I love pizza!

In a previous post, I expounded upon my love for chili. I probably should have posted my love of pizza first. It really is my favorite food. What's not to like? All 5 food groups in one bite!

When making a pizza, adding the toppings seems to be the easy part. Although cheese can greatly influence your end product, I believe it's the crust that makes or breaks a pizza!

I read a recent article on CNN/Money that sparked my interest to improve upon the basic pizza crust recipe I'm currently using:

• 2 cups warm tap water (110-120° F)
  
• 2-1/4 tsp yeast (1 package)
  
• 1 tsp salt (times 2 if you like the taste of Pizza Hut crust)
  
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tb oil
• 3 cups flour (to start with)
• add pepper, garlic, onion powder, oregano, fennel seed, etc, to taste

If you're making a grocery list, add any or all of these to the list above:

• Pizza or spaghetti sauce
  
• Approx. one bag of shredded cheese per pizza (mozzarella or Italian 4-cheese)
  
• Breakfast or Italian sausage
• Pepperoni
• Olives
• Mushrooms
• Bacon
• Onion

Alternate toppings:

• Pineapple and ham
• BBQ sauce, chicken, green pepper and red onion
• Alfredo sauce, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, red onion
  

Back to the dough. There are quite a few dough recipes out there, including this and others. Whatever ingredients you end up with, here's how to combine them:

Combine the water and yeast together for 5 minutes or so until you see the yeast start to work. It will work itself up and get really foamy if you let it sit in warm water.

Note: Do not heat water above the boiling point. This can easily be done in the microwave as water heated in the microwave doesn't appear to be boiling EVEN THOUGH IT IS! There's a scientific term for this . . .it's called superheating, and it can be dangerous!

If you add yeast to boiling water, you'll kill it. When you cook your pizza, the toppings will brown but the dough will remain unleavened. It won't rise, and will stay raw even if you cook your pizza long enough to burn your pizza toppings. I found this out the hard way. Thanks to Chad and Allison for playing along!

Besides that one oversight, it's really not that difficult to make your own dough. Go ahead, give it a shot! After your yeast has had a chance to foam, add your foamy water to the rest of the ingredients listed above. I start mixing my dough in a bowl with a wooden spoon or stiff rubber spatula and, once the consistency gets thick enough so it's not sticking to everything, knead the dough the counter top (or a cutting board).

Be sure to sprinkle a layer of flour down before you do this or it'll turn into a sticky mess. Check out the previous kneading post from Wikipedia if you're not familiar with the process. Once the dough gets smooth and stretchy, it's time to let it sit. Or if you're not going to use all of it right away, now would be the time to put it in a freezer bag and throw in the freezer. This batch makes 2-13" pan-style pizzas, enough for 6 adults on average.

Like with pancakes and pancake batter, if you can let the dough sit for up to 30 minutes, your crust will turn out lighter and fluffier. Once the dough has risen, pull out a rolling pin and some cornmeal and roll it into a shape that will fit your pan.

Add toppings as desired and cook at 475 degrees for 10-12 minutes. I make my pizza on a pizza stone, which must be pre-heated with the oven to prevent it from cracking. If you're new to pizza stones, they're very easy to care for. Clean them by simply brushing off any residue. Do not use soap or your next pizza will taste like it!