Better than Pizza Hut

Wow! I've received a high compliment! I was talking to A. after church last night, and she was telling me that they had enjoyed the homemade pizza Friday night. In fact, they ordered Pizza Hut pizza on Saturday night (a rare treat for them). Their 3 year old daughter ate a little bit and then said, "This isn't as good as Miss Revka's pizza!" That is high praise from a child! So I thought I'd share the recipe with you.

Quick and Easy Pizza Dough

3/4 c. warm water
1 pkg. rapid rise yeast
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. olive oil
2 1/4 c. flour

Preheat oven to 500F. Mix together the warm (not scalding) water, yeast, salt, sugar, and oil until yeast is dissolved. Add 2 cups of the flour. This should form a rather moist dough. Turn the dough onto a surface covered with the remaining 1/4 c. of flour. Knead until dough is smooth and shiny (about 5 minutes). Place in a greased bowl and cover with a clean dish towel. Placing the bowl in a warm place, let the dough rise for a minimum of 10 minutes. Grease and flour a pizza pan. After dough has risen, stretch it to cover the pan. Cover with sauce (recipe follows) and toppings as desired. Bake for 8 minutes.

Yield: one 16 inch pizza crust

Note: I usually double the recipe and make a 14-inch pizza and a 16-inch pizza.


Pizza Sauce

1 can (8oz.) tomato sauce
1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. Ken's Steak House Italian Dressing with Romano Cheese (or other brand zesty Italian Dressing)
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 Tbsp. olive oil

Mix all ingredients together. Adjust Italian Dressing, olive oil, and Italian seasoning amounts to suit your family's taste.

Yield: sauce for one pizza

Note: Since I normally make two pizzas, I double the recipe. Since I use tomato paste simply to make a thicker sauce, I still only use 1 can of tomato paste whether I am making sauce for one pizza or three. I also use this as a basic Italian sauce for use in spaghetti, lasagna, and other such dishes.

photo of pizza courtesy of fotosearch.com