Sunday, May 3, 2009

Homemade pizza crust

Yum! This recipe is from Betty Crocker's Big Red Cookbook; the greatest cookbook ever, in my opinion! Our favorite basic pizza is, of course, pepperoni. My personal fave is Honey Mustard Chicken pizza, made with homemade honey mustard. Zac made a Hot Wing pizza last time and loved it, but he also likes my Barbecue Chicken pizza. You really can't go wrong here....


INGREDIENTS

2 1/2 - 3 cups flour
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 pkg (2 1/4 tsp) quick/rapid-rise yeast
3 Tbsp olive or vegetable oil
1 cup warm water (120°-130°)


DIRECTIONS

Mix 1 cup of flour, the sugar, salt and yeast in large bowl. Add oil and warm water. Beat with mixer on medium speed for 3 minutes, scraping bowl frequently.

Stir in enough remaining flour until dough is soft and leaves sides of bowl. Knead (by hand or dough hook) for 5-8 minutes, till dough is soft and springy.

Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest/rise for 30 minutes. Pat into pans to form two crusts, thick or thin.

THIN CRUST: After shaping, pre-bake crust at 425° for 7-8 minutes. Top as desired and bake at 425° for 8-10 minutes, till cheese is browned.

THICK CRUST: After shaping, pre-bake crust at 375° on lower rack for 20-22 minutes. Top as desired and bake at 375° for about 20 minutes, till cheese is browned.

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