To Each His (Or Her) Own

pizza

You pick the ingredients. We had onions, red, yellow, and green peppers and goat cheese on this one. Pepperoni & pineapple on another. The kids can pick their toppings & you can pick yours. Divide it up as many ways as you like. No extra charge. The crust is surprisingly simple, and I broke my pizza stone, so I just made the pizzas on 10X14 cookie sheets. Wanna try the recipe?

Pizza Crust

1 package (1/4 oz.) active dry yeast
1 c. warm water (110°-115°)
3 T. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/4 c. vegetable oil
2 c. flour (plus more for thickening & kneading)

Dissolve the yeast in a bowl with the cup of warm water. Stir in sugar, salt and oil. Add 2 cups of flour, stirring until smooth. Stir in about 1/2 c. more flour or enough to make the dough pull away from the side of the bowl & form a soft dough. Sprinkle some some flour onto the counter (or cutting board) & dump dough onto floured surface, kneading the dough until smooth and elastic, 5 minutes or so. Put 1-2 T. oil in bottom of bowl, just enough to lightly coat bottom of bowl. Put kneaded dough back into bowl, turning to coat. Cover and put in warm place while you prepare your toppings, about 15 minutes or so.

Doughmakers Cookie Sheet $9.95

Remove dough from bowl, stretching it and pressing it out to fill your greased pizza pan (I used a 10X14 cookie sheet), making a fringe for your edges.  Optional: I lightly sprinkled my greased pan with cornmeal.  The crust will double in thickness as it cooks, so if you use a smaller pan, you may want to divide the crust among a couple of pans.

Add sauce & desired toppings, then cook in 400° oven for about 25 minutes, until crust is lightly browned.