comfort food

... well we're on the mend here, and there's nothing like comfort food to help out. right? soups, and fluids, and the general thing to get you back up on your feet.
... and then there's pizza. oh. yum. once we started making our own dough, there was no turning back.
it's great because you can pretty much use whatever ingredients you have in your fridge as toppings... (i'm a big fan of using up odds and ends).
anyhoo, i wasn't about to just blab about pizza and not share with you... want the recipe? ok!

i got this recipe from my brother in law, and it's honestly the go to recipe for us. we love it. you can change up the flours too... like substituting for half whole wheat.

on a side note, i thought i'd mention that my 3 year old son took the picture of me in my apron. i know, right?! crazy. all right, on with the recipe.

this recipe will yield 2 pizza crusts.

1 1/4 cup warm water
1 package yeast*
1 tsp sugar
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp salt
about 4 cups flour

* for those of you who buy yeast in bulk like i do, one pkg equals about 2 1/4 tsp of yeast.

combine 1/4 c warm water, yeast, and sugar. stir and let stand about 5 min.
stir in the remaining cup of water, oil, salt, and 1 1/2 cup flour. mix until the consistency is smooth. gradually add 2 cups flour, stirring until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl.

i like to add a little seasonings to the dough here... like basil or oregano. just a dash for flavour. you don't have to though... but it's good. 

Turn the dough onto a floured surface, knead until smooth and elastic, approx 10 min. ... working in remaining 1/2 cup flour just to keep dough from sticking. shape into a ball, put into a greased bowl; cover and let rise until doubled... this usually takes about an hour.

punch down dough. cut in half. cover and let rest 15 mins. (you can wrap it and freeze it at this point if you're not using it right away too)....
roll out on a floured surface, and place on your pizza pan or cookie sheet.
decorate your pizza to your little heart's content. my little guy loves this part... and it encourages him to try new ingredients too...

bake at 425 degrees for about 24 min. every oven is different though, so just keep an eye on it

it's good. i promise.

see? i feel better already :) really though, here's hoping we get in a nap today.

how is your day going? any must make recipes in your back pocket? if you make this recipe, let me know, i'd love to know what you think!