Since for many of you "cooking" is placing a frozen dinner in the oven, I'm going to go into great detail on how to make a pizza crust. The toppings are easy- and really, the crust isn't that hard after the first time! Any standard bread recipe will do, but here's 1/2 of a WWII cook book recipe that should work. I just picked it as one with the simplest ingredients. Some of the recipes are rather complicated- scalding the milk, etc. ( I like old cook books. )

3 cups flour (more or less- flours vary on how they absorb liquids)
1 TBS oil
3/4 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
1 cup of warm water
1 packet of yeast

Making a sponge- In a bowl big enough to hold the flour, mix warm water, sugar, yeast and a handful of flour. Mix well. Let sit on top of the fridge or other warm spot for at least a half hour. This gives the yeast time to "wake up". (If you have fungus gnats or fruit flies, you might want to put a clean dish towel over the bowl. )

Making the dough-Add the oil and salt to the sponge, stir, then add the flour. You want the dough not to be sticky, but to make a ball that sticks together. Press it flat in the bowl, then fold it over. If it is sticky, add a bit more flour. Repeat this many times for the best quality. This is called kneading bread. Old cook books said to knead for 10 minutes, but one minute is enough! You should be seeing a "grain" to the dough as you fold it over.

Now, clean a space on the kitchen counter. While it is still wet, place a large sheet of foil on the counter and smooth it down. Sprinkle the foil with a handful of flour. Now plop the dough down on the foil and squish it flat. Sprinkle the dough with more flour. Get out a rolling pin (a can will work) and roll that baby flat! Sprinkle your pizza pan with a small bit of corn meal before placing the dough on it. Don't press the dough down! You want it to lie gently on the corn meal. (To clean up, just peel the foil off the counter and fold it up! :thumbsup

Here's where you get to make a decision! Thin crust or thick? Either way, rub the top of the crust with olive oil. For a thin crust, top immediately and bake. For a thicker crust, top it, but let it sit and rise until it is about 3/4 as thick as you want it. (time depends on your room temperature- warmth speeds it up. Warm pizza sauce doesn't hurt either. ) Then bake at about 350 degrees. If your oven is like mine, turn the pizza about 5 minutes into baking to allow even cooking.

Toppings- Spaghetti sauce, cheeses + ?????? Have it exactly your way! My younger son makes his with huge, butter-fried, portabella mushrooms, multi-colored peppers, asiago cheese, red onion, pepperoni and Italian sausage! He uses a bought sauce and modifies it- I make my own starting with plain old tomato sauce. We both drain a small can of diced tomatoes to add to our sauce.

That same dough, if rolled into "golf balls", dipped in sesame, poppy or hemp seeds and let rise until doubled in size, makes fantastic dinner rolls. Or add a layer of dried chives and poultry flakes or Italian seasoning while kneading, and you've got fancy herb rolls- YUM! Double the recipe and you have a loaf of fresh white bread- "store bought" just don't make it compared to home made! Loaves incidentally take about an hour to bake. I usually just make "hamburger buns"- saves electricity, since they cook way faster! Also I could vary the size for the kids and the hubby! Have fun baking your pizza tonight! - Granny:hippy:
Storm Crow Reviewed by Storm Crow on . Do not eat Papa John's POPPA JOHNS SUCKS ASS!!! This is some fucked up funky ass bull shit!!! There is a fight on tonight that I've ordered...I had my wisdom teeth taken out 7days ago and this was my first smoke...and they are not open later than 12!!! What am I supposed to do when the fight is over and I want pizza!!! This is fucked up!!! I'm calling Pizza Hut! :jointsmile::hippy: Rating: 5