Basic Pizza Dough
1.5 C white flour $.15
1 C whole wheat flour $.15 (you can substitute all white flour if you don't have it)
1 C very warm water
.5 tsp salt
1 T olive oil
1 tsp each basil and oregano (or 2 tsp "Italian spice blend")
1 T sugar
2.5 tsp yeast (or one pre-measured yeast packett)
To Make:
- With a bread machine (dust it off if you have one - it's worth it for this dough!): Place the warm water in first, to warm the pan slightly. Then add the salt, sugar, and yeast. If you have fast acting yeast it's ok to add the remaining ingredients immediately and start the "dough" cycle. If not, you may want to let the yeast sit in the water for a minute or two until it begins to foam before adding the rest of the ingredients. Allow the machine to mix and then rest (one cycle - usually the dough setting has several cycles of mixing and resting). Check on the dough after 15 min or so of resting. When it has risen to twice it's size, it is ready to use. Turn off the machine and let it sit until you are ready to make the pizza.
- Without a bread machine: Place warm water in a mixing bowl (glass or pottery is better than metal in this case because it will hold the heat longer) and add salt, sugar, and yeast. Allow it to sit for a few minutes in a draft free place (the microwave works well, although you must be sure no one turns it on because you will nuke the yeast!) until it begins to get foamy on the surface. Add the spices, oil, and flour about .5 C at a time, combining the mixing with a flat backed spoon or spatula. When the dough gets too sticky and begins sticking to the spatula, wash your hands, powder them with flour, and combine the last bit of flour by hand. Knead a few minutes until there are no more dry or wet pockets. The dough should feel somewhat elastic and not be too sticky or flaky (adjust for each with tiny amounts of dry or wet ingredients as warranted). Cover the dough with plastic wrap or a damp (with warm water) kitchen towel and allow it to rise in a draft free place (in the winter I place mine on top of the preheating oven - the warmth is perfect for the yeast!).
Possible Pizza Toppings
The Classic
.5 C red sauce $.20
1 T white sugar
2 tsp minced garlic or 1tsp garlic powder
1/3 C each chopped peppers and onions (frozen is fine - you could also sub broccoli, black olives, or mushrooms for a small price difference) $.24
.5 C ground meat (cost is for turkey) $.45
1 C shredded cheese (any mix is fine as long as it has some mozzarella) $.73
Total Cost (including basic dough): $1.92
Servings: 4 (2 medium slices each)
Cost Per Serving: $.48
The Hawaiian
.5 C red sauce $.201 T white sugar
1/2 C diced onion (again, frozen is easiest) $.12
2/3 C canned pineapple rings, cut into pieces $.66
1/2 C slices of ham cut into strips (deli "ends" are the best for this, look for them in the case by the deli or ask an employee) $.33
1 C shredded cheese (any mix is fine as long as it has some mozzarella, but cheddar goes nicely with this pizza) $.73
Total Cost (including basic dough): $1.91
Servings: 4
Cost Per Serving: $.48
The Summer Pizza
.5 C red sauce $.20
1 T white sugar
2 tsp diced garlic OR 1 tsp garlic powder
1 medium sized RIPE tomato, sliced thin $.50
1 C assorted fresh veggies sliced thin (summer squash, zucchini, bell pepper, onion, broccoli, mushrooms - olives or artichoke hearts are great too) $.50
1 C shredded cheese (mozzarella mix) $.73
2 T Parmesan cheese $.09
Total Cost (including basic dough): $2.12
Servings: 4
Cost per Serving: $.53
Tips for Assembling the Pizza
- No matter what kind of pan you have (metal cookie sheet/pizza stone) you will want to grease the pan with olive oil first. I use a scrap of paper towel to do this, and then wipe my hands with the paper towel so they are greased for handling dough. Usually the dough is stretchy enough that I never use a rolling pin, I just gather it up into a ball and plop it in the center of the pizza stone, and then use the heel of my hand to press it out into a large circle.
- Always smooth the sauce on first, then sprinkle a little sugar on top. This is the key step that most people miss and can't figure out why their pizza doesn't taste like take out - the take out sauce is sweetened with high fructose corn syrup!
- Don't over do it on the toppings. Some toppings can overlap, but as a general rule you want no more than 1" thick of toppings (including cheese) before baking, or the pizza will come out soggy in the center and crunchy on the crust.
- I bake my pizzas at 350 degrees F for about 30 min - more if there are lots of raw toppings. The pizza is done when the cheese is bubbly and starting to brown, and the edges of the crust have been browned.
- Speaking of raw toppings - most recipes recommend cooking the toppings before hand. You can do that if you want, but I don't have the time! Basically, if the pieces are small enough they will cook along with the pizza - that includes raw meat, but for a 35min pizza, the meat needs to be in pieces smaller than a nickel and not too thick.
- Don't have the time or the patience for home made pizza dough? You're missing out, but there are some alternatives I have done in the past.
- Use bagels, open faced french bread, or even tortillas as your pizza dough! Note: For these you MUST cook the toppings beforehand, because they only cook until the cheese is melted.
Ok, that's enough of a novel for me. Try these and see if you don't get your take out pizza fix! (also - what a great racket to be in, making pizzas! The local place charges $14-$20 for a large pizza, depending on the toppings. I think I could top a homemade pizza with lobster and Fillet Mignon and not come close to that price!)
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