Gimme Pizza!

Because so many people asked me to, I have started this blog to share my exciting recipes and things.  Please leave comments, let me know if you liked the recipes, let me know if you didn't, let me know if you want me to post a specific recipe or want me to invent one just for you.  I love cooking almost as much as I love writing and singing... so this is probably more of a treat for me than for you!  If you're in the DFW area and want me to cater an event/recital/dinner--whatever you need I'll do it for the cost of ingredients and labor (aka I'll do it for cheap).

Tonight is a lazy night for me... It's been a long week and the thought of cooking an exquisite meal for dinner is really just... exhausting.  So tonight--pizza.  Yes, I'm a college kid so this has always been an easy go-to meal, but ordering out for pizza gets expensive really fast if you want something that doesn't taste like cardboard.

So I came up with this recipe to make my life easier, to save money, and make the pizza worth eating.  The best part of it is that I can normally get a huge amount of homework done while the dough rises and while the pizza cooks.  This makes a pizza that's large enough for me to feed myself, my fiance, and two male friends (all who have big appetites.)

The Dough:

Bread is really what got me into cooking at first--AND IT'S NOT THAT HARD TO DO... plus it tastes better.

For this dough you'll need:

3-4 cups of all-purpose flour (depends on the humidity)
1 tbsp of yeast
1.5 cups of warm water (straight from the sink is fine)
1/2 a tsp of salt
1 tbsp of sugar
Garlic Salt

1.  Combine the warm water, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl and let it stand for about 10 minutes.  The yeast will become frothy.  After 10 minutes add the salt and stir all the ingredients together.  Here's where it gets a little different than most pizza dough recipes.  Without a little garlic salt in the mix the dough gets really bland tasting.  I add a small sprinkle of garlic salt across the the top of the water and then stir it in with the other ingredients.

2.  Add in the flour--I prefer to do it half a cup at a time to make sure that they the ingredients get mixed in evenly and that way you can gauge the consistency of the dough.  I normally use about 3.5 cups of flour--but it really does depend.  While the dough is still sliquid-y I stir it with a spoon but once it gets denser it is vital that you knead it for about 10 minutes.  Dough will get stuck to your hands--no matter WHAT anyone else says, it will.  It's fine.  Let it build up so that it doesn't continue to re-stick, scrape off what you can and wash off the rest in the sink.  The dough should still be a little sticky to the touch but be firm like playdough.

 3.  Cover the dough with a towel or paper towel and allow it to rise for 45 minutes.

4.  After 45 minutes sprinkle the counter with flour and put some flour on your rolling pin.  If you don't have a rolling pin a sturdy plastic or glass cup will work, it will just take a bit longer.  Roll the dough out as thin or thick as you like it and place it on a pizza pan or a cookie sheet (whatever you have).  I use a pizza pan I got at kroger for $8 and it makes all the difference in the crispy-ness.




5.  I sprinkle a little bit of garlic salt across the top of the dough and pat it in the dough lightly.



The Pizza Sauce:

I'm going to give you guys the recipe I use for my pizza sauce when I want to make it from scratch but I'm going to be honest with you--Sometimes I don't feel like making it from scratch.  I like to use Hunt's Four Cheese Pasta Sauce when I'm in a hurry.

For the sauce you'll need:
2 cans of Italian tomatoes(diced or whole)-drained (comment if you want a fresh tomato recipe and I'll add it.)

Crushed Red Pepper
Salt
Pepper

Minced Garlic
Parmesan cheese (yes the kraft kind is fine)

1. Put the tomatoes in a food processor/blender until it is the thickness you prefer.  Only pulse it a few times if you want it to be chunky, etc.  
2. Add salt and pepper to taste.  (You can also add Italian seasonings such as oregano etc)
3. Put the minced garlic in a skillet and let it simmer for about 15-20 seconds before adding the tomato mixture--cook on low heat until warm.
4. Now here's a trick you want to keep in your back pocket for future sauce excursions--crushed red pepper and Parmesan fix everything.  The biggest problem with sauces is that they taste too tomato-y.  If you like it that way-cool.  I don't.  So instead of adding garlic salt and making it too salty you add Parmesan and crushed red pepper.  I normally add more red pepper than anything else because I like the spice, but that's just me.
5. When the sauce is to your liking allow it to cool.

The Toppings:

This part is easy (and obvious).  The best cheese I've found is kroger brand "pizza" cheese... who'da thunk it?  It cooks just like cheese from a real pizza joint.  I use a whole bag, but that's really up to you.  Then add whatever else you like on it--I'm just a pepperoni girl... sometimes I add jalapenos. :P

To Cook:

Put the sauce on the uncooked dough followed by your favorite toppings.

Preheat the oven to 425 and cook the pizza for 20-25 minutes... viola! Homemade pizza. :)

Enjoy!
-Kait