January 18, 2011

Homemade Pizza ~ Crust and All!


"Easy as pie"...
or so the saying goes!
More on that another day perhaps.

But for today...
I want to share with you my favourite
pizza crust recipe.

Do you ever buy the premade crusts
for ease of operation
and fuss-free preparation?

Have you ever added a frozen pizza
to your cart at the grocery store?
If so, this post is for you.

Don't feel bad...I've done it too!
But, it isn't necessary...
this pizza recipe is ~

Oh. So. Easy.

Pizza Crust ~
from scratch.
Quick and painless...
I promise! :)


One thing I like about this dough is it's quick.
Really, it is!
The secret is in the yeast.
This recipe calls for *instant* yeast,
and doesn't require a *rising* time ~
you just let it *rest* for ten minutes
before rolling it out.

P.E.R.F.E.C.T.I.O.N.

It's a great place to begin if you've never made bread.
Won't you give it a try?
Please?


~ The Recipe ~
~ Dough for One Pizza ~
FYI ~ I make two large pans (double this recipe)
for our family of six
**Recipe courtesy of my Sister-in-Love**

2 Cups flour (divided)
1 Tbsp Instant Yeast
1/4 tsp Sea Salt
1 Tbsp Sugar
3/4 cup Warm Water

Mix together 1 cup flour,
yeast, salt and sugar
in a large bowl.
Stir in water.
Knead in as much of the remaining 1 cup of flour
as is needed to make a soft and not too sticky dough.
This will take about 5 minutes of kneading.
Let rest on counter for 10 minutes.
Roll dough out to fit your pizza pan,
use a light dusting of flour on the counter to keep
the dough from sticking.
Press into prepared pan.
(I use parchment paper,
but if you don't have it, grease the pan)

Just a little note ~ I don't have pizza pans,
I use cookie sheets...
they work just fine. :)

Once your pizza is assembled,
you bake it for 20 to 25 minutes at 400* F ~
Let rest in pan for 5 minutes before cutting.

Now...how to assemble a pizza?
This is the fun part!
Almost anything goes.


Make it simple or make it fancy.
Pizza is very versatile.


Gather together your toppings.
Mozzarella cheese ~ shredded, of course.
Pizza Sauce or some sort of tomato base.
Pineapple tidbits ~ drained.
Sliced pepperoni or other pizza meat
(You can even use scramble fried
ground beef with chopped onions)
Chopped red, green or yellow peppers
Italian Seasoning for garnishing

Other ideas ~
chopped sun-dried tomatoes,
chopped artichoke hearts (really!),
chopped onions,
chopped jalpeno peppers (for some kick),
etc....


The trick to get a soggy-less pizza is to not overdo the toppings.
Ask me how I know. LOL!

Spread a very thin layer of your pizza sauce on the unbaked crust.
Layer the meat over the sauce.
Sprinkle a handful of chopped ingredients over top ~
if you are using pineapple, do NOT put it on yet!
Sprinkle a large handful of mozzarella cheese over all.
Pineapple tidbits (well drained) if you are using them,
would go on now...on top of the cheese.
Sprinkle with Italian seasoning (if desired).

Bake as indicated above.
Slice and enjoy!


17 comments:

Hopes Handcrafts said...

yummmmmm...We looove homemade pizza..it is the BEST!! :-)

Lady Farmer said...

Thanks, Camille! I have been wanting to make my own pizza crust for a long time. This is just the push I needed! I love pizza!
I will have to purchase some *instant* yeast though. This sounds easy enough ~ I wonder why I never tried before?
:~D

Camille said...

Julze ~ Oh...I am so glad that you do too! Yippee!! :)

Raeann ~ That was the one ingredient I needed too...funny hey? :) This dough really is easy and relatively quick...I hope you enjoy your pizza!

Many Blessings,
Camille

His bondservant said...

Camille,

I have been making my own pizza crust for years...but I will occasionally revert back to take-out on those difficult days!!! Yours looks yummy...and I do like the fact that there is not much waiting for rise time. That is certainly a time saver.
Thanks for sharing,
Jackie

Make a Joyful Noise all ye Lands said...

Hello Camille,
Sounds like a fun, "Friday Family Meal." For dessert your wonderful brownies which we have made two times already..

Love and thanks for sharing your recipes... We enjoy them. Just made a chicken pot pie with your recipe for cream of soups. No more canned cream of chicken ect. for this household. The food tastes so much better and healthier for us...

God Bless,
Virginia

Wanting What I Have said...

We LOVE some homemade pizza! I have a very similar crust recipe, but it calls for corn meal - which gives it a fun texture. And the toppings...oh my. Yummy! (I'm hungry right now!) Looks DELISH!!! :)

Camille said...

Jackie ~ Oh, I still do *take-out* and *frozen* occasionally too, but it is less tempting when this is so much better. :)

Virginia ~ I am *so* glad you enjoy the recipes!! Your pot pie sounds terrific...yaaay for healthier ways of doing things. :)

Jennifer ~ Your recipe sounds yummy too...are you going to share it?? ;-)

Have a wondeful week!
In His Love,
Camille

Heather said...

You make everything sound so easy :)
THIS, I can do! Looks amazing!

Cinnamon said...

That LOOKS delicious and sounds yummy yummy!!

I love your recipes and how you encourage others to 'give it a try'....so sweet!

~Cinnamon

Jill said...

Yummy!
Thank you soooo much for this recipe! Most i find from scratch include egg somewhere and I was so happy to see this one did not! I love homemade breads, nothing like the fresh taste, so now I have one to make for Kathleen. Thank you!
Blessings,
Jill

Camille said...

Heather ~ Yes, you CAN!!! I hope your family enjoys it...they will think you are wonderful (even more than usual)! :)

Cinnamon ~ Thank you for your sweet comments...they always warm my heart. :)

Jill ~ How fun that this works for your girl...that's great! I'm sure she will be thrilled to have pizza made by Mommy! :)

Many blessings,
Camille

Intentional Living Homestead said...

This sounds divine. We have pizza night every second Friday...this is something i have to try.

Oh and BTW: there is nothing wrong with soup LOL...But I figure if my kids eat the same soup for six days in a row...they might really enjoy their food and show gratitude more when it's something else. And appreciate even the simpliest of meals.

Blessings,

Connie

Unknown said...

I just finished eating home made pizza! My crust recipe is very similar to yours! SO YUMMY!

Camille said...

Connie ~ LOL...soup day after day of the same variety will definitely get the message across! But, I really wouldn't mind that...I *love* soup. I do hope you give this pizza a try...it really is easy...enjoy! :)

Jenn ~ Yaay for the homemade pizza Moms!! Have a great weekend! :)

Many blessings,
Camille

Trisha said...

Camille,
I LOVE making homemade pizza! I do mine in the bread machine and it includes garlic and onion seasoning and cornmeal. It actually reminds me of the Pizza Hut crust. Oh, so yummy! The sauce I make includes lavender tea. I don't know that it makes any difference, but I do love that sauce. :)

I'd love to make pizzas with you!

Cheesemakin' Mamma said...

Sometimes I forget how easy pizza easy. I just whip up my dough in the bread machine and slice all my goodies in my food processor. I don't know why I don't do it more often! We love pizza. I'm definitely going to have to put pizza down on my meal plan for next week. Thanks for the inspiration!

Camille said...

Trisha ~ Oh yummy...I'd *love* to have your recipes...they sound wonderful!! Maybe a blog post in the future?? Hint...hint. ;-) When would you like to connect for a pizza bake-fest? :)

Jackie ~ How fun that you are inspired! Even easier with those great kitchen gadgets!! Enjoy! Have a wonderful weekend. :)

Many blessings,
Camille