Recipe of the Week

Pizza with the Kids


Easy Pizza Crust

Ingredients

  • 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
  • 1 teaspoon white sugar
  • 1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
  • 2 1/2 cups bread flour
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). In a medium bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
  2. Stir in flour, salt and oil. Beat until smooth. Let rest for 5 minutes.
  3. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat or roll into a round. Transfer crust to a lightly greased pizza pan or baker's peel dusted with cornmeal. Spread with desired toppings and bake in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Let baked pizza cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Topping Ideas

Spinach - I know what you're thinking, "They won't eat that!"  But I've found that if I put it on under the cheese, they hardly notice it is there!  You can also steam, puree and add it to the sauce! 

Chicken - Use up cooked chicken or get one of those Rotisserie roasted chickens...maybe use a white sauce or BBQ sauce instead of the traditional tomato sauce...so good.

Green Olives - I loathe those canned black olives that have no flavor.  Try introducing your kids to proper olives with really zesty flavor!  Mine really love green Manzanilla olives!

Tomatoes - Thinly sliced, right on top of the cheese, these get all dried out and really flavorful.

Bacon - A little goes a long way.  I chop it up and cook it a little ahead.  Then I put it on the top.  It adds a great bite of smoky flavor without a lot of extra fat...just don't go overboard!

Chorizo - This is a Mexican sausage that packs a ton of flavor and can be used like bacon.  Warning:  Once you have this, you might become addicted! 

Garlic - I'm a HUGE garlic lover.  I thinly slice it and scatter it over the cheese.  It gets a wonderful roasted sweet flavor, and my kids actually love it, too!

Arugula - This peppery green can be dressed and added to the top of any pizza after you cook it.  It sort of makes it like a sandwich.  Trust me, it is yummy!

Cheese - I try to mix it up and add hard flavorful cheeses with the traditional Mozzarella.  This is my daughter's favorite part to do!  

My favorite pizza is with bacon, spinach and Fontina.  It is such a fantastic combination!
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