Homemade Pizza, Birdeye

Sunday Night Tradition

Yes, after a busy weekend of usually working, nothing pleases me more than pulling out a frozen pizza dough and making a creation. Yes, I said frozen, homemade dough. My brother-in-law Martin started this tradition years ago and shared it with me. I make my usual yeast rising dough and do a 6-time recipe so I can have four doughs. I have a low fat recipe I have been homemaking for 15 years and I like it because it can be ready to rise in about 25 minutes. Once it rises, I separate it into four balls and squeeze, literally squeeze, them into quart size freezer zipper bags and date. Once it's been frozen, I thaw in the microwave 30-60 seconds and roll out on a lightly floured surface and bake. Below is the recipe for one dough. You can double it for a big pizza or six times it for four large doughs.

Pizza Dough

1 package yeast
1-1/3 to 1-3/4 C. flour
1/2 C. warm water, 120-125 degrees (I microwave it 2-3 min and put a candy thermometer in to test it. If it's too hot or cold it will mess up the dough, trust me, I've done it before)
1/2 t. salt
2 t. veg oil

Preheat oven to 425.

In a mixing bowl, stir 1 c. flour, yeast and salt. Add warm water and beat on low speed 30 seconds, scrapping the bowl down. Mix on high speed 3 minutes. Then add the remaining flour and turn out on a lightly floured surface and knead for 6-8 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic.
Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in warm part of kitchen, when is a kitchen not warm?, for 10 minutes.
Flour surface again and roll out with pin and place on pizza stone, turning up sides for crust. Prick dough many times with fork and bake 12 minutes at 425. Remove from oven and add pizza sauce, cheese, pepperoni and mushroom (or whatever topping you prefer). Bake additional 12 minutes.
Cool 10 minutes before cutting. Store leftover pizza in a zipper bag for 3-4 days.

Pizza Sauce, my style.

For one crust:

1 8oz. can tomato sauce, no substitutions, I've tried all of them.
1 generous t. Italian Seasoning
1 t. garlic powder, not garlic salt

Mix in a microwave safe bowl 3 minutes until really hot. Add to pizza crust after it's half baked on a stone.