Pizza Crust

If you are following along and ready to try your first bread recipe, I couldn't think of anything easier than pizza crust. No one is going to care what your pizza crust looks like once you've covered it with your toppings.  And if you are looking to stretch your grocery budget, replacing a weekly carry-out with your own homemade pizza would be one simple way to do it.

My mom made pizza every Saturday night for years and I can't even begin to imagine the hundreds of dollars (probably more like thousands with the crowd she was feeding) that she saved. Get your family hooked on homemade pizza and you might spoil them for anything else. 

Ed and I still talk about when we were dating and almost every Saturday night found us eating pizza at my parent's house before heading off for the evening. My family acted like they liked to have us around, it made a cheap date, and we knew we couldn't find better food anywhere else! (Though I'm not saying we never eat out! I've had some hectic days that Ed's words "I'm going to go pick up some stromboli at Brother's" were music to my ears!)

I put this recipe in one jelly roll pan OR divide it into two small round pizza pans. My family prefers a thicker crust but if you prefer a thinner crust, you can divide it into more pans.

Pizza Crust

1 cup warm water
1 T yeast
1 tsp honey (optional)

3 cup flour (white, whole wheat, or a combination)
3 T oil
1 tsp salt

In a bowl, mix the water, yeast and honey together.
Let sit for a few minutes until it just starts to bubble.
Add flour, oil, and salt. (I've added two tsp of Italian seasoning, just for fun!)
Stir well. You may need to use your hands to form a smooth ball of dough.
Rub a small amount of oil on your counter. Knead the dough for about five minutes. Place in oiled bowl and cover with a towel.
Allow to rise until the dough doubles in size (30-60 minutes). Turn onto an oiled counter. Cut dough into as many pieces as you wish. Allow dough to rest for a few minutes. (You can skip the rest period but it makes it easier to roll out.) Roll your dough until it is big enough for your pan or pans.
Cover with cloth and allow to rise until double.
Spread with sauce.
Sprinkle with desired toppings.

Bake at 425 degree oven for 15 minutes. Allow to sit for 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

I prefer to mix and knead pizza dough by hand. It is such a small amount of dough to get an electric mixer out. But if I double the recipe, I often use my mixer with a kneading hook. If you have a bread machine, you could stir and knead on the "dough cycle" - not the "bread cycle". At least that is what I've heard! I have no experience with bread machines.

The above directions are what I consider ideal. But what if you don't have much time? What if you woke up from a Sunday afternoon nap and are hungry for pizza? Or you just got back from a full Saturday of shopping and everyone is hungry now? Here is a couple other options that work quite well!

30 Minute Pizza
Mix up the ingredients as above. Knead dough. Immediately divide into desired portions. Roll out and place in pans. Spread with desired toppings. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Eat!

Make Ahead Pizza
(My friend, Melody shared this method with me. She often makes up her pizza Saturday morning, puts it in the fridge, then can clean up her kitchen for the day, knowing supper is ready!)
Mix. Knead. Roll out. Place toppings. - all as listed above. But instead of baking, cover with plastic wrap and place pizza in the refrigerator. When time to eat, remove pizza. Place in oven and bake.

Tomorrow I'll share some more variations on pizza. I'd love to hear your pizza making tips!