Made from Scratch Pizza Adventure

My dad is full-blooded Italian and his cooking proves it. He makes amazing dishes and finds recipes that really speak to the stomach... I mean heart <3.

Over the past year he has been making his own pizza and it got me thinking that "hey, I could make my own pizza, too!" So I did.

I used my mom's dough recipe (not Italian) and it tasted... well... dry. Like it was missing something. So I asked my dad for tips. He gave me some recipes to thumb through and encouraged me to try again. 

After about 4 tries, this is my best shot so far:

It is sooo yummy! I know what ingredients go in it, and I love that I have "made it my own." Also, it is so yummy that I never remember to get a picture before I have already had a slice ( or two ).

So here is my not-quite perfected but still better than the frozen stuff pizza recipe:

3 cups flour

2 tsp yeast 

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 crushed garlic cloves

basil- about 1-2 teaspoons 

Sun-dried tomatoes seasoning (Pampered Chef)

I put the flour, crushed garlic cloves, salt, and basil in a big bowl. Then, I mix about 1/4 cup flour with 120 degree water and the yeast in a measuring cup. Once the yeast has dissolved, I add it to the flour mixture. 

After researching and finding many ways that did NOT work for helping my bread rise, I found this way of activating the yeast to be most effective. 

I cover the bowl with a wet dish towel, then place in the garage for about an hour. This is usually enough time for the dough to double in size.

Once the dough has risen, I knead it a few times in flour and prepare the stone. The stone should be heated first and you really need olive oil and corn meal but I have not bought that yet so I just put flour down and I have not had problems with it sticking to the stone. I shape the dough and place it on the stone.  Then, I add olive oil all around the pizza and sprinkle the sun-dried tomatoes seasoning around the crust to give it some extra flavor. I bake the dough in the oven for about 5-8 minutes.

After the dough has been in the oven for 5-8 minutes, I pull it out and add my dad's homemade sauce (double yum!) and my toppings. I prefer mushrooms and hard salami (both of which need to be fresh/ from the deli ). Then, I add freshly shredded mozzarella cheese and finally add some parmesan cheese (sprinkled) and cheddar cheese (sprinkled)

I bake it at 425 degrees until the cheese is melted and boom! You have amazing pizza. Better than the frozen kind. I even prefer it over Papa Johns. Oh, and so does my husband :)