Make Your Own Pizza

Hey friends! I apologize for not posting the Honey-Lime Chicken Enchiladas last night. We had a crazy busy labor day spending time with the kids! I am still learning the most efficient way to do things as I go and so to save you guys some time I am going to post all the recipes for the 3 week rotation in a Document that you can download and print. That way it is all set to go for you...then each day I will have a custom recipe card and possibly a tutorial depending on the difficulty of the recipe. Let me know what you guys think and if this will help save you any time, or if you would just prefer me to post the recipe of the day each day. By doing it the other way, I can also post fun additional recipes...so in my opinion, it's a win/win :) Okay I wanted to get this recipe for the pizza up and running. I like to make my own pizza crusts...however you are more than welcome to do store bought...but really, don't let yeast scare you! This recipe is super easy and I use it for both the pizza and the breadsticks on the side. I just use one recipe and use half for our pizzas and half for the breadsticks but you may need two depending on the size of your family. The half I use for pizza I divide into 4 pieces (I usually make 2 of them a little smaller since my kids are not big eaters) and my kids, husband and I each get our own ball of dough to roll into a circle. We then put any toppings on it that we want. You can use pizza sauce, or tomato sauce mixed with italian seasoning...but my favorite because I don't like red sauce, is to just brush my crust with a little olive oil (Light Tasting), Italian Seasoning and spices and sprinkle with mozzarella, green onions, and tomatoes. Yum!! Again, do whatever you like!

Pizza Bread Dough and Breadsticks

Originally from Favorite Family Recipes

1 1/2 C warm water (not hot)

2 T. sugar

1 T. yeast

3 1/2 C. flour

1 tsp. salt

Mix the warm water, sugar, and yeast in a bowl and let sit for 5 min. Add the flour and salt and mix in your mixer until smooth, this can take 5 minutes or so. Let raise for 10 minutes for breadsticks and 15 for pizza. My friend Andrea gave me a good tip that I love to use when letting your bread rise. Preheat your oven to 350 for 1 minute...then turn off again. Put your dough in there to let it rise for 10 minutes...the warmth helps it to rise faster. If you are making the pizza, just pull it out at the 15 min. mark and you are ready to roll out and spread on your toppings. Let raise for about 10 minutes and spread crust with butter mixture to keep moist. Then bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until crust starts getting a golden brown. Remember to keep checking...sometimes ovens vary and you don't want your crust crispy :) If you are doing breadsticks, read on below.

Roll out dough into a large square on floured surface. Don't worry about it being perfect ;) Brush with melted butter mixed with minced garlic and then sprinkle with kosher salt. Kosher salt is amazing, but if you don't have it no need to fear, just sprinkle it with a little salt. Fold in half and cut into 1-inch strips while it's folded in half. Now take each one-inch strip and twist...these are just like Pizza Factory Breadsticks. Place on greased cooking sheet and brush with butter/garlic mixture. Let rise for 15-20 minutes. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately after baking, brush with butter mixture again and then sprinkle with kosher salt and finely grated parmesan cheese. Again just keep watching your bread until golden brown :)

There you have it! You are done! Let me know if you have any questions but I will post pictures tonight! ENJOY!

- Kristin