Inspir.es

Growing up, Fridays at our house usually meant TGIF and homemade pizza. And homemade pizza usually meant I was cooking. I was tasked with this because:

1. My mom knew just how to get me to cook…by telling me what a great cook I was.
2. My mother either can’t cook or shrewdly screws up every time she tries to cook, making it less likely she’ll be asked to try again.
3. I enjoy cooking.

A few weekends ago, a friend and I made homemade pizza with the family pizza recipe and topped it with pesto, tomatoes, mushrooms, fresh mozzarella and I forget what else for toppings. And it turned out really damn good.

Because my mom’s probably tired of fielding my phone calls asking for the pizza recipe, I thought it would be nice to put it the only place I’ll never lose it: the Internet.

Pizza Wow!

2 cups Flour
1 1/2 teaspoons Sugar
2 teaspoons Salt
1 cup Hot Water
2 teaspoons Olive Oil
1 tablespoon (or packet) Yeast

Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Combine hot water (the temperature of hot tap water) and oil, stirring. Add additional flour and continue stirring until stirring becomes difficult.

Remove dough from the bowl and kneed with your hands, adding flour until the dough is no longer sticky. Shape the dough into a ball and return to the bowl. Cover it with a dish towel and let it sit 45-60 minutes.

Cover a large cutting board with cornmeal. Place the dough ball in the center and gently spread outward in a circle by pushing down on the dough. Continue until you achieve your desired shape and crust.

Place a large pizza slab in the oven on the center rack and preheat to 400.

Top off the pizza with your desired sauce, toppings and cheese. Toppings high in moisture (tomatoes, canned mushrooms etc.) should be using sparingly. Slide the pizza off the cutting board and onto the pizza slab in the oven. Cook for 15-17 minutes or until the cheese is a golden brown and the crust is firm.

Serves two normal people, three light eaters or one fat guy.