Pizza Night

Monday is our "pizza night".  It's homemade and delicious!  I make 2 large pizzas to feed our family.  

 

I start by using the bread machine to make the pizza dough.  There are other ways to make dough, none are difficult, but I'm used to using the bread machine. After the dough finishes, I dump it onto the counter, work it a little to get some of the air bubbles out, and divide it into two balls. 

 

Next, the balls are rolled into large "rounds" to fit the pizza pans.  Yes, I use a rolling pin.  Yes, I know that the understanding is that "authentic" Italian pizza is tossed, not rolled.  I would ask, "Is pizza really Italian?  Tomatoes come from the Americas..."  Food for thought.  😉 The pizza pans are greased and ready for the crust dough.  One pan has holes in it for air-flow.  I find that pan has a softer crust than the pan without holes.  

Once the crusts are on the pans, it's time to top!  First, I make pizza sauce. The recipe is from an old magazine, Molly Green.  Apparently, it's still around, but I can't find the pizza sauce recipe.  ( https://mollygreen.com ) I combine all the sauce ingredients in a bowl and spread on the crusts.

The next toppings are whatever you want.  We like cheese (8 oz. per pizza), pepperoni (I have a little helper placing the pepperoni on the pizza), fresh peppers (the peppers in the bag are fresh peppers that were cut, bagged, and frozen for later use), mushrooms (jarred or fresh), and mild pickled banana peppers.  One of the pizzas is missing toppings on one slice because the youngest can't chew all the toppings yet.

 

 

After all the toppings are on, it's time to bake!  Both pans fit in the oven at the same time by putting one on the top shelf and one on the bottom shelf, both shelves near the center of the oven.  425*F for 18 min.  When done, remove, let cool, and enjoy!

 

 

 

Homemade pizza is fun and tasty!  If you can't make your own crust, you can purchase a ready made crust and top with your desired toppings.  It's still going to be so much better than pizza from a box.  😀  You can customize each slice if you want!  Home cooking doesn't have to be scary or intense.  Enjoy your time cooking and get creative.