Yummy Pizza Dough.

Last week, I decided to make homemade pizza for the first time. I had always been intimidated by the thought of making my own dough, but it really isn't that hard. Above are my second (no pictures of the first, it wasn't nearly as pretty :-p) and third (mini pizzas I made for church last night) rather successful attempts. oh, and here's the recipe for that dough :)

You will need:

-2 1/2 -3 c Bread Flour
-1 packet (2 1/4 tsp) Fast Rise Yeast
-1/2 tsp salt
-2 Tbsp sugar
-2 Tbsp oil
-1 cup very warm water
-cornmeal (to dust pizza pan)

1. Preheat oven to 450*. Mix 1 cup flour, yeast, salt, and sugar in a large mixing bowl.
2. Add water and oil, stir with a fork until mixture is fully incorporated. (you could use a mixer if you want, but it's just as quick and a fork is easier to clean than the mixer blades, I promise :-p)
3. Add the remaining flour and mix by hand. When dough has formed, place on floured surface and knead for 5-10 minutes.
4. Cover dough with plastic wrap or a clean dish towel and let it rise (If you want to make it exactly like I did, sing the song with the same name as you wait :-p) for 10 minutes.
5. Form dough into 1 large (1 batch of dough makes the one above on the rectangular stone), or two medium sized pies. The dough WILL rise as it bakes, so don't worry if it seems a little thin. 6. Poke with a fork in a few places, and let it sit for another 10 minutes.
7. Bake for 5 minutes, then remove from oven and top as desired (I used mushrooms, bell peppers, and red onions), then return to oven for 5 minutes.

Enjoy your amazing home made pizza and vow never to eat frozen or take out pizza again :-)

I was really surprised that this didn't take longer...I spent as much time as I usually do cooking dinner, and ended up with something I really enjoyed. Plus, I like making bread. Kneading is relaxing.