My kids LOVE pizza. Don't all kids? I think it's in a kid's DNA, along with Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. I think I've made homemade pizza twice a month for the last oh I don't know, 2 to 3 years. That's a lot of pizza making. We've gone through a handful of pizza sauces and pizza dough recipes. Some have been successes and some have received the comment of, "You don't ever have to use this recipe again." But the recipes I'm sharing with you in this posting our, our favorites! Colby loves this tomato sauce so much he said I should use it as a spaghetti sauce and in our lasagna. I think I'll give it a try! And we all loved this dough. I especially loved this dough because all I needed to make it was a bowl and my hands! No electric mixer or mixing bowl required! High Five! I love my Bosch and all but sometimes a girl just wants one day's break from having to clean that thing. And from now on - pizza day will be that one day's break.
The adult's version with fresh mozzarella chunks (I love fresh mozzarella balls!), basil and grated Parmesan cheese.
The kid's version with freshly shredded mozzarella and nothing else.
Homemade Pizza Dough
Yield: 2 medium pizzas
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups warm water
3 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups all-purpose flour, unbleached
Directions
Pour the water into a large bowl and add instant yeast. Whisk in the sugar, oil and salt. Gradually add the flour and stir until a sticky dough forms. I end up stir it with my hands the last little bit.
Spray another large bowl with non-stick cooking spray. Place the dough inside the bowl and cover with lightly greased plastic wrap. Allow to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place a baking stone in the oven and allow it to heat up for about 30 minutes. (There have been times when I haven't had 30 minutes to let the stone warm up and the pizza still turned out fine.) Turn dough onto a little greased surface and gently knead for 1 minute. Form into a ball and let it rest, covered for 10 minutes.
Place dough onto lightly greased parchment paper and starting in the center and working outwards, use your fingertips to press the dough into a 1/2-inch thick circle. You can make the crust a little fatter if you'd like a lip. Transfer parchment paper with the flattened dough to a pizza peel or baking sheet. Poke holes in the dough with a fork all around the circle then brush a little olive oil on top. Add your sauce and any toppings you would like. Slide the parchment paper with the dough off the peel and onto the baking stone in the oven. Bake for 10 minutes, until the crust and cheese are golden.
Favorite Tomato Sauce
Yield: 3 cups - About 4 medium pizzas
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dried basil (1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds or until it turns lightly golden and fragrant. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, vinegar, basil, oregano, salt and pepper flakes. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce should thicken slightly.
Allow sauce to cool before placing any leftovers in a tupperware and storing in the refrigerator or placing in a freezer bag and freezing. Any leftovers in the refrigerator should stay good for up to one week. So if you make pizza every Friday (I know lots of people do Pizza Friday's) you shouldn't have to freeze it.
Recipe Source:
Tomato Sauce: My favorite Runner's Cookbook.
Pizza Dough: adapted from bellyfull.net
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