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Who doesn’t love homemade pizza? Pizza is like one of everyone’s favorite food as long as it is made properly. Everyone has their own ideas of what a great pizza crust should be. I happen to like a thick crust that has substance to it. Forget the cracker type, though I have had a couple very thin crusts that were actually delicious. If I am watching my weight carefully or trying to drop those winter pounds that just creep up on you when you least expect it, then I would be perfectly content munching on a thin crust pizza. Bread flour tends to make a crisper crust or sometimes I just spread it out a little thinner regardless of the type of flour I use. I always use a pizza stone, that is like the cardinal rule. Also, through trial and error I have learned to pre-cook fresh vegetables if they have a high water content, like zucchini and eggplant if I am loading the veggies on. A few vegetables on the pizza won’t require this but I usually go overboard. I also use a mixture of cheeses.

1 1/2 cups warm water
2 1/2 teaspoons yeast
3 1/2 cups flour
2 tbsp. oil
2 teaspoons salt

Homemade sauce

Shredded cheese (parmesan, mozzarella, romano)

Dissolve yeast in the warm water. The water should feel warm on your wrist, not hot. Mix in the rest of the ingredients. Use a mixer with the bread paddle if available, otherwise mix and knead for 5 minutes. Set in a buttered bowl, cover with a cloth, and place in the oven that has its light on. Let rise for 2 hours. Punch down, let rest, and then stretch dough and place on cornmealed pizza stone. Place your ingredients on the dough: sauce,cheese, toppings. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until crisp. It’s hard to judge the correct time as everyone makes the crust a unique thickness. Look under the crust to see if it is brown enough.

If there are too many vegetables with high water content it may take longer and be soggy. This is why I precook some of the vegetables. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, and enjoy this great pizza!