I flavoured the pictured dough with Italian seasoning and garlic powder, which gave it great flavour! I usually freeze the dough and sauce separately or prepare one of the pizzas and freeze it for a lazy night. The recipe makes two of these pizzas, which feeds about eight people (or 4 servings per pizza).
Ingredients
6 cups flour
2 cups water, warm from the tap, but not hot (about shower/bath temperature)
6 tbsp olive oil (divided)
2 tsp dry yeast (or one packet)
1 tsp salt
1 (28 oz) can tomatoes, crushed
3-4 tbsp oregano
3-4 tbsp basil
2 tsp parsley
1 1/2 tsp chili flakes
2 clove garlic, minced OR 1 tsp garlic powder
1 cup onion, diced
handful of cornmeal
black pepper to taste
toppings of your choice (the pictured pizza is topped with spicy Italian sausage, green and orange peppers, banana peppers, tomatoes, and mushrooms)
cheese (type and amount are up to you - the pizza pictured has about 3 cups of grated light marble cheese)
Directions
Making the Dough
(This can be made the night before you're going to eat the pizza.)
Place flour, water, olive oil, yeast, and salt into a mixing bowl. Feel free to add any or all of the following to the dough for flavour: oregano, pepper, red pepper flakes, Parmesan cheese, garlic, basil, parsley, onion powder, and rosemary.
Mix together until a ball is formed. (I used a stand mixer, with the hook attachment.) When finished, the dough should be just a bit sticky, but will not leave a residue on your hands. If not sticky, add a tbsp of water and mix again. If too sticky, add a tbsp or two of flour and mix well.
Knead ball with hands. Put dough back in the mixing bowl and cover with a damp towel. Allow dough rest in a warm place for about an hour (I placed mine on the stove top).
If preparing crust the night before, pat some flour on the dough and wrap in saran wrap or put in a sealed bag and place in the fridge over night. (It will rise slowly overnight.)
Preparing the Crust
(This can be done the morning before you're going to eat the pizza.)
Preheat the oven to 425 F. Sprinkle cornmeal over your pizza pan or cookie sheet, then spread the dough to the edges of the pan with your hands. Roll the edges back just a bit if you want a crust to form. Bake for about 6-8 minutes. When finished, pop any bubbles that have formed in the dough with a fork.
Making the Sauce
(This can be done the up to a few days before you're going to eat the pizza.)
Heat 1 tbsp oil over med-heat. Saute onion until it just starts to become clear; add garlic and continue stirring until garlic becomes darker (but not brown). Add tomatoes and herbs. Simmer over medium heat for about 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until the sauce is warm.
Remove pan from heat and use a hand blender in the sauce until it is smooth.
Assembling and Baking the Pizza
Preheat oven to 400 F. If you are planning to freeze the pizza(s), you can either freeze the uncooked dough in a ball (covered in a bit of flour, wrapped in saran and placed in a freezer bag) for another time OR assemble the pizza (after having cooked it for 6-8 minutes at 425 F) and then freeze it. From frozen the pizza takes longer - keep an eye on it.
Cover pizza crust with sauce, toppings and then cheese. I sprinkled the cheese with some black pepper and oregano.
Bake pizza for about 16 minutes, then check. The time will differ depending on whether or not your crust was in the fridge and how many toppings you put on. Happy pizza making!
Credit to: http://cooklikeyourgrandmother.com/2008/04/how-to-make-pizza-sauce-from-scratch/
