Fat Crust Pizza

So, I've made some great dishes lately and need to share them with you!

This past week I made my homemade fat crust pizza! Bubbly dough with a garlic crust, chunky tomato and herb sauce, topped with mozzarella cheese, bell peppers, olives, tomatoes, and of course pepperoni! (This is seriously the best homemade pizza ever!)

Here's the recipe for the crust (from Six Sisters' Stuff). 

Pizza Recipe:

(Makes 1 large, thick pizza, or 2 smaller pizzas)

Ingredients:

4 cups all-purpose flour

3 Tablespoons sugar

3 1/2 teaspoons fast rising yeast

3/4 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 cups very warm water (120 to 130 degrees F)

3 Tablespoons vegetable oil

Seasonings as desired (garlic, oregano, basil, marjoram, etc)

Toppings: onions, mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, tomatoes, bell peppers, garlic, olives, etc...

Directions:

-Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  

-In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, undissolved yeast, and salt.  Gradually add water and oil to mixture.  Blend at low speed until moistened, then beat for 2 minutes at medium speed until dough pulls away from sides of the bowl.  

-On a lightly floured surface, knead until dough is smooth and elastic.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest in a warm place for 15 minutes.  

-Press out dough onto 1 (or 2) pizza pans.  I like to roll the ends to make nice thick crust, as if it were a bread stick. Poke the dough randomly with a fork.  Let rise again in a warm place for 10-15 minutes.  

-Brush crusts lightly with oil and bake them for 5 minutes.  

-Remove from oven and top as desired.  Brush crusts with olive oil and seasoning (I like to make a paste of olive oil with garlic salt to imitate breadstick crusts). Bake for 4-5 more minutes or until the crust is golden brown.

I also decided to experiment with my own pizza sauce. I just threw a few ingredients together based on some previous recipes and remembering my mother's homemade spaghetti sauce recipe!

Homemade Pizza Sauce Recipe:

(Makes sauce for 1 or 2 pizzas)

Ingredients:

1 (10.34 oz) can of diced tomatoes with juice

1 (8 oz) can of tomato paste

1 1/2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon lemon juice

3/4 teaspoon garlic powder

2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning
    (OR 3/4 teaspoon oregano, 3/4 teaspoon basil, 1/4 teaspoon thyme)

2-4 cloves of fresh garlic

   

Directions:

Combine all ingredients into a sauce pan. Allow to boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. 

OR combine all ingredients in your vitamix at variable speed 7 for 30-60 seconds. 

Note: You can always double this recipe and freeze half for next time! Also, we use this to dip our crust/bread sticks in!