Basic Pizza Dough.

Pizza is one of our favorites. We have a few favorite places when we feel like going out, but we love homemade pizza, too. I have always cheated and bought the ready to top & bake dough from Trader Joe's, since it is easy, cheap, and tastes good.

My husband gave me a bread machine for Christmas and aside from making bread, I was really excited to make pizza dough. It had to be a lot easier than the time I tried to make it myself, since I could just throw everything in & let the machine do the work. 

There were a few more steps than I expected after the machine did its work (kneading & letting the dough rest, flatting it out & letting it rest), but it wasn't hard & while the dough was resting, I prepped my other ingredients.

I loved how the dough turned out after it was cooked. It was substantial, hearty, and held up well to the sauce (I tend to go heavy) & lots of toppings. Sometimes, the Trader Joe's dough gets soggy, so I was happy when mine didn't. The outside was nice & crisp and the inside was spongy & delicious. The only thing I wish I would have done differently was grease my pan before baking. I had to use a spatula, serrated knife, and lots of muscle to get the pizza off (and some crust stayed with the pan).

Basic Pizza Dough (for bread machine)

1 tsp dry yeast

3 3/8 C bread flour

1 Tbsp milk powder

1 3/4 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1 Tbsp butter

1 7/16 C water

Following instructions for the bread machine, add ingredients, turn machine on, and select pizza from the menu. 

When machine is done, remove dough and knead on a lightly floured surface until it springs back when pushed. Separate into two balls. Let rest for 10 minutes. 

Roll out one (or both) balls and place on a baking sheet. Prick dough several times with a fork. Let rest 15 minutes. 

Top with desired toppings, bake at 375 for 20 minutes.

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Last night, we had BBQ chicken. I boil one chicken breast, let it cool, and then shred it (one breast is always too much meat, but I save the left overs for a salad for my lunch the next day). While the chicken is boiling/cooling, I chop some fresh pineapple (an addition that I learned on a trip to Hawaii & we love!), chop fresh cilantro (I forgot last night, shoot!), and thinly slice red onion. When the dough is ready to go, I spread on BBQ sauce, lightly sprinkle mozzarella cheese, add toppings and cover with more mozzarella & goat cheese, if I have it. So yummy.