Easy Pizza from Scratch (Dinner - Day 9)

This by far has been my most gratifying recipe to date, well, next to my Tequila Lime Chicken - but that's for another day.

Tonight we were supposed to have Taco Soup, with chicken. I really thought I was ahead of the game by cooking double portions of chicken last night. This afternoon, when I got ready to cook, the chicken was no where to be found. On my hunt for the lost chicken my 14 year old sheepishly admitted to throwing it away last night. Argh! This would have been a perfect time to open up a box of macaroni and throw on some hot dogs and call it a night. Why didn't I, you ask? Because due to this little experiment there are no boxes of macaroni or hot dogs to be found. Great. Fantastic. This little challenge is all fine and dandy when you're prepared for it, but what about when your plans get blown?

Since I already had 2 cans of diced tomatoes ready and waiting for the taco soup I thought, what the hay I'll try my hand at spaghetti sauce again. We just had that last week though, and I really hate repeating dinners. I mean, really HATE it.

So, the next option was pizza sauce.

Since I invested in a 5 lb bag of flour I assumed I was halfway there for the ingredients to make a crust. So that's just what I did. And might I say, it turned out great.

I used this recipe for sauce and I used this recipe for the crust.

I should mention that with the sauce I just pureed my two cans of tomatoes, rather than use the paste and such it called for. I followed all the other directions exactly. The sauce was so good I ended up having to shoo my big girls out of the kitchen because they were eating it straight out of the pot.

I also followed the crust recipe exactly. The crust doesn't need yeast, which was a must for me since I'm scared of yeast. Truly, there's something wrong with it. It creeps me out. Which is why I'll probably never make my own bread. Even though it did not have yeast in it, the baking powder still makes it rise nice and thick.

Method to the Madness
1. Make sauce and crust per recipes

2. Place the dough in the middle of a well greased pan or on a pizza stone, work from the middle and push towards the outside with your finger.

3. After the dough is the right thickness for you put it in the oven.

4. Bake at 400 degrees for around 20 minutes. You want the dough to lose the shiny-ness.

5. Spread sauce evenly over dough. Sprinkle with your favorite toppings.

6. Put back in the oven and heat until cheese melts.

Our toppings: Italian sausage, 1 c mozzarella cheese, and 1 c cheddar cheese (I made a second pizza and put Frank's hot wing sauce on it- it is the best pizza ever!)


I think everyone should try this at least once. It was that good.

Recipes
(in case you didn't follow the links)

Sauce:

• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
• 1 (29 ounce) can tomato puree
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, saute garlic in oil until tender. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until sauce reaches desired thickness. Use in Deep-Dish Sausage Pizza, Tomato Artichoke Chicken or any recipe that calls for pizza sauce. Sauce may be refrigerated for up to 1 week.

Crust:

2 1/2 c. flour
2 3/4 tsp. baking powder (if using baking soda use half and omit salt)
1 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. oil
3/4 to 1 c. water

Mix dry ingredients. add 3/4 cup water and oil. Stir until it forms a ball. If dough is stiff, add more water.

The dough will be soft, not sticky. Knead on a floured surface for 3-4 minutes.

Bake at 400°F for 15-25 minutes.