Make Your Own Pizza Night

You all know how passionate I am about my mission to Bring Back Sunday Supper Around the Family Table.  From it’s humble beginnings, the Sunday Supper Movement has grown into a large group of talented contributors coming together every Sunday to share and encourage families to spend time around the family table.  Today, I am honored to have Linda from There and Back Again guest posting Make Your Own Pizza Night.

I love her recipe and the boys couldn’t wait to try it out.  Make Your Own Pizza Night got the thumbs up from my boys and may soon be a friday night tradition in our home!  For more of Linda’s fabulous recipes, head on over to There and Back Again.  I promise, you will be glad you did.

Make Your Own Pizza Night!

I am thrilled Isabel invited me around the family foodie table by asking me to be a guest blogger. The hard work she puts in to encouraging readers to enjoy a family meal at least once a week is inspiring. I’m honored to be a part of her #SundaySupper movement.

Through the years, one of the best ways I’ve found to get everyone around the table is to hold a make-your-own pizza night. Kids love it when you give them a ball of pizza dough to spread out on a sheet of parchment paper. It’s very rarely perfectly round (or square, for that matter) but they are so proud of their accomplishment.

Then, when you give them a wide selection of toppings for their pizza, just look out! You will be amazed at the combinations they will select. Some will load the dough so full of toppings you can hardly get the pizza in the oven, (which is where the parchment paper comes in handy.) Others will take the time to make their pizza looks as artistic and professional as possible. Best of all, they can choose whatever topping they like. No ordering multiple pizzas to please everyone’s taste buds.

Make-your-own pizza nights are great for birthday parties and sleepovers, but it’s also a nice way to spend the evening together as a family. It’s also cost effective: Did you know the ingredients for a large homemade cheese pizza costs less than $5!

But you don’t need kids to enjoy making pizzas at home. My household consists of only my husband (The Picky Eater) and myself. I like veggies and meats on my pizza, while he likes meat only. Since we can make a pizza to suit our individual tastes, the problem is solved!

Here are my recipes for whole wheat pizza crust, a simple sauce, and a more grown-up Neapolitan sauce to get you started. For toppings, I usually fill up small bowls with slightly-browned hamburger and/or Italian sausage, onions, green peppers, olives, mushrooms, diced ham, and pineapple. Don’t be afraid to put out some unusual ingredients. (Anchovies, anyone?) You may be surprised by what the kids pick! I also make sure there is plenty of mozzarella and parmesan cheese.

Have fun with your make-your-own pizza night! I’d love to hear about your family’s creations!

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Whole Wheat Pizza Crust

• Adapted from the recipe that came with my Kitchen Aid stand mixer!
• 1 cup warm water (about 110 degrees, or just warm to the touch)
• 1 packet rapid rise yeast
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons olive oil

1. Warm the bowl to your stand mixer by filling it with hot water and letting it set for about a minute. Pour the water out and dry.
2. Place the bowl onto the mixer stand. Add the warm water, and then sprinkle the yeast over the top. Next add the whole wheat flour, 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, salt and olive oil.
3. Mix with the dough hook for 2 minutes.
4. If the dough is too dry (not coming together in a ball), add a few drops of water at a time until it clings to the hook and cleans the sides of the bowl.
5. If it’s too wet (sticking to the bowl), add more all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until it reaches the right consistency.
6. Once the dough has come together, continue to knead with the dough-hook for 2 more minutes. (Or you can knead by hand if you wish.)
7. Smear the bottom of a large bowl with olive oil. Remove the dough from the mixer and shape into a ball. Place the dough into the greased bowl, turning it over to oil the top. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
8. Let the dough rise in a warm place for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk. (I place my dough in my oven that I preheated at 450 degrees for 1 minute, and then turned off.)
9. When the dough has risen, punch it down and then shape into the pizza form on a well-greased baking sheet or on top of a piece of parchment paper.
10. Top the pizza, and then bake at 450 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes. (I often remove my pizza from the pan directly onto the oven rack for the last few minutes of baking so the bottom crust gets nice and brown.)[/print_this]

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Easy Pizza Sauce

• 1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
• 1 1/2 teaspoons oregano
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Salt, to taste

Mix all of the ingredients in a small bowl. (Be sure to taste the sauce before you add the salt, since many tomato sauces are already quite salty.)

Allow the sauce to sit at room temperature for a few minutes so the flavors can blend together.[/print_this]

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Neapolitan Pizza Sauce

Adapted from Lidia’s Italian-American Kitchen by Lidia Bastianich

• 1 14 1/2-ounce can of diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional

Mix all of the ingredients together in a medium bowl. If you feel the tomatoes are too chunky, mash them with a fork or potato masher. Or you can use petite cut diced tomatoes.[/print_this]

Kid Ratings: Ronnie 10, Reis 10, Riley 10