Homemade Pizza

I have had a hankering for homemade pizza the past few weeks. So a couple of weeks ago I brought home some pepperonis from the store to make one, but the pepperonis were MIA. My husband, who loves snacking, had eaten the entire bag, even after I told him not to because they were for the pizza. So I went to the store, AGAIN, and got more, then threatened him with no homemade food if he ate them. That always seems to work. The crust recipe makes two pizzas, so naturally I had to make different kinds.

The crust recipe I used is from the Pioneer Woman cook book, recipe is here: http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/main-courses/basic-pizza-crust/ and for this pizza I followed the directions exactly.

Pizza Sauce: In a small sauce pan I poured 1 can of tomato puree & one small can of tomato paste, then added about a tablespoon of each garlic powder, dried oregano, dried basil, dried parsley and about a teaspoon of salt and pepper. I cooked it on the lowest temperature my stove will go for several hours with the lid on but vented... while I was gardening.

Pizza assembly: After making the crust and stretching it out I added the amount of sauce I like, one medium block of mozzarella freshly grated (I think this makes a huge difference than using pre-grated cheese that has preservatives), about 1/8 a cup of slivered red onions, 1/4 of a cup of sliced baby portabello mushrooms, olives on Adam's side, and plenty of pepperoni. I baked it at 500 degrees on the bottom shelf for about 7 minutes then moved it to the top shelf to finish it until how I like my pizza cooked. It doesn't take long so don't start any other projects while it's cooking.

 



I stored the rest of the pizza dough in a mixing bowl with Saran wrap over it. However this time instead of adding more olive oil and stretching it, I put about 1/4 of a cup of white cornmeal on the counter and rolled the dough in it and then rolled it out into a circle with my rolling pin. I rolled it pretty thin and made some crust edges with my fingers. I then transferred it to the pizza pan and cooked it on the very bottom shelf at 500 degrees for about 3 minutes. I like my crust fairly crispy. I liked the crust this way much better!

Alfredo Sauce: In a small sauce pan pour in one small carton of heavy whipping cream, a teaspoon of garlic powder and salt and pepper to taste. Heat it to medium low, not bubbling. Then mix two egg yolks in a small bowl, temper the egg yolks by adding a small spoon full of cream sauce and stirring very fast for about 15 seconds, then add another spoon full and stir very fast for another 15 seconds. Then pour the yolk mixture into the sauce pan and stir for about a minute without stopping (don't stop or it could scramble the eggs rather than thicken the sauce). After that stir every minute or so for a couple of seconds. Heat until you notice the yolks thickening the sauce, then it's done!

Assembly: After cooking the crust for a few minutes I pulled it out of the oven, added the Alfredo sauce, 1 block of freshly grated mozzarella cheese, red onion slivers, baby portabello slices and pepperoni. I put it back in the oven on the bottom rack for about 5-6 minutes. Pulled the tray out and sprinkled cooked chicken breast over the top with a little dried parsley then put it on the top rack until it was done to my liking.

All the toppings can be changed to your liking. The options are endless!

Enjoy!