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Pizza Night - A True Family Favorite

Make tonight pizza night. Let’s face it, almost everyone loves pizza. I’m not talking about the kind that comes in and tastes like a cardboard box but a homemade pizza with fresh garden veggies.  When I get asked “what’s for dinner?” by the family, you can be sure that there’s usually at least one groan no matter what the answer is unless my answer is, “It’s Pizza Night!” 

We use our own garden to dress up our pizzas. This proves to be a fun activity for the whole family and ensures that everyone gets a pizza they will enjoy.  We make our own dough but to save time, store-bought will work.  The below recipe is how we made our pizza last night, never the same toppings but always good!

 
Prep Time: 1.5 hours
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 1 pizza + extra dough ball
Difficulty: Medium

INGREDIENTS

The crust:

  • 4 Cups bread flour, plus more for rolling
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 packet instant dry yeast
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1½ Cup warm water (not boiling)
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil, plus 2 tsp olive oil

The pizza:

  • 1 jar or can of your favorite pizza sauce or homemade
  • fresh garden veggies, for topping
  • ½ Cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
  • ½ Cup Gouda cheese, shredded
  • ½ Cup basil leaves

DIRECTIONS

The crust:

  1. Combine all dry ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer (or large mixing bowl if you don’t have a stand mixer).
  2. With the mixer on low, add the water and 2 Tbsp of oil.
  3. Once blended together, turn the mixer to medium and mix until the dough forms a ball. (if the dough is sticky, add flour a little at a time. If it’s too dry, add a little water at a time)
  4. Once you have the dough where you like it, scrape onto a lightly floured surface. Gently knead into a smooth, firm ball.
  5. Grease a large bowl with remaining oil.  Add dough ball and cover with towel.  Place that bowl in a warm area (I use the kitchen counter) until dough has doubled in size; about 1 hour.
  6. Remove the dough from the bowl onto a lightly floured surface, divide into 2 equal pieces.  Cover them with a clean kitchen towel and let them rest for 10 minutes.

    NOTE: Use right away or freeze in air tight container for up to 2 weeks

The pizza:

  1. Preheat oven to 450°F
  2. Roll out the dough to your desired size
  3. Spread sauce evenly on the dough, leaving about 1" on the outside
  4. Add cheeses, order does not matter
  5. Add the toppings
  6. Slide pizza onto hot stone or use a pizza pan.
  7. Cook for 15 min or until crust is golden and cheese is bubbly