Pizza!

Pizza has become one of my favorite things to make.  Not anything fancy, we like it simple.  I like it simple, Phil will take whatever I throw on top of it.  Caelyn likes just cheese, which makes her pretty easy to please.  I make pizza a lot of Wednesdays because it doesn't take very long to prepare or cook.

I like to make the dough the night before and pull it out of the fridge about 1 1/2 before it is time to cook.  This lets the dough rise slowly overnight and finish up on the countertop.  I adapted my recipe from the Pioneer Woman.  In her cookbook she says that you can make the dough up to 3 days before or freeze it for up to 6 months.  I don't have the foresight to make the dough 3 days ahead, the night before is about as good as it gets.

Here is my recipe for 2 crusts:

1 1/2 cups warm water
1 tsp yeast
4 cups flour
1 tsp sugar
3 tsp salt
1/3 cup olive oil

Pour the warm water into a bowl and sprinkle the yeast over top of the water.  Let it sit while you are mixing the rest of the ingredients.

Add the flour, sugar, and salt to your mixer bowl.

Using the dough attachment, turn your mixer on low and slowly add the olive oil until just combined.

Next, stir the water and yeast mixture.  Turn the mixer on low and slowly add the yeast and water.  Mix until the dough forms a ball.

Add a little olive oil to a mixing bowl and place the dough inside the bowl.

If making ahead, cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator

If using "immediately", cover with a damp dish towel in a warm spot and let rise 1-2 hours.

The pizza itself can be as plain or fancy as you want it.  I make my own crust, but then use mostly pre-packaged toppings.  I know that makes no sense, but for right now it is what works.  For dinner last night I made one pepperoni and one mushroom (fresh, that I sauteed myself).

Now for the assembly and baking portion:

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
Stretch out or roll out your dough on a rimless baking pan or pizza stone.
Add toppings and cheese.
Bake 10-12 minutes on a lower shelf until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbly.

It may not be a good last minute recipe, but it sure beats paying for delivery.