Homemade Pizza
***This is me just being a little nit-picky. You can probably tell the formatting is wonky in this post. That’s because I imported it from Blogger, and the Blogger Fairies did something weird to the fonts that I haven’t been able to fix. Okay, I’m done.***
Every year I’m fascinated with Valentine’s Day. You know why?
So many people hate it.
Huh? Somebody fill me in. I was always under the impression that people liked love. They love love–they’re absolutely crazy about it. They listen to songs about love, and they watch movies where people fall in love, and they think and dream about the person they love, and they’re even fascinated by the love lives of all their friends.
Our entire society is completely saturated with romance, and always has been. A huge chunk of the art, literature, and music of the Western tradition for centuries past has all revolved around the subject of romance. Romance, romance, romance. Well, and religion makes a pretty big showing too, if we’re going for historical accuracy here.
But dedicate a single day out of the year to romance? Heavens, no! Horrors!
If you happen to be one of these romance-averse people, at least bury your aversion in a good, homemade pizza this Valentine’s Day. You can’t go wrong there. And you might even find yourself falling in love.
Homemade Pizza Crust
Ingredients:
3 to 3-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon instant yeast
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1-1/4 cup lukewarm water
Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, mix together 1-1/2 cups of the flour with all the other ingredients, on medium speed, until completely smooth. Stir in enough of the remaining flour to make a soft, slightly sticky dough, and knead until it’s elastic, about 6-8 minutes.
Transfer to a greased bowl and cover with a cloth. Let it rise in a warm (75-80 degrees F) place until doubled in size, about 40 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Punch down the dough and turn onto a lightly-floured surface. Roll out into a 14-inch circle, and transfer to a pizza pan or stone. Top with sauce, cheese, and desired toppings.
Bake until crust is lightly browned, about 13-14 minutes.
(**Note: If you’re using active dry yeast rather than instant yeast, dissolve the yeast in the water before mixing with the other ingredients.)
