Make Your Own Pizza Night

My husband is on travel this week, and so I let the kids pick out what they wanted for dinner. Each one got to pick out two meals, and we’re alternating. Last night, my son wanted to have a make-your-own pizza night. Where he got this, I don’t know. Possibly because his mother watches the Food Network ad nauseum.

My good friend Suzanne posted her own pizza dough recipe a few weeks ago, and she really does have some good ideas. However, the idea of kneading bread dough and figuring out how long it has to rise, etc. gives me the heebies. So I made my dough in the breadmaker. That way, there’s a little green light to tell me when it’s done.

The recipe I used was incredibly simple. Combine 1 cup of water, 1 Tablespoon of olive oil, 1 Tablespoon of sugar, 2 1/2 cups of flour, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon of active yeast (don’t use the entire packet–I was tempted to, but I restrained myself. This was a Good Thing.). Throw it all in the breadmaker, click the dough setting, and go off and run errands. It took about an hour and a half, maybe less, for the dough to be finished. You could probably make it ahead of time or throw the ingredients in the breadmaker before going to work, and when you get home, it would be ready to use.

I spread the classified section of the newspaper on the table and waxed paper on top of that. I sprinkled flour on the waxed paper and gave each child a hunk of dough to roll with a rolling pin. They had the best time making their pizza crusts. I preheated the oven to 425 degrees while they played. Then I sprayed non-stick cooking spray on a baking sheet, put their pizza crust on it, and let them choose their toppings. We spread a little spaghetti sauce on the dough, topped it with mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, and whatever else they wanted. Then we baked it for about fifteen minutes. My way of telling when the pizza is done is waiting until the cheese is brown and bubbly. If it’s still white, it’s not done yet. Yes, this is a very scientific method.

I told the kids that if they didn’t like their dinner, it was their own fault. Thankfully, they enjoyed it! You might try this some night if you have time.

Yesterday I stared and smiled at my new book cover a million times. I love, love, love it!