But please no anchovies!

I'm really not a very picky eater.  There are a few things however that I feel very strongly about.  Pizza crust is one of those.  I either love it or I hate really really don't care for it.  Making homemade pizza for me was fraught with disappointment.  As I would chew that pizza fresh from the oven that smelled so good, one thing would be going through my mind.  Cardboard. 

A few weeks ago though, I found a recipe that changed my pizza making days forever!  This recipe is easy, chewy, moist and delicious!  Here's how it goes.

Mix 3 cups warm water with  1 1/2 Tbl. yeast and let sit for a few minutes.  Add 4 tsp. salt and 6 1/2 cups flour.

This next step is one of the most important, so pay good attention!  Remove all rings!!!  Enthusiastically smoosh and squash the dough until it is thoroughly mixed.

It will be sticky!!!

Cover and let rise for 2 hours.

This is what it will look like.

After rising, punch dough down and either use immediately or cover and store in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks!  To use refrigerated dough, let rise 20 min. before forming.  This amount of dough makes about 2 pizzas.  Roll dough out on a greased pizza tray or cookie sheet.  Make dough thicker around the edges for a thick and chewy crust or tuck string cheese around the edge for a yummy filled crust!

One of the best things about things about pizza making is that there are multiple jobs that even the smallest willing hands can master with great success!

This pizza was just a classic.  Just a bit of spaghetti sauce spread on the dough, sprinkled with a light covering of mozz. cheese, topped with pepperoni and olives and then finished with more cheese, a bit of parmesan and a dash of Italian seasoning.

Bake at 425 for 15-20 minutes.

Mmmmmm! So good!

Pizza night has been an especially fun part of our week.  We've tried out many different variations and are excited to experiment some more.  Remember to take advantage of these times to have some real family fun and use those tiny willing hands!