Pizza!

Since I am Gluten-Free I don’t usually eat pizza. Kinnickinnick brand makes an outstanding gluten-free crust that even gluten eaters will love. But making your own crust is also terribly easy (see recipe below, not gluten free). And making your own pizza at home is not only healthier, and cheaper, but fun. Everyone can make their own to suit. I did want to share with you all my tricks of the homemade pizza trade.

1. No matter what crust you use always pre-cook it especially if you make your own from scratch. With Kinnickinnick I put the frozen crust in the oven while it pre-heats and that seems to be enough.

2. Don’t use pre-made spaghetti sauce or tomato sauce. Instead get a can of tomato paste. In a mixing bowl combine equal parts of paste and water, add oregano, garlic powder, and salt to taste. Stir till smooth and use liberally. Also makes a great dipping sauce for crust, cheesy bread or breadsticks.

3. Always slice watery vegetables (peppers, mushrooms) thin, and use conservatively or your pizza will be soggy. And if you want crisp pepperoni put it on the very top.

4. I've had great results with combining shredded (low moisture part skim)mozerella, olive oil, oregano, salt, and pressed garlic. It's also great to pick up and eat so hopefully there'll be some left for the pizza. Of course whole-milk mozerella is amazing as well, but Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack if you like it spicy works really well.

5. And lastly, I am revealing to you a 6 topping combination that creates the best pizza you have ever eaten. 2 friends and I came up with this combination while trying to agree on a common pizza ground when ordering delivery. I have since made this pizza at home and was told by my dad that this may have been the best pizza he’s ever eaten. *Pepperoni, Sausage, pickled Jalapeno Pepper rings, pickled Banana Pepper rings, Mushrooms, and Green Olives* Of course personal tastes vary.

This is the most recent pizza dough we've been using with great success.  The recipe comes from Mother Earth News  February/March 2012 issue.

7 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 Tablespoon yeast
1 Tablespoon salt
3 1/2 cups warm water

This is a very sticky dough.  Makes 3 large crusts or 6 small.  We often take 1/3 of the dough right to the pizza pan, grease and let it rise on the pan before spreading it out and letting it rise again.  Sometimes I spread it out right away and let it rise just the once for about 30 minutes.  The rest of the dough will keep for up to 2 weeks, and gets a wonderfully tangy flavor the longer it stays in the fridge.

To bake, preheat the oven to 400, bake the crust for about 10 minutes prior to topping, then an additional 15-20 minutes with the toppings-till the cheese gets slightly brown and bubbly.

Otherwise, for one crust:

2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup of warm water