Pizza, Pizza!

A couple of weeks ago, I got a hankering to make homemade pizza. I've tried it before, but the results were pretty dismal. This time I decided to make it completely from scratch (before I had bought a crust). I always love the pictures and recipes over on Farmgirl Fare , so that is where I went to get the basic crust recipe (she also has some wonderful pizza recipes). I already had in mind the toppings and had decided to play around with the sauce to find something that I considered tasty.

The crust turned out a little tougher than it should have, but I think I may have over-kneaded it a bit. It was very tasty though. For toppings I went with Mushrooms, Black Olives, Onions (only a smidgen) and Peppers. I sauteed them in olive oil in a skillet first then added them on just before baking the pizza. I also added mozzarella cheese as well as a variety of bits and pieces of other shredded cheeses (left over from various other cooking projects). I bought a baking stone a few years back, and it really does make a better finished product, in my opinion. Once everything was assembled, I baked the crust for about 10 minutes on the preheated stone, then added all the toppings. Another 10-12 minutes and it was ready to eat! I think when I make my next one, I'll make it smaller and try for several pizzas to freeze for later consumption. It's a bit of mess and time involved for only one meal. I took some of the pizza to my folks, and they said they really liked it too. I am trying not to add as much salt and other 'bad' ingredients to recipes, instead opting for other spices to add flavor.

If you've been thinking about trying the homemade pizza route, go for it! There are an endless variety of toppings to try. I chose veggies, as I'm not crazy about allot of meat on my pizza, and I also had most of the ingredients on hand. (I did have to buy the mushrooms, and mozzarella). There is something very satisfying about pulling the finished pizza out of the oven, and the smell is almost heaven.