Pizza!

I am sure my family is no different from any other …. everyone loves pizza!

Anyone can bake a frozen pizza or pick up the phone and have one delivered, but what really makes a pizza great is making one from scratch!

Pizza Sauce

Ingredients:

1 (10 – 3/4 ounce) can tomato puree

1/4 cup water

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon olive oil

1/4 teaspoon lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon oregano

1/8 teaspoon basil

1/8 teaspoon thyme

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:

Combine ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat.

Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.

Pizza Dough

Ingredients:

1 (2-1/4 teaspoon) packet active dry yeast

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus additional for kneading and dredging

3/4 cup warm water (105-115 degrees)

1-1/2 teaspoons salt

1-1/2 teaspoons olive oil

Directions:

Stir together yeast, 1 tablespoon flour, and 1/4 cup warm water in a measuring cup and let stand until surface appears creamy, about 5 minutes. (If mixture does not appear creamy, discard and start over with new yeast.).

Stir together 1-1/4 cups flour and salt in a large bowl. Add yeast mixture, oil and remaining 1/2 cup warm water and stir until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour (about 1/2 cup) so dough comes away from sides of bowl. (The dough will be wetter than pizza dough you may have made.).

Knead dough on dry surface with lightly floured hands (reflour hands when dough becomes too sticky) until smooth, soft and elastic, about 8 minutes. Form into 1 ball and put on a lightly floured surface, and generously dust with flour.

Loosely cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm draft-free place until doubled in bulk, about 1 – 1/4 hours.

Carefully dredge dough in a bowl of flour to coat and transfer to dry work surface. Holding one edge of dough in the air with both hands and letting bottom touch work surface, carefully move hands around edge of dough (like turning a steering wheel), allowing weight of dough to stretch round to roughly 10 inches.