home-made pizza!

(click on image for a larger version)
Last Sunday (9/20), I hung out with my sisters and nieces and we made pizza for dinner! It was delicious! And, fresh, home-made pizza tastes 10x better than store-bought pizza. It only requires oven stones, a large non-stick surface area, and some good recipes. Below are some of the recipes we used:

Pizza dough: (makes 6 small pizzas)
1 1/2 cups of bread flour or all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 oz fresh yeast or 1 teaspoon of rapid rise yeast
note: if using fresh yeast, soak the yeast in 2 tbsp of warm water for
about 15 minutes and leave it in a warm place until it becomes
frothy.
1/2 cup of warm water
1 tablespoon of olive oil
margarine for greasing
a 14x10 inch baking tray or a 10 inch pizza pan

Directions:
1. Sift the flour and sald. Add the oil, yeast mixture and the warm water. Stir them well.
2. Continue stirring the mixture until you get a soft dough which doesn't stick to the sides of the bowl. Wash your hands.
3. Sprinkle flour onto a clean, dry work surface and knead the dough well until its smooth and stretchy. (When kneading, use the heels of both hands, or your knuckles, to push the dough away. Fold the dough in half and turn it around. Push it away from yo again. Continue folding, turning, and pushing until the dough feels smooth and stretchy.)
4. Dip a paper towel into some margarine and rub the sides and bottom of a large bowl to grease it. Put the dough into the bowl.
5. Cover the bowl with a plstic foodwrap. Put it in a warm place for about 45 minutes, or until it has risen to twice its size.
6. Turn your oven on to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and set the oven stone inside to pre-heat.
7. When the dough has risen, knead it again so that you burst all the large air bubbles in it. It won't take long.
8. Divide the dough into 4 parts and knead and shape into flat circular shapes.
9. Add the tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese and your choice of topping.
10. Bake the pizza on top of the oven stone for 12-14 minutes. Use a large spatula to handle the transfer of the uncooked pizza onto the oven stone surface.

Notes: a) the oven stone surface helps to create a crusty pizza. Do not wash them in soap at all. Allow them to cool down after using and store them in a cool place. b) To avoid sticking, sprinkle cornmeal onto the pan where you will create the pizza. Place the kneaded flat circular-shaped dough on it. Add your favorite toppings. Then slide the pizza into the over using a large spatula. You can make 2 pizzas at one time. The cornmeal helps the pizza from sticking to the pan. c) When taking the cooked pizza out, have another large pan ready. Place the cooked pizza onto it. Eat it while it's fresh and hot out of the oven!!

For the tomator sauce:
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 onion
1 clove of garlic
1 tablespoon of tomato puree
14 1/2 oz. can of chopped tomatoes
1 level teaspoon of sugar
1 level tablespoon of fresh basil, chopped
salt and ground black pepper

Topppings:
Mozzarella cheese
pepperoni
green peppers
onions
mushroom
sausage (maple flavored)
chicken (white meat)
olives
pineapple
zucchini

We had a lot of fun, even though it was a lot of work! Above are some pics of our pizza night! Try making pizza at home, you'll love it! And, you won't want to order a pizza from outside ever again! And, don't wash the oven stones in soap water. Just let it cool down, and use it again next time. Home-made pizza parties are the best! At least once in your life, tell someone that you've made your own pizza and loved it! ;-)