My brother in law is out visiting with us from Manitoba and we spent the day up at our local range with about a half a dozen of my rifles so that he could do some shooting before he heads back home next Tuesday. When we got home this afternoon I made up a double batch of my home made yeast raised Pizza dough and then made two large Pizzas for dinner, one Ham and Pineapple and one Pepperoni, Sauteed Onions, and Black Olives both topped off with a generous helping of Mozzarella cheese. We couldn't finish all of it, so we have a few slices left over to enjoy tomorrow!
Homemade Pizza Crust Recipe
1 package active dry yeast
1/4 cup lukewarm water
1 cup boiling water
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon shortening
1 3/4 cups flour
3 tablespoons olive oil
Activate the yeast in the luke warm water, letting it sit for about 10 minutes or until it starts to foam on top.
Place sugar, salt, shortening and boiling water in a large bowl, stir until sugar and shortening dissolve. Cool to lukewarm. Add yeast mixture.
Add 1/2 cup flour and beat until smooth. Add remaining flour or enough to make dough just barely firm enough to handle.
Knead until smooth on a lightly floured board. Divide in half. Knead each piece into a smooth ball. Flatten each ball on to a lightly greased round or rectangular pizza pan. Press out to spread the dough around the pan, creating a slight rim round the edge. Let rise for about 15 minutes in a warm place.
Pre-heat your oven to 375º F. (Ovens vary on temperatures, so you'll have to experiment with the proper setting a bit.)
Brush the dough lightly with olive oil. Add your favorite toppings.
Bake for 18 to 25 minutes (again, ovens vary). Check it every few minutes after about 15 to 16 minutes to make sure that it doesn't burn! The edges will turn a nice golden brown when it's done.
Best results are if you use an ironware baking stone to bake the pizza, the big round style that is made especially for pizzas … (we have two of them!)