Variety Pizza

Ingredients

1 1/3 warm water
1 package active dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
4 cups flour
1 tsp. salt

Method

Grease two 14-in. pizza pans or equivalent. In a cup or small bowl, mix the water and the yeast and let stand for 5 minutes. Add sugar and let stand until mixture is foamy on the top. Mix in flour and salt. When mixture begins to form a ball, remove the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead lightly for 5 minutes or until smooth. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover and let stand for 2 hours or until doubled in bulk. Punch down dough. Pat and stretch the dough onto your greased pans. You may need to let your dough "rest", if it keeps wanting to shrink back. Top with your pizza sauce, cheese, and other toppings. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Pizza cannot be complete without pizza sauce. I usually prefer to make my own, but on occasion, I have used a jarred pasta sauce. Here is an excellent recipe so that you can make your own pizza sauce:

" Pizza Sauce"

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups water
1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste
2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
Garlic powder, salt & pepper, sugar to taste

In a bowl, mix all of the above ingredients thoroughly, excluding sugar. If you find the sauce to be too tangy, add small amount of sugar. Makes about 3 cups of sauce, which should be enough for two 12 - 14-inch round pizza pans or 1 large size cookie sheet.

~Plain cheese: Just sauce and shredded cheese!

~Pepperoni: Just sauce, shredded mozzarella, and pepperoni!

~Hawaiian Pizza: Spread sauce on dough, top with shredded mozzarella, pineapple chucks and sliced ham luncheon meat.

~Bar-B-Q Beef: I cook one pound of ground beef with one small onion (chopped). When done, we stirred in our favorite bottled bar-b-q sauce. I then spread this mixture on top of the dough and topped with shredded cheddar cheese.

~Stuffed Cheese Crust: If you would like to make your pizza with a cheesy crust, just put string cheese on the edges of the pizza and fold and seal the dough over the string cheese. Continue around the edges of your pizza.

~Veggie Pizza: Top your dough with sauce, shredded mozzarella cheese, and an assortment of vegetables. Anything will do, but some ideas are: sliced bell peppers, sliced mushrooms, sliced black olives, and small broccoli trees.

~Chicken Pizza: Do you have some leftover chicken breasts from another meal? If so, dice up the chicken and use it as a topping.

~Meat Pizza: If you love meats, this is the one for you. Just use any or all of the following: cooked ground beef, cooked bacon pieces, cooked sausage, pepperoni, ham, etc.

~Bacon Cheeseburger: Top your dough with sauce, and then the following: cooked ground beef, cooked bacon bits, and cheddar cheese.

~Dessert Pizza: Spread dough with your favorite pie filling. Using apple? Top with a streusel topping. Using cherry? Drizzle with icing.