet of dry yeast

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour (can mix in some whole wheat, but don't use more than half or your dough will be dry)

Directions:

1. Stir water, sugar, and yeast together until dissolved.  Add olive oil and salt.  Stir in flour until well blended.
2. Let dough rest for 10-15 minutes.  If it's cool in the house, cover with bowl with a towel to conserve the heat from the water.
3. Dip fingers in a little olive oil and pat dough into a pan, onto a pizza pan, or onto a pizza stone.
4. If desired, sprinkle dough with seasonings (I usually put a little garlic powder and some Italian seasonings on.  Top with your choice of toppings.
5. Bake for 15-20 minutes in a preheated 425 degree oven.

This pizza is just wonderful, and I love that you don't have to pre-cook it like a lot of pizza dough recipes!  The dough will make a large standard crust pizza, or a medium deep pan crust.  You can even divide it into two medium thin crusts - just adjust your time.

Once you've made homemade, you might as well throw out those take-out menus and use that freezer space for something else... because there is no going back!

Enjoy a slice for me!