Pizza Sauce

While in the spirit of Pizza, I would be remiss if I left out a pretty simple sauce to add to your homemade pizza crust and your Homemade Mozzarella Cheese.

I kinda just threw this sauce together when I wanted pizza and realized I had everything but the sauce. So just bear in mind that these are adjusted to mine and my family's tastes--who am I kidding, just mine. They love it anyway.

Here's what you'll need:

• 1 can tomato paste
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• pinch of salt (totally optional)

Here's what you'll do:

• Mix everything together in a bowl or container with lid.

Yeah, it's that simple. This will make enough to cover two pizzas. I would recommend making the sauce in the morning or the night before to give all the flavours a chance to get to know each other and mingle.

But it really is that easy. I don't really add the salt because I find there to be enough of it in the paste, but again completely up to you. 

That's My Taste On It!

Super Easy Pizza Dough

So after the last post about the Homemade Mozzarella Cheese, I thought it would be prudent to include a post about the type of crust I use to make homemade pizza. Makes sense, right?

I've tried a couple different crust recipes, but the one I like best comes from my "KitchenAid Stand Mixer Cookbook"

Here's what you'll need:

• 2/3 cup warm water
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp yeast (I use Fleischmann's quick rise)
• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Optional herbs and spices (basil, oregano, garlic powder, etc.)

And here's what you do:

• Dissolve sugar into the warm water
• Sprinkle yeast on top, set aside until frothy (the time will depend on the type of yeast you use)
• Combine the flour and the salt and any optional herbs you may want
• While mixing, slowly pour in the frothy yeast water
• Knead well for 7-10 minutes by hand or about 5 minutes in the mixture with the dough hook attachment, until the dough is smooth.
• Cover and allow to rise for about half an hour or until it has doubled

At this point you'll roll it, pat it and stretch it to fit your pan. 

Spread the sauce, add your toppings and cover with cheese. (For a great homemade mozzarella recipe click here.)

I found that preheating my oven to 425F, then reducing the temperature to 375F was optimal for cooking the pizza. Just keep an eye on it, when the crust is brown and the cheese is all melty, then it's good to go. There isn't much rise to the crust during baking, so I wouldn't recommend leaving it unattended. It only takes about 13 minutes in my oven.

That's my Taste On It!