I need a fairly easy homemade pizza recipe, especially the crust. Also, can you make the crusts ahead of time and freeze them?

-- Suzy in Bama (slgt@yahoo.com), March 17, 2002

Answers

Chef Boy Ardy

-- Stan (sopal@net-pert.com), March 17, 2002.

I just made pizza for dinner last night. If you have a bread machine it is even easier. 3/4 teaspoon of salt, 4 cups a.p. flour, 2 teaspoons active dry yeast, 1-1/4 - 1-3/8 cups od water, 3 tablespoons olive oil. This might be enough for two crusts. I freeze lumps of dough and thaw them before rolling them out.

Susan

-- Susan in MN (nanaboo@apulbunyan.net), March 17, 2002.

I use the recipe from the Tightwad Gazette. You use a food processor to make it though. If you have one and would like the recipe let me know.

-- Cindy in NY (cjpopeck@worldnet.att.net), March 17, 2002.

No electric needed - just a bowl/wooden spoon/measuring stuff/bowl/& a pan:

2 cups flour, 1 cup water, 1 1/2 tablespoon yeast, 1 teaspoon salt, a little sugar, olive oil. Toppings of choice.

Heat water (not boiling), put in yeast & sugar. Let proof 15 minutes.

Add salt to flour - add water/yeast - mix well with spoon. Knead about 3-5 minutes until soft like a baby's bottom.

Coat with a little olive oil- cover with a towel put in a warm place & let rise 30 minutes. Roll or flatten on a pizza stone or cookie sheet, add sauce, cheese and toppings. Bake at 425º for about 15 minutes. Ok to freeze dough - I just put in a plastic freezer bag. Enjoy.

-- diane greene (greenwitch@catskillnativenursery.com), March 17, 2002.

1 cup warm tap water, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tbsp yeast..let sit.. Add a couple tablespoons olive oil and stir in 2 cups all purpose flour with 1 tsp salt added. Add more flour until you get a good dough then knead. Let rest 15 minutes. Oil your pan and roll out your dough (or stretch it or toss it..)to fit the pan. Let rise 15 minutes for thin crust..1/2 hour for thick.

-- Alison in NS (aproteau@istar.ca), March 17, 2002.

I use a recipe like diane's but spinkle a little cornmeal on the pan before you add the dough. helps keep the crust from getting soggy.

-- Kristean Thompson (pigalena_babe@yahoo.com), March 17, 2002.

I was sitting in my favorite pizza parlor years ago watching them make my pizza. They made it with eggs and flour,just like homemade noodles,been making it that way every since.

-- Bill in Oregon (bpstacey@webtv.net), March 17, 2002.

I like to bake my pizza in a very hot oven. You have to watch it like a hawk but it makes the crust more crispy and less like bread.

-- Terri (hooperterri@prodigy.net), March 18, 2002.

I keep a bag of store bought frozen bread dough in the freezer for the times I don't want to make a bunch of dough. Just pop one out, thaw and roll. Makes a pretty passable pizza crust.

-- Tis I (really_tis_i@yahoo.com), March 18, 2002.

you get the best results using a baking stone. you can partially bake crusts and freeze them.

-- js (schlicker54@aol.com), March 18, 2002.

I make homemade pizzas all the time and freeze them. Even little breakfast pizzas. And, if I end up with too much crust not enough toppings left, I freeze the extra crusts for next time. I always bake the crusts 5-7 minutes before adding the toppings and freezing. Let me know if you stil need recipes I'll email them to you. Stace

-- Stacey (stacey@lakesideinternet.com), March 18, 2002.

Suzy:

A long time ago a couple of girls showed me the bachelorette way to make pizza;

Break open a can of store-boughten biscuits, roll the dough into a sheet, drape over a pan and put on the tomato sauce. Then add everything tasty in the fridge (breakfast sausage, pieces of beef jerky, fried ground beef, slices of summer sausage, sliced tomatos,bell pepper, sauteed onion and so on, open a can of black olives and some mushrooms, cover with cheese and bake.

-- Jimmy S (Macrocarpus@gbronline.com), March 18, 2002.

I make mine a lot like Diane's too. For something different, use 2/3's of the dough and make your pizza. Add extra toppings, really pile them on. Then use the remaining 1/3 of your crust as a top, (roll it out thin and lay on top of the pizza). Crimp the edges to seal and bake til brown. Kind of like a big round calzone! Really tasty. Best wishes!

-- cowgirlone in OK (cowgirlone47@hotmail.com), March 18, 2002.

there is one i got from here before, probably in the archives. i use it exclusively now it is so easy, and used it last night to make little baked "sandwiches" stuffed with cooked cabbage, carrots, onions, etc.

1 pkg/1T yeast, 1 tsp sugar, 1 cup warmish water.

mix together

i let it sit a bit, then add: 1 tsp salt, 2 1/2 c flour (i use ww pastry), and 2 T olive oil (or other). mix it well and let stand 5 minutes.

makes 2 decent sized thin crust pizzas or 19 small pockets (that is a little joke there)

-- marcee (thathope@mwt.net), March 19, 2002.

Suzy

I also use the recipe in the Tightwad Gazette. I make it in my mixer and it turns out wonderful. Then I top with Ragu Pizza sauce bought at Sam's in the large cans (cheaper than tomato sauce and frozen in small quanties. I also buy teh cheese in bulk at Sam's.

Good luck Lisa

-- Lisa (Wv2xmommy@aol.com), March 19, 2002.

Great ideas...I just printed off the entire page!

-- connie in md (connie@mission4me.com), March 20, 2002.

OK...I admit that I cheat and use Jiffy brand pizza crust mix. I think i pay about 35 cents per box and you just add water. It makes a good crust, is super easy, and cheap. Then I just add sauce, cheese, and whatever toppings I want.

-- ellie (elnorams@aol.com), March 20, 2002.

I use the pizza recipe in my bread machine, but no reason why you cannot use the same without a machine. For a 1 lb amount (makes a nice thick crust on a 12" pizza pan) 8 oz water, 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil, 2 cups white flour (self raising is what I have) 2 Tbsp Whole Wheat flour (don't leave it out makes the crust nice) 1 1/2 Tbsp sugar, 3/4 tsp salt, 2 1/4 tsp Active Dry Yeast OR 1 3/4 tsp Quick Rise yeast. Set machine to dough. When finished, remove from bread machine pan, roll into pizza round. Lightly greased pan, and sprinkle corn meal over pan. Lay pizza dough in prepared pan. Cover with sauce, your choice of toppings and cheese. Bake at 500 for 5 minutes, rotating pan after 2 minutes.

-- Helen Banham (ghbanham@shaw.ca), March 24, 2002.