My son likes pizza. Well… that’s an understatement actually. My son LOVES pizza. What kid doesn’t? For that matter, who in their right mind doesn’t like pizza? I know I do.
For as long as I can remember my son has been eating pizza in some form or another. When he was really young, I remember, it was little frozen pizzas that you threw in the toaster oven for a few minutes. It was the only lunch he would eat.
Then as he got older (4-8), Chuck E. Cheese was a common stomping ground on weekends, celebrating other kids’ birthdays as well as just a fun place to beat the heat on hot summer days. Pizza was a requisite staple for all occasions.
From there it was a once a week delivery item, usually our Friday night fare. I’s think nothing of throwing $15-$20 out on some door to door from the local delivery place. I don’t even really remember liking it very much. It just seemed like the thing to do.
Nowadays, since he has gotten a little older and my time to teach him life’s survival skills is growing shorter, I have taken to making pizza at home from scratch. It serves a number of purposes.
1.) Teaches him how to cook at least one thing I know he will eat.
2.) Shows him how making it is actually less expensive than ordering out.
3.) It’s fun, quick and easy to do together.
4.) It’s healthier than carry out.
And frankly, I wish I had been doing it all along. I sort of regret not having taken the time before now to enjoy the time we typically spend together in the kitchen making pizza at home. I’m going to miss it when he heads off to college. I am secretly planning on going to the dorms once a week and make it for him and his suite-mates in the communal kitchen. I figure after a few weeks of Pizza night, even if he doesn’t want me around, his suite-mates will start pressuring him for some of Dad’s Pizza. I’m sneaky that way.
So without further ado, here is my “How to make pizza at home” video and recipe. It’s fun, quick, easy, delicious and costs fractions less ($5-$6 total) than ordering delivery. Enjoy.
I’d love to hear your Pizza recipes and experiences in the comments.
Pizza Dough:
Make at least 1/2 hour ahead let sit and rise.
5 Cups All Purpose Flour
2 packs Quick Rise Yeast
2 Cups Water @ 105 Degree F
2 Teaspoons white sugar
2 Teaspoons Salt (Sea Salt if you have it)
4 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
Add yeast and water in a bowl first. Stir to mix and allow to set while you mix the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl.
Add the dry ingredients together and mix with a fork. Create a well in the dry ingredients and add the water and yeast mixture.
Mix well about 20 strokes. Don’t over mix. Cover with clear plastic wrap and allow to sit out for at least 30-45 minutes and allow to rise.
Pizza Sauce
1 8 ounce can Contadina Tomato Sauce
2 Tablespoons Contadine Tomato Paste
1/8 Teaspoon Onion Powder
1/4 Teaspoon Garlic Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Italian Seasonings
1/4 Teaspoon Dry Basil (crushed and tossed in)
Mix ingredients in a bowl with a whisk.
Place in microwave for 15 seconds just to add a little heat.
Set aside and allow to meld flavors while waiting for dough to rise.
After 30-45 minutes
Spread dough on grease pizza pan.
Pour Pizza Sauce over dough and spread with spoon to edges.
Add toppings as you like.
Common toppings:
Cheese – mozzarella, cheddar, jack
Peperoni
Black Olives
Sausage
Bacon
Top with cheese.
Place in preheated oven at 425 degrees F for 20-25 minutes.
Pull from oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes.
Cut and server warm.
For a nice touch add freshly grated Parmesan cheese over the top. Also nice to have handy are red pepper flakes.
Serves 4-6 adults and as many as 8 kids depending on appetite.
Total cost of all ingredients is between $5 – $6
About Jack Adams
