It's not delivery, it's....Val's homemade pizza

We've been having a lot of pizza lately.  Unfortunately most of it has been pizza hut.  Tonight however, was not pizza hut and it was much, much, better.  It was likely much healthier for us too!

I've been making my own pizza since my mom gave me her old (like older than me) bread machine a few years ago.  It was a good starter machine.  I had fun exploring the world of dough and bread making with that old thing.   Since then I've been upgraded (thanks Mom in law!) to a shiny new cuisinart breadmaker.  It works like a dream and does a million different things.  Of course, a dough setting isn't that exciting, but it's always a plus when you get to throw ingredients into something and have perfect pizza dough pop out an hour and a half later.  I love that I don't have to watch it or transfer anything and there's a lot less to clean up.  Anyways, enough of my bread machine info-mercial.  Here's the recipe for a fantastic pizza.

Pizza Dough

(adapted from cuisinart bread maker recipe book)

1 1/2 cups warm water

1tsp honey

2tsp salt

2tbsp butter

2 1/2 c all purpose flour

1 1/2 c whole wheat flour

1tbsp Italian seasoning

2 1/4 tsp yeast

1.Throw that into a breadmaker on that dough setting. 

2.  At the end of the cycle punch down dough and shape into a flattened ball. 

Let it rest for 10 minutes before shaping into a pizza round. 

3.  Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.



(If you don't have a breadmaker mix together water, yeast and honey until frothy, then add all the ingredients and knead with a dough hook until smooth.  Place into an oiled bowl, cover and let rise in a warm area until doubled in bulk.  Then follow the rest of the instructions.)

**Oh yes, I forgot to mention.  This recipe makes a super thick crust.  If you don't like thick crust pizza's cut it in half, or just pinch off half and use the rest of the dough to make some foccacia or freeze it for next time!  I pinched off a bit and made a mini foccacia tonight.

Pizza sauce
(from my own wacky experiments)



Yikes, the flash makes it look almost neon.  I promise it's not radioactive!



1 small can of tomato paste

2 cloves of garlic minced

2 tsp oregano

2 tsp Italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste

1.  Mix it all up then spread it all over your pizza dough!

Pizza Toppings!!

• Cheese - we use the Trader Joe's "Quattro formaggio".  It's a blend of Parmesan, Asiago, Fontina and provolone cheese.  I know, it's non-traditional.  No mozzarella!!  Sometimes I go for the fresh mozzarella, that gives it a nice fresh/ more straight from Italy sort of feeling.

• Meat - I usually go with chicken apple sausage, because we usually have that laying around in our freezer.  On the odd occasion I'll cook up some chicken thighs because Jon is weird and likes chicken on his pizza.  More often than not I'll make pizza on Friday and we'll go with veggie pizza.  Oh and if you've never tried smoked oysters on pizza, you haven't lived.  Try to find ones that aren't a product of China.  I always feel safer when canned things don't come from China.
• Veggies! - tonight we had onions, spinach, red pepper, and mushrooms.  If I could only find organic artichokes in water, we'd have that.  Sometimes I'll throw on some organic black olives too.  Yum!

Once your pizza is assembled throw it into the oven and bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees until the crust is golden brown and your cheese is melted.  If you don't have a pizza stone and you like your pizza more crunchy on the bottom take the pizza out of the pan and put it directly on the oven rack at around 10-12 minutes.  Enjoy!

Eat your heart out Papa whoever big pizza chain! 

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Dear Heavenly Father,

  Thank you for the gift of pizza.  Many youth groups and other Church activities center around this food item.  Please bless all those groups and help them grow fruit for you and our Church.  Bless the youth ministers and all the teenagers who have to swim against the current of our culture to follow you.  Amen.