Pizza! Pizza!

One of my absolute favorite things to make has to be pizza.  It is my go-to dish when I'm not sure what to make for dinner.  I think pizza to be such a versatile dish ~ you can have thin crust, thick crust, deep dish, with red sauce, white sauce, no sauce, and on and on and on.... The choice of toppings are only limited by my own imagination.

Pizza is also great any time of day!  I was recently at a restaurant that served Breakfast Pizza complete with eggs and bacon on top.  My son said it was delicious!

Tonight's pizza will have sausage, Portabella mushrooms, red bell peppers and mozzarella cheese.

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Pizza


For the Crust:
1 package Active Dry Yeast (Fast-Rising is fine as well)
1 cup warm tap water (110 to 115 degrees)
1/2 teaspoon Sugar
1 teaspoon Salt
3 cups Flour
2 tablespoons Olive Oil

Directions for Crust


1.  In a bowl, pour the warm water and sprinkle in the yeast and sugar.  Stir gently with a fork, then set aside for 5 minutes.


Note:  After 5 minutes, the yeast should have activated, and it should have created a foam on top.  If the yeast did not rise, discard and start over.  

2.  In the bowl of a stand mixer (fitted with the paddle attachment), combine yeast, salt, flour and olive oil.  Mix on slow until dough comes away from the sides of the bowl.

3.  Change to the dough hook attachment and knead on low for 5 minutes.

4.  Lightly oil a bowl, roll the ball of dough around the bowl to coat it.  Seal with plastic wrap and set aside.


Directions for homemade Sauce


Note:  Other options for sauce: store bought pizza sauce, spaghetti sauce, barbecue sauce, or sliced tomatoes. 


Ingredients

1 -14.5 ounce can diced Tomatoes
1 teaspoon Oregano or Basil (or 1/2 tsp. of each)
1-2 Garlic cloves, peeled, crushed and minced
Salt and Pepper to taste

1.  In a heavy sauce pan, on medium heat, bring to a bubble, stirring to mix all the ingredients.

2.  Turn the heat to low, and simmer.  Using a fork, crush the tomatoes.  Cook for 15-20 minutes.

Note:  If you prefer a smooth sauce, use an immersion blender and puree, or put sauce in a blender and puree to desired consistency.


Prepare Pizza Toppings


Cook any meats (3-4 slices of Bacon or 1/2 lb. of Sausage) and cut up all vegetables (mushrooms, red bell pepper).  Shred 2-3 cups of mozzarella cheese.  


For a "Make Your Own Pizza Party", place all the prepared ingredients in bowls so guests can easily choose their desired toppings.

The dough should have risen nicely by now.  This dough recipe will yield one large 15-18 inch pizza or 4 individual-sized pizzas.

1.  Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

2.  Press and roll dough into desired size.

3.  Add sauce, meats and veggies, then top with cheese.  Lightly drizzle with olive oil.

Note:  Using a pizza stone set in the lowest rack in the oven, will yield a nice crispy crust.

4.  Bake for 15 minutes or until the crust is golden and the top is bubbly.

Enjoy!

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