2 cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
2/3 cup lukewarm water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon dry yeast
¾ cup tomato sauce, (homemade or store bought 8 ounce can)
oregano
garlic powder
basil
8 ounce grated mozzarella cheese

1. In a bowl place flour, then salt. Mix with your hands. In a cup
dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Let it sit for a minute. Add
the olive oil. Make a well with the flour mixture then pour in the
water mixture. Mix together to form a dough. Knead until dough
becomes shiny and smooth. (If you are using a bread machine,
make sure you use only the dough setting.)

2. In a clean bowl, rub a little olive oil to cover the inside of the
bowl. Place the dough in and let it rise at least for 1 hour. Take
the dough out punch it down and let it rise again for another hour.
The longer it rises the better the dough.

3. When you are ready to cook your pizza preheat the over at 425
degrees for 10 minutes first. On a pizza pan or a cookie sheet rub
a little oil on the bottom first so your pizza will not stick to the
pan. Stretch your dough to pizza size you desire.

4. Once your pizza is ready to prepare, put your ingredients in this
order: tomato sauce, Spices, toppings and then cheese. Just
before you are ready to place in the oven drizzle a little of olive oil
over everything for a final touch.

5. Bake in the over on middle rack for 25 to 30 minutes or until crust
is golden brown.

6. ENJOY- Mama Mia whata pizza .……

Friday night is pizza night. It’s the end of the week, as well as the official start of the weekend, and no one wants to cook. It is a time to relax, and that goes for mom, too. Just order a pizza, pass out the paper plates, and no mess in the kitchen. This is a normal Friday night routine for many of us, although I also love to make homemade pizza.

The preparation of the dough is simple. The problem is the time it takes for the dough to rise. I usually have to make three pizzas when I make them homemade. My family loves it, with some left over for lunch the next day. I confess to using a bread/dough machine now, but I didn’t before I owned one. You don’t need one to make a good dough.

If I am off from work on a Friday, I start preparations in the morning. I make the dough in the machine and then transfer it to a bowl. I continue this process until I have three separate pieces of dough. Cover the bowls and let rise for at least three hours or more. The longer the dough rises the better your pizza crust will be.

When you are ready to make your pizza, have everyone chip in and put the pizza pies together. One can spread the sauce, one can add the toppings, and one can sprinkle the cheese. My kids always love to make pizza, and why not, it’s fun to do. These pies are made with peppers and tomatoes and thinly sliced fried eggplant, mainly because I had these ingredients left over in the refrigerator from a previous meal.

You can be very creative with your pizzas. We like to add broccoli and sometimes we add just onions. Your pizza, your taste! I usually always make one plain pie, especially for friends who are joining us. One hint to remember; don’t load down the pizza with too many toppings because it will be too heavy to lift and may break apart from the weight.

Just remember to enjoy that slice of pizza…..I know I will…..