Home Style Pizza

I will admit that pizza doesn't really qualify as quick, but it's pretty easy and relatively cheap depending on the toppings you pick. It's a favourite for us and we try to have it once a week (Pizza Fridays!). The measurements I give are more like approximations of what I usually add because for the most part I eyeball...well, all of the measurements.

What you need

1 1/2 c. warm water

1/4 c. granulated sugar

1 tsp yeast

1 tbsp salt

4 tbsp olive oil

Several cups of white flour

What to do

The first thing to do is dissolve the sugar in the warm water. Then add the yeast, cover and set it aside for about 10 minutes. The yeast will get all foamy on top. It it doesn't it means the yeast is dead and you have to restart or the pizza dough won't rise. It could be because your yeast expired or because the water is too hot (boiling water is waaay too hot!), but either way if it's not foamy it's no good.

Into the foamy yeasty mix, add the salt and oil. I use olive oil but whatever vegetable oil you have will work. Now start to add and mix in the flour. And keep adding and mixing. Keep adding until it's impossible to add any more...then add more. It should be doughy by now. Turn the dough out onto the counter and knead for about 10 minutes. To knead, fold the dough in half and turn 90 degrees, then repeat. The finished dough shouldn't be sticky but elasticy and smooth.

Fun filled fact: when you knead bread, the gluten in the flour develops into glutenin and gliadin. The glutenin develops elasticity in the dough which allows it to rise and keep a good chewy texture. The gliadin is the portion that prevents people with Celiac's disease from being able to enjoy wheat products.

Next you just have to leave it alone for a while. Cover and set the dough aside in a warm area free of drafts and it will start to double in size. Once it doubles, punch it down once and let it rise again. Rising will take somewhere around 1 hour but in general just wait until it doubles in size. I'll admit that I'm usually too lazy or in a rush to wait for dough to rise twice so I often skip the second round. You can also leave it in the fridge over night to rise a second time and then it's ready the next day!

So the dough has risen and now it's time for the toppings! Roll out the dough and move it to a pan that's either greased and floured, or sprinkled with cornmeal (this is our preferred way as its healthier for one, and produces a crunchier bottom crust). You don't want to see how sticky the dough can get after it bakes itself into a pan. Add the toppings and bake it at 350F for 30-45min or until it looks all delicious and golden brown.

Additional Notes:

Flavouring the dough: If you want to alter it a bit there's a few options. Milk can be substituted for water, and honey can be substituted for sugar. If you use whole wheat flour, go for the tasty substitutions or it looses a bit of flavour.

Awesome toppings: Our standard is ham, pepperoni, and goat cheese over the standard mozzarella and tomato sauce. This is one area to go wild with whatever it is you really like but don't go overboard. If toppings are stacked too thickly, the crust won't bake up as well and it can be pretty doughy on the inside.Try to keep it simple and somewhat flat for best results.

Photo trivia: If the finished pizza's crust looks really big, it's because we stuffed the crust with extra mozzarella. It's a fun treat.

Alternative dough uses: Left over dough makes great spice bread! Roll it out and top with olive oil and spices like salt and pepper, oregano, thyme, basil, rosemary and parmesan if you have it. The bread is great to dip in marinara, meat sauce, or tzatziki . For a desert try frying small squares of dough in oil (1/2 cm of oil in a pan is fine). Then sprinkle with a mix of white sugar and cinnamon for a poor man's beaver tail.