Easy Pizza

Sometime you have to splurge! I love making this recipe, especially when we have friends over, because it is easy to make, and can be really fun an interactive. The main thing is to get the dough out of the day, since it needs some time to rise - but other than that, the recipe takes no time at all.

Ingredients:

Dough

4 cups of good quality flour-you can use whole wheat or regular

2 tea spoons of salt

2 tea spoons of sugar

2 cups of warm water

2 tea spoons of yeast

Prep time 15-20 minutes

Sauce:

½ a can of high quality canned tomatoes (I like the Italian brands from the Italian stores, because I can really taste the quality difference in the ripeness of the tomatoes)

As much cheese as you want-I usually use whatever is on hand-either a mozzarella or a mix

Other topics:

You can add things like olives, tuna, corn, anchovies, etc.- really the sky is the limit here…

Preparation:

I use a Kitchenaid mixer to do the prep work, but you can also do this by hand, it might take a few minutes longer, but it is doable.

In a large bowl add the flour, sugar, and salt.

In a separate container measure 2 cups of warm water. Make sure that the water it warm, but not boiling, about 30 c. Then add the yeast, and let it rise for 10-15 minutes. The yeast should form bubbles on the top of the water. If it hasn’t then it could be that the yeast is old, or that the water is too cold. It is crucial that you use fresh yeast, otherwise, the recipe will not turn out well. if the water is colder, the yeast will take a bit longer to rise.

After the foam has formed, add the water slowly into the flour mixture, until it forms into a ball. If you are doing it by hand, then knit it into a ball.

And you are done! Now all that is done is to let the dough rise. I usually make this in the morning, so I can go about my day. If you are making it in a hurry, let it rise for at least 1-2 hours in a warm place.

Once the dough has doubled its size, then you want to get the air out by punching the dough down. Split the dough into smaller portion of sizes you prefer. Then roll it out into the thickness you would like. Open the can of tomatoes, and blend with a hand blender (you can also add some Italian seasoning and salt). Then spread as much sauce as you like, add toppings and as much, or as little cheese as you want, and pop into the oven at 400F for 20-35 or until the cheese is melted and the crust is golden brown.

time to rise, but other than that, the recipeno time at all.

#Pizza #vegetarian