Pizza - Crust and Sauce

   One thing about not eating a lot of dairy is the weird looks I get when I order a pizza without cheese. I've grown accustomed to it, and I've been remembered by the folks we most ordered from ("make sure there isn't any cheese on hers!").

    So here are some recipes that we use whenever we want pizza and don't feel like spending the dough (tee hee). Both of these recipes most likely came off of RecipeZaar, but its been so long I can't quite remember. Here they are.

Pizza Crust:

2t. yeast

1c. + 2T. water

2T. oil

2T. sugar

1t. salt

3c. flour

Soften yeast in warm (not hot) water. Add sugar, oil, salt, and flour. Mix till dough comes away from the bowl. Knead on floured surface till smooth (8- 10 min). Let rest 20 -30 min, shape. Makes one large pizza crust. To bake add sauce and toppings and cook untill crust is a light golden brown, and cheese (if using any) in the middle is melted. 

Pizza Sauce (Papa Johns' copy cat) 

In a small pan combine 

1 10 3/4 oz. can of tomato puree ( I use tomato sauce in the closest size to match)

1/4 c. water

1 t. sugar 

1t. olive oil

1/4t. each of :

   lemon juice

   salt

   oregano

   onion

1/8 t. each of:

   basil

   thyme

   garlic powder

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer on low 15-20 minutes. Use on pizza crust with choice of toppings or as a dipping sauce for bread sticks.

I definitely think this is a good contender against all those chain store pizza shops. Hits the spot every time. Also you can make up double batches (or more) of the sauce and freeze it for later when you need a quick fix for dinner. You can also leave the oil out and dehydrate it into leathers for space saving and food storage purposes- just add the oil when its reconstituted. 

Hope your family enjoys this as much as we do!

--Jamie


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