Homemade, To-Die-For Pizza

I have used the same pizza dough recipe for years, discovered in the recipe book which accompanied my breadmaker, a sweet gift from Jay during one of our earliest Christmases together. While I have made this recipe many times, last night was the first time I included fresh minced garlic as a topping, and IMHO this simple addition put this humble, home-made pizza over the top. So, so yummy. I am sitting here gobbling a leftover piece that tastes delicious after just a short zap in the microwave.

If you have a breadmaker, and five minutes to spare, you too can throw this dough recipe together, turn on the machine, and go get the kids from afternoon carpool. Or spend a little over an hour folding laundry or whatever. At any rate, once this dough is mixed and has risen, get ready to make yourself a couple of delicious pizzas. Here’s the recipe:

1 cup plus 2 Tbs water (I often use some skim milk for part of the liquid)

2 Tbs olive or vegetable oil

3 cups flour

3 Tbs grated parmesan cheese

1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

2 1/2 tsp bread machine yeast

Place ingredients in the bread machine pan in the order recommended by the manufacturer.

Select Dough/Manual cycle.

Move oven rack to lowest position. Grease 2 cookie sheets. Divide dough in half, patting each half into a 12 inch circle on cookie sheet with floured fingers. Add pizza toppings…

I drizzle virgin olive oil around the edge of the crust and rub it in a little. Then I spoon a bit of tomato sauce all over. Add toppings – don’t forget the fresh minced garlic!! – and finish it off with your favorite combination of pizza cheeses: mozzarella, parmesan, romano, feta??

Bake at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes till crust is light brown and cheese is melty and golden.

ENJOY!!

2 Replies to “Homemade, To-Die-For Pizza”

  1. Tricia, does this dough have an additional rise after it is taken from the breadmaker? Or does all the rising take place in the oven?

    From your dough challenged friend.
    (I buy Boboli crusts for fifty cents at my bakery salvage store.)

  2. Hi Meredith! I am certainly no dough expert. But…no, there is no additional rise time given in the recipe. I will tell you that I often leave it in the breadmaker for some time after it beeps that it is finished. Up to an hour perhaps. The dough does rise some while baking. I always roll my pizzas out as thinly as possible and think the crusts will be paper-thin, but they bake up nicely. I hope it works for you if you try it out!

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