Pizza

I never go out for pizza. There really isn't any pizza I can get in my town that tastes as good as homemade. I think there's this myth about pizza that in order for it to be any good, you have to have a pizza oven and a pizza stone, etc etc. Well, that just isn't true; I don't have either and mine turn out pretty well. Pizza stones are pretty cool, but they cost money and take up space, and I have neither, so I make my pizza on a baking sheet. I know that authentic pizza dough is supposed to be thrown up in the air until it forms enchanting and perfectly even circles, but I'm terrible at this, so I use a rolling pin. If any Italian nonnas are scandalized by this, they are welcome to come to my house and make my pizza for me. Until then, I am totally unrepentant.

Making pizza dough is really much easier than you think it is. I use a half recipe of my basic bread dough, top it with a simple sauce and whatever vegetables and meats you like, and some grated cheese. It doesn't take that long. If you want, you can make the dough ahead of time and freeze it, provided you have room in your freezer. (Mine is tiny, so I wouldn't.)

Serves 4

Ingredients:

Dough:

1 teaspoon instant yeast granules

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup warm water

1 1/2 cups bread flour (plain will work if you don't have bread flour)

Sauce:

2 tablespoons tomato paste

4 tablespoons water

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon (freshly) ground pepper

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

Toppings of your choice: some suggestions--1) thinly sliced cooked potato, rosemary, and roasted garlic; 2) cubed cooked chicken and sliced tomatoes; 3) sliced cooked ham with sliced mushrooms and shredded raw spinach (make sure it's dry)....

plus a couple of handfuls of freshly grated mozzarella, and, if you like, freshly grated parmesan

First, make your dough. Mix the ingredients together in a large bowl to form a dough, and knead it for 2-3 minutes, adding more flour if the dough seems sticky. Leave to rise in a warm place until the dough has risen to twice its original size. (It doesn't matter if you don't let it rise this long. 30-40 minutes should do the trick.)

While the dough is rising, make your sauce. Mix the ingredients in a small bowl, stirring until smooth.

Now preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare a 9x13 baking sheet by lining it with baking paper. Knead your dough briefly to get the air out of it, then roll it out into a rectangle with a rolling pin and place it on the baking sheet.

Spread the sauce evenly over the crust, then your toppings, then your cheese. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the underside of the crust is lightly golden. Leave for 5 minutes before cutting into slices.

Variation: if you are feeling particularly gloomy and want to indulge yourself, you can make stuffed crust pizza. Just roll mozzarella string cheese sticks into the edges of the crust, and pinch the edges to seal. Then add the sauce, toppings, and cheese and bake as normal.

Healthier variation: replace half the flour with whole wheat flour and a teaspoon of baking powder (to reduce any possible heaviness to the texture).