a little random (creative) blog: October 2014

Hello everybody!

The other night I decided to make homemade pizza! Yummy...

Me and my family make homemade pizza about once a month, so I decided I would share it with y'all today. I love pizza, it's super yummy, so why not make it yourself? I'm actually eating a leftover piece as I'm writing this!

Pizza Dough

Ingredients

3 cups all purpose flour
1 packet of active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon olive or vegetable oil (divided into one tablespoon and 1 teaspoon)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Directions

Pour the packet of yeast into the warm water.

Stir the water until the yeast has dissolved, then let it set until you see bubbles at the top.

Pour the yeast mixture into a large mixing bowl.

Add the flour,

and one tablespoon of oil,
and salt and stir.

Now, knead the dough into a ball.

Lightly flour your counter top or flat, clean surface where you are going to knead your dough some more.

Place the dough onto the counter and knead some more, into a smooth, round ball.

Pour the other teaspoon of oil into another large mixing bowl.

Place the ball of dough into the bowl, and roll it around in the dough, coating it with oil.

Place a cloth over the bowl with the dough and put it in a warm, dry place for 1 hour to rise. I usually put it outside, and make my dog stay in the house so she won't eat it!

Pizza

Ingredients

Pizza dough
Marinara sauce
Shredded mozzarella cheese
Shredded parmesan cheese
Optional-
Pepperoni
Ham
Sausage
Spinach
Onion
Jalapeno
Bell peppers
Tomatoes
Pineapple...
the list for options goes on and on. It's up to you how you want to make your pizza!

Once the dough has risen, bring it back inside and place it on your lightly floured surface. We made three personal pizzas, so I divided it into three equal pieces. It would probably make one giant pizza,
two small pizzas, and four mini personal pizzas. Also, preheat the oven 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Take one section of the pizza and knead it into a ball.

Lightly flour your hands and a rolling pin (so it doesn't stick to the dough) and roll out the dough.

Once it is rolled out, I like to take a butter knife and cut around mine to make it a perfect circle, but it doesn't really matter. Tastes good either way. I used the extras I cut off to make my dog's super mini pizza!

Now for the fun part! Transfer your pizza to a lightly floured baking sheet. enough flour to make it stick, but not to much to where the bottom of the pizza is floury when you eat it...

Drop a few spoonfuls of sauce onto your pizza and rub around evenly with the back of your spoon.

Some people add their toppings on next, but I do it the "normal" way.
Next, take your shredded mozzarella, and sprinkle it thickly all over the pizza.

Now take your parmesan, and sprinkle it on the pizza, lightly-ish this time.

Now if you're going to add pepperoni or some toppings, now is the time. Just place the toppings wherever you want on your pizza!

Now you put it in the oven for 9-12 minutes. And about halfway through, I take it off the pan and put it on the wire rack.

Take it out of the oven when the bottom of the crust looks done.