Pizza Party

Tonight I have a bunch of young men and young women coming over to my house to make home made pizzas. I got this recipe from my friend, Lisa. Our families love to get together and have pizza parties. It takes some time to make the dough, but it is pretty easy and everyone has fun making their own pizzas!

California Pizza Dough

Combine 1 1/4 C. warm water, 2 packages of dry yeast, 1T. honey and 3T. olive oil in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add 3C. flour, and 2t. salt and mix. While mixing, add 1 more cup of flour or enough to make a soft dough. Knead the dough on low to medium speed for about 10 minutes until it is smooth, sprinkling with flour if necessary to keep it from sticking to the bowl.

When it is ready, turn it out onto a floured board and knead by hand a dozen times. It should be smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a well-oiled bowl and turn it several times to cover it with oil.

Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let the dough rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Divide the dough into 6 equal portions - (about the size of a tennis ball) and roll each one into a smooth ball. Place the balls on a baking sheet and cover with a damp towel. Allow the dough to rest for another 10 minutes. Use immediately or refrigerate for up to 4 hours.

Preheat oven to 500*.

If you have chilled the dough, take it out of the refrigerator approximately 30 minutes ahead to let it come to room temperature. Roll and stretch each ball into an 8 inch circle and place them on baking sheets sprinkled with corn meal - or put each into individual pie tins. Brush the dough with olive oil and add your favorite toppings and bake for 10 minutes.

This recipe makes twelve seven in. individual pan size pizza's, six pie tin size pizza's

or you can make two 12 inch pizzas which you will need to bake at 400* for 15-20 minutes.

I found this recipe for pizza sauce that I am going to try as well.

Pizza Sauce

Combine one 15 oz. can tomato sauce, 1/4C. water, 1t. sugar, 1/4t. dried oregano, 1/4t. basil, 1/4t. thyme, 1/4t. garlic powder, 1/4t. salt, 1/8t. pepper, 1 whole bay leaf and 1/2t. lemon juice in a small sauce pan. Cook over medium heat until sauce starts to boil. Lower heat and simmer, covered, for 30 to 45 minutes or until it is as thick as you like.