Pizzeria-style Pizza From Your Oven

By Telly Scotchmeyer

Nothing is quite as good as a hot, cheesy pizza pie -- especially when you and your kids make it yourself! Follow our pointers to make take-out style pizza right in your own oven. (Pile on the toppings!)

Here is a recipe for homemade pizza dough and sauce:

PIZZA DOUGH:

What You Need:

• 5 cups unbleached flour
• 2 packets yeast
• 1 teaspoon salt plus a big pinch of sugar
• 2 cups warm water(bath temperature)
• 2 teaspoons olive oil

1. Put the flour in a mound on your counter, board or in a large bowl and make a well in the middle.
   
   
2. Pour the yeast, salt, and sugar into the well. Add just a bit of warm water and start stirring with a fork. As the water and flour mix, and a paste starts to form, add more water. Keep on stirring and adding water to the paste until all the water is used (it will be messy).
   
   
3. Take turns kneading the dough with your hands for about 15 minutes. The dough should be smooth and soft. When it starts to stick to your hands or the board, add flour. Shape into a ball.
   
   
4. Put 2 teaspoons of olive oil into a large bowl and turn dough ball around in the bowl to coat with a thin film of oil. Cover with a damp dishtowel and place in a warm place (an unheated oven is a good place for rising) until the dough has doubled in size, about 45 minutes.

While the dough is rising, start the sauce.

TOMATO SAUCE

What You Need:

• 1 small to medium onion, chopped
• 1 large clove of garlic, chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes (with puree)
• 1 small can of tomato paste
• 1 cup of water
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 dried basil leaf
• Salt, pepper and sugar to taste

1. Heat oil in sauce pan on medium heat.
   
   
2. Cook onions and garlic in pan until soft.
   
   
3. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, water and herbs and bring to a boil. Turn down heat and simmer, covered for 30 minutes.
   
   
4. Add salt, pepper and sugar to taste. This makes a thick sauce, so stir often to keep it from sticking and add more water if it seems too thick. This recipe should leave you with 6 cups of sauce.

Toppings can be pretty much anything you'd like to have. A cup of topping is usually generous for a medium pie, half a cup should generally work for the individual sized pizzas. Obviously, adjust to taste. Some typical toppings include:

• Grated mozzarella, or any other grated cheese.
• Onions
• Peppers
• Cooked sausage
• Salami
• Mushrooms
• Vegetables
• Anchovies
• Sliced pineapple

Place toppings in bowls, ready to assemble. Remove the sauce from the heat and the dough from the unheated oven, and preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Assembling Your Pizzas:

1. On a counter or board, punch down the dough and divide it into 2 or more, equal sized balls (2 balls will give you enough for 2 medium pizzas. 4 balls will be just right for individual pies).
   
   
2. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin. Then flour your hands. Here comes the fun "pro pizza parlor" part. It may take some practice, but once everyone gets the hang of it, there's no going back. Make two fists. Put rolled dough on clenched hands, and moving your fists in a rotating circular motion, as if you were trying to spin a plate on your fingers, but using your fists.Spin the dough thin.
   
   
3. Stretch the dough with your hands to fit two jelly roll pans, or four 8" pie tins, leaving a lip to hold in the sauce and toppings. (Note: If dough doesn't stretch out and keeps retracting, let it rest for about 5 minutes and try again.)
   
   
4. Spoon tomato sauce over dough and cover with desired toppings.
   
   
5. Bake pizza at 450 degrees for 20-25 minutes. If baking two at a time, exchange racks half way through. As always, cook until done.

Give the pizza a couple minutes to cool, and dig in!

Once you've got the hang of it, try planning a pizza-making party for the kids. If the kids are young (3-7), you might want to prepare the dough and sauce and toppings in advance, but do let the kids feel the dough and get to punch it down. Divide the dough into several balls (2 kids to a ball) to pat into a mini-pizza, with their own choice of toppings. Older kids (8-12) will probably like to do the whole thing from scratch