Homemade Pizza Night!

Yay Pizza Night!

My son was in town for a couple of days from San Francisco for work. He stayed for the week-end. I suggested we have a family pizza night. When the boys were growing up, I made homemade pizza on Saturday nights. We would eat it in the den, in front of the T.V. and watch our favorite movies. He liked my idea, so I made pizza!

Yeast bubbling up, coming back to life in the warm water.

I use my awesome Kitchen Aid mixer, with the dough hook, to make the dough. It was a birthday gift from my BFF one year, the BEST present I ever got! Thank you Pammie-girl! (Before that I mixed it by hand, this just makes life so much easier.) You could also use your food processor or a bread maker if you have one.


THE DOUGH:

1. Put about 4-5 cups of all purpose flour in the bowl. (1-2 of those cups I use whole wheat flour). Make a well in the center. Add a couple tablespoons of dry yeast, pour in a big glass of really hot water from the tap, a pinch or two of sugar and a couple tablespoons( or more) olive oil. Let it sit for about 10-15 minutes. The yeast should start to bubble up and make a froth.
2. Turn on the mixer and let it run till you have a nice soft, not sticky, ball of dough. Cover the bowl with a towel and put in a warm place for about an hour. ( I warm up the oven for about 5 min. then turn it off, then I let it rise in there).
3. Once it has risen, pull off a piece set it on a greased stone or pan (I use olive oil spay), sprinkle it with a little flour and roll it out to fit. ( we like ours nice and thin).

I roll the dough out right on my stone or pan.

THE TOPPINGS

1. We made four of our favorites pizzas. Potato and rosemary (yes I did say potato), sauteed mushroom, caramelized onion, and green salad pizza.
2. My husband, who is in from Italy for a bit, sauteed sliced mushrooms in olive oil with garlic and chopped fresh parsley. He also caramelized the onion, here's a recipe. They become sweet and Delicious.  I grated two medium potatoes with a cheese grater (like hash browns). And I washed and spun dry a head of romaine lettuce chopped up, for the green salad pizza..
3. So, after you roll out your dough on your pizza pan, top it with one of these toppings. Salt and pepper it (sprinkle potato pizza with dried rosemary) and put it in the lowest positions of a preheated oven at 450 degrees.( I cook two or three at a time, it just takes a little longer.)
4. When the crust starts turning brown and they are about five minutes from being done, pull them out and put on the cheese. We put Gorgonzola and mozzarella on all of them. Then put them back in the oven to finish cooking till the cheese is cooked the way you like it.
5. None of these pizza use any tomato sauce. I do top the lettuce on the salad pizza with pieces of diced tomato from the can and some oregano.
6. Just before you cut your pizza drizzle the top with some more olive oil. 

I take the pizza out about 5 min before it's
done and add the cheese, then cook it some more.

This is the mushroom & Gorgonzola pizza.

We always have to have a nice cold beer (or two) with our pizza!

Chowin down! Buon appetito!

The potato/rosemary pizza and the caramelised onion pizza went so fast I didn't get a picture of them. (the potato is my favorite!) 

The green salad pizza.

Dee dee likes the crusts, don't let that
 sad face fool you, she got plenty!

Ah, now that was a nice-a-pizza!