Pizza. Pizza.

Wednesday night I made pizza for dinner.  Pizza is probably one of my favorite things to make... maybe because its one of my favorite things to eat.. but also because there are so many different ways you can make it.  I have made it so many times..trying different dough and sauce recipes and then few months ago I made a combination that we really liked so I stuck with it.  I'm sure I'll start experimenting with it again in the future but for now I'm happy with this recipe.
For the dough.. I use this recipe in my bread machine that I found in my Better Homes and Gardens "Biggest Book of Bread Machine Recipes".
for the 1 1/2 lb dough- which I get two good size pizzas from-
1 cup water
4 teaspoons olive oil
3 cups bread flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
- add all ingredients to machine according to manufacturer's directions and select dough cycle.  When cycle is complete, remove dough.  Punch down.  Cover and let rest for 10 min.


For thin-crust pizzas-
-Grease two 11 or 12 inch pizza pans or large baking sheets, sprinkle with yellow cornmeal, set aside.  Divide the dough in half.  On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion into a 12 to 13 inch circle.  Transfer to the prepared pans building up edges to make crust. prick crust with fork.. do not let rise.  Bake in a 425 oven for 10- 12 minutes or until light brown.  Add desired toppings.  Bake for 10 - 15 minutes more until edges of crust are golden brown and toppings are bubbly. 


For think-crust pizzas-
-Follow the same directions except cover and let the dough rise on the pan for about 30- 45 minutes or until nearly doubled.  Bake in 375 oven for 20- 25 min until light brown.  Add toppings.  Bake 10 - 15 min more until edges are golden brown and toppings are bubbly.

I have tried so many different homemade sauces and although they were all pretty good .. I never found one I loved.  One day, when in a rush, I decided to just use Natures promise Organic traditional pasta sauce.  Yummm.. this worked pretty good.. so that's what I have been using since then.

I usually don't add meat to either pizza, since I try to do a few vegetarian meals a week. This is an easy one to use where no one really misses the meat.

I always use a combination of provolone, mozzarella and Parmesan and then whatever other toppings I have on hand or whatever were in the mood for.

This pizza I made a veggie pizza.  I topped it with Sliced zucchini, bell peppers, and onions.. I also added spinach on one side for the kiddos (to sneak in some extra vitamins).



This pizza I made like a margherita-style pizza.  I simmer olive oil in a sauce pan with fresh basil, dried oregano and minced fresh garlic.  Then I spread the seasoned olive oil on the pizza in place on the sauce, sprinkle on the cheese and top with sliced tomatoes, diced scallions and fresh basil leaves.

Both are SOOO good. Sometimes we like these even better than take-out pizza which is great because they are organic, less- greasy and such much better for the kids growing tummies!!