Cheese Pizza

We decided we may as well get pizza out of the way! We do eat pizza quite a bit and actually like this homemade pizza better than any we can get delivered. We add all kinds of things to the pizza but our favorite is still basic cheese. This recipe is originally from "Vegetarian Express Lane Cookbook" which I've made just some minor changes to. Kay can make this recipe almost completely by herself.

Crust:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 T sugar

2 1/4 tsp dry yeast

1 cup water, as hot as you can get it from your tap

Mix all dry ingredients together. Add the water and mix with a wooden spoon until it starts sticking together. Then knead it on a floured surface until it forms a smooth ball. Put the dough back in the bowl and cover it with a damp kitchen towel. Let sit in a warm place for anywhere from 30 minutes to 4 hours. The longer it sets, the better it tastes.

Sauce:

Nothing too fancy here. We use a canned pizza sauce and then just add 2 T brown sugar.

Cheese:

1 cup shredded cheddar

1 cup shredded mozzerella

1 cup shredded parmesan

2 tsp ground pepper

1 tsp Italian seasoning

Mix it all together

Preheat the oven to 500 F. Sprinkle cornmeal on the pan (we use a pizza stone). Spread the dough out evenly on the pan. Depending on the humidity in the air, this may take some patience. Top with the sauce and then the cheese. Bake for 8-10 minutes.

Kay: ***** I like this a lot. It is fun to make. I like to knead the dough. It gets all over my hands! It also taste really good. Everyone in my family likes it.

Mom: This really is a great recipe if you are trying to get your kids involved in cooking. It is almost impossible to mess up. I have a friend who makes the dough the night before and lets it rise slowly in the refrigerator overnight. I've never tried it but she has had good luck.