Pizza Dough

My nephew Sam and I made some great pizza at my parent's house over Labor Day weekend.

Homemade pizza is easy to make and can be very healthy if you choose your toppings wisely.

Instead of the standard tomato sauce, we topped ours with oven roasted cherry tomatoes from my dad's garden.

We also added roasted onions and zucchini, mini peppers, mozzarella cheese, seasoned ground beef and a pesto sauce we made from baby spinach, garlic, olive oil and cashews.

Precooking our veggies enhanced the flavor and removed a lot of liquid from them. No one wants soggy pizza.

For our pizza making session my dad had special pizza flour for us to use from Pendleton Flour Mills. He bought it at Cash 'n' Carry and I do think it made a difference. The crust was crispy and chewy like pizza should be but it's not necessary. Unbleached flour works well too.

Here's the recipe:

Pizza Dough
(makes one large or two medium sized pizzas)

1 1/4 cup water
1 package active dry yeast
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 to 4 cups unbleached flour

Pour 1/4 cup of warm water into a small bowl and add the yeast and sugar. Let the mixture set until the yeast is bubbly.

Pour the yeast mixture into a large bowl and add the remaining 1 cup of water. Add the salt and olive oil.

Add the flour 1 cup at a time until a soft dough forms. Knead for 5 to 7 minutes, adding additional flour as necessary.

Put the dough back into the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise for 1 hour.

To assemble:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Drizzle a little olive oil on a sheetpan and press the dough into a large round. A little olive oil on your hands helps keep the dough from sticking.

Add your toppings and bake for 12 to 20 minutes or until the pizza is golden brown.

Let the pizza rest for 3 to 5 minutes before slicing.