Eat Pizza - Save Money!

This is one of our all time favourite meals. After making this pizza dough I'll bet you won't be ordering in anytime soon. It's a fraction of what it would cost to order a pizza and asides from a few hours of waiting for the dough to rise, it comes together quickly. 

 I got this recipe from an coworker's wife years ago after smelling the most delicious pizza and hunted it down. I'm so glad I did! I make this almost every two weeks during BBQ season, in the winter I'll make it into stromboli's (a rolled up pizza). For those of you who like to prep meals ahead of time stromboli's are great to throw in the freezer. Any time I make it for company I get asked for the recipe, and the stromboli's are a party favourite. 

Some of our favourite pizzas are pretty simple, sauce, 1-2 meat toppings (usually leftovers), 2-3 veggie toppings and cheese. The pizza shown had pesto, chicken, sundried tomatoes, carmelized onions, and artichokes. Another favourite is BBQ sauce, chicken/beef, corn, and onions.

Italian Pizza Dough

4-1/2 teaspoons yeast 

3 cups warm water (not hot!)

6-1/2 cups flour

1/4 cup salt

Optional - 1 teaspoon sugar

1. Let yeast proof in warm water until foamy, about 5 minutes. If yeast is older or isn't foaming as much as I like, I will add the sugar.

2. Combine the flour and salt in a bowl, pour the yeast and water into it, and mix together until it starts to form. Dump onto a floured counter and knead 7-8 minutes. Let rest until doubled in size, approximately 2 hours. 

3. Punch down the dough to get out all the air bubbles. Divide into 2-4 balls, and wrap up in Saran Wrap. Place in fridge another two hours. 

4. After two hours let dough rest for five minutes after removing from fridge. Dust counter and top of ball with flour. Roll out to desired size/thickness. Top with your favourite toppings and throw on the BBQ on low heat. Pizza is done when the cheese is melted and dough is crispy. 

If you like a thicker crust try grilling it before adding any toppings. We prefer a thin crust, so we bake it all at once. (Meat is precooked)

If making stromboli's, keep the dough on the thicker side. Roll as you would make cinnamon buns and pinch to seal. Place seam side down on a baking sheet, and bake 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees. Let it cool 5-10 minutes before slicing, or freeze for a future meal