Homemade Pizza

I've come across a great way for my kids to help w/ dinner; give them an opportunity to choose what they want to eat, and yet know that they are still getting their veggies. Once a week , typically, we will have homemade pizza. I received the recipe for the pizza dough from a friend in KS several years ago. It is so easy, and can be pre-made into small pizza dough rounds, and frozen until ready to use. I make each of my kids 2 small personal sized pizza dough rounds, and than Dave and I a bigger pizza. Each kid "decorates" their own pizza, putting on the things that they like! They love this! It makes them feel soooo BIG! I love it because it allows us to spend time together in the kitchen, making supper.

Pizza Dough

makes 2 large thin crusts

2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast ( 1 envelope)

1 c warm (75*-85*) water

2 tsp oil

2 1/2 - 3 c flour

1/2 tsp salt

additional oil

Dissolve yeast in water. Let stand for 5 minutes. Add oil and salt, mix well. Add 2 1/2 cups flour; stir well. If dough is too sticky, add additional flour. If dough is too dry, add water, 1 tsp at a time, until dough is "tacky". Knead dough on lightly floured surface, until smooth. Divide dough in desired # of pizzas. Roll dough into desired thickness and shape. You may allow the dough to rise or go ahead and add toppings to it to bake. Brush top of crust w/ oil before adding toppings. Spoon sauce onto dough, sprinkle w/ small amount of cheese (this helps the toppings keep from slipping of the dough when you take a bit of the pizza), and proceed to add your favorites to the pizza. Bake at 450* for 15 - 20 minutes. For thicker crusts, pre-bake the crust for about 5 minutes before you add any toppings. (If you are going to freeze the pizza dough rounds, spray appropriately sized pieces of foil w/ Pam, place dough on foil, spray top of dough w/ additional Pam, and top w/ another piece of foil. I make a stack of about 5, set them in the freezer for a couple of hours, and than transfer the stack of frozen dough to a Ziploc bag to store them. When ready to bake, remove from freezer,let thaw for 30 min, and continue as normal.)

Some of our favorite toppings include: cooked sliced meatballs, ground sausage,pepperoni, finely chopped spinach, mushrooms, onions, peppers, olives, bacon, cooked sliced chicken, fresh basil, & mixed cheeses.