Friday, June 5, 2009

Three Cheers for Homemade Pizza!

Jenna and I love to make homemade pizza together, and she's quite the little helper. Because we enjoy pizza so much (and it's fast!), I've put together three different pizza recipes here. The sauce and toppings are the same for each recipe. Just pick the crust that matches your taste and time frame. The recipes are in order based on the time it takes to make them, longest to shortest. Happy eating!
My mom's pizza crust 

2 c. warm water
2 T. yeast
2 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. oil
4 c. flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Sprinkle sugar on after o
ne minute. Allow to sit for about 5 minutes, or until bubbles form. Add remaining ingredients. Roll out into two rectangles, and place on cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Allow dough to rise about 15 minutes. Add sauce, cheese, and desired toppings. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes. This dough also makes good breadsticks.

For a crispy crust that's easy, and my favorite actually, I use Rhodes Rolls.  Just follow the directions on the bag.  When the rolls have risen (usually about 3 hours) flatten them with your hands until they reach the desired thickness.  We like thin crust pizzas the best, so we stretched the dough 6-8 inches across.  Place sauce (Prego is my favorite), cheese, and toppings on top of crust, and bake at 400 for 10-15 minutes.  


Cooking Time: 20 minutes, start to finish
Ingredients:
4 pitas
1 sm. can tomato sauce
Italian seasoning
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Cheese
Your favorite pizza toppings—pepperoni, olives, mushrooms, peppers, pineapple, ham, etc.

Instructions:
Spray cookie sheets with cooking spray, and place pita bread on trays. Season tomato sauce with Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and onion powder. Spread ¼ of sauce on each pita bread. Sprinkle with cheese and other toppings. Bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes, or until cheese is melted and pita bread is lightly browned.
Serves 4