Homemade Pizza Crust

Busy! Busy! Busy!  That describes my household the past 2 weeks.  I haven't had the chance to sit down in front of the computer.  I've been pretty exhausted chasing after the kiddies since their summer holidays started!  

The children started their summer holidays at the end of June.  I'm not used to having all three at home everyday!  Hubby is also taking some time off work this month too.  So far, we have enjoyed spending our time together as a family:  in the garden, day trips, bike riding, going on walks, playing in the kiddie pool and picnic meals. 

Since we were spending the whole day at home, I decided to make homemade pizza with the kiddies' favourite toppings.  This is another recipe that I have been making for almost 10 years.  I love making bread and pizza dough but it does take a little time and planning.  To make things easier, I dumped all the ingredients into my bread machine on the "dough" setting in the late morning and by lunchtime, the pizza dough was ready to be baked.

Unfortunately, my bread machine stopped working properly during this batch. It was making grinding noises while mixing erratically.  Thank goodness, this recipe is very forgiving.  I have made this recipe by hand, mixer and bread machine with good results.  I am so disappointed that my bread machine only lasted 4 years!

I used 100% whole wheat bread flour this time.  It is also wonderful with all-purpose flour or a combination of whole wheat and all-purpose.  A very flexible recipe.  

I rolled out my crust as thin as I could.  Instead of the standard red tomato sauce, I used up an opened jar of roasted garlic alfredo sauce and mixed in some tomato paste.  Toppings were: ham sausage, pepperoni, red peppers, olives, fresh pineapple, sauteed veggies (spinach, onions and mushrooms), and 4-cheese Italian shredded cheese blend.  Baked in the oven at 450F for 15-18 min, depending on the thickness of the crust and toppings. 

Jay's Signature Pizza Crust

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour (I used whole wheat bread flour.  Can also use a combination of all-purpose and whole wheat flour too)

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast and brown sugar in the water, and let sit for 10 minutes.
Stir the salt and oil into the yeast solution. Mix in 2 1/2 cups of the flour.  (Instead, I dumped all the ingredients into the bread machine according to the manufacturer's directions on "Dough" setting).

Turn dough out onto a clean, well floured surface, and knead in more flour until the dough is no longer sticky. Place the dough into a well oiled bowl, and cover with a cloth. Let the dough rise until double; this should take about 1 hour. Punch down the dough, and form a tight ball. Allow the dough to relax for a minute before rolling out. Use for your favorite pizza recipe.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). (I baked mine at 450F).  If you are baking the dough on a pizza stone, you may place your toppings on the dough, and bake immediately. If you are baking your pizza in a pan, lightly oil the pan, and let the dough rise for 15 or 20 minutes before topping and baking it.

Bake pizza in preheated oven, until the cheese and crust are golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes.

- Adapted from Allrecipes.com: Jay's Signature Pizza Crust Recipe

Enjoy!

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