by Tammy L Mahan

Created on: November 19, 2008

After owning a restaurant that specialized in pizza I quickly became an expert on how to make an awesome pizza. As for the quick and easy part of making a pizza that all depends on what you choose for your pizza shell, you have many options and the most popular are pizza dough, tortilla shells and English muffins.

Pizza Dough

Ingredients

3 cups of all purpose flour

1 tablespoon of yeast
1 tablespoon of oil
1 cup of warm water

In a mixing bowl combine your warm water and yeast it will take about 7 minutes for the yeast to dissolve.

In the mean time using a large mixing bowl combine your flour and oil, when the yeast and water is ready pour the mixture in the large bowl and mix well with your hands. Knead the dough and form a circle. Cover the dough with a clean dish towel and let it set for about an hour.

To roll out your dough sprinkle a little flour on a flat surface and place the ball of dough on it. You can use a rolling pin just don't spread it out to thin. Once you have your dough rolled out gently transfer it to a 14 inch round pizza pan. Then you can add your toppings and bake on 450 degrees for 25 minutes.

TORTILLA SHELLS

Ingredients

2 cups water
3 cups flour
2 cups shortening
1 teaspoon salt

Boil water, let cool. Mix flour, shortening, and salt. Knead mixture, then let mixture sit out for 45 minutes. Roll the dough out and fry in a frying pan with a little oil over a low heat for about 10 minutes. Top your shell with sauce cheese and your choice of toppings and place on a cookie sheet and bake for 12 minutes at 350 degrees.

ENGLISH MUFFINS

6 English muffins will give you 12 mini pizzas. Slice the muffin in half add your sauce, cheese and toppings and bake on 350 degrees for 7 to 8 minutes.

HOMEMADE PIZZA SAUCE

Ingredients

6 large ripe vine tomatoes (pureed)
1/2 cup of water
3 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
2 Tablespoons of sugar
2 Tablespoon of fresh basil
2 Tablespoon of fresh oregano
2 Tablespoon of Italian seasoning
Salt and Pepper to salt

Simmer in a large kettle style pan for 2 hours.

TOPPINGS

pepperoni (sliced)
sausage (cooked and crumbled)
ham (cubed or deli sliced and cut into thin "clumps")
bacon (cooked and chopped)
meatballs (halves)
anchovies
red onions (chopped or sliced thin)
black olives (chopped)
green peppers (chopped or sliced thin)
fresh tomatoes (chopped or sliced thin)
mushrooms (chopped)
hot peppers (chopped)
pineapples (chopped)

If you prefer a quicker and simpler way to make your pizza I suggest you try a Bobli crust or a pizza crust from the dairy section at the grocery store.

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