Pizza — One of the Most Successful Culinary Dishes Ever Made

I think that Mr. Esposito who invented pizza was a genius. Pizza is one of the most successful culinary dishes ever made with quite humble ingredients, some flour, tomatoes and cheese.

Due to parent-teacher conferences my son was home from school today, so for lunch I treated him to a homemade cheese pizza. I always use the same fool-proof recipe. It’s been in our family ever since my daughters took a chef class in middle school. The recipe is super easy to follow and the pizza is always a hit!

Crust: 18 inch pan
• ¾ cup warm water
• 1 pkg. or 2 tsp dry yeast
• 2 cups unbleached flour
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil

1. Put the warm water in a large bowl and add in the yeast. Stir gently with a wooden spoon until yeast is dissolved.
2. Add the salt and one cup of the flour. Stir until the flour is absorbed.
3. Add the oil, stirring until it is completely blended in. Add the second cup of flour. Mix until dough becomes a soft mass.
4. Turn dough out on a clean, floured surface and knead for about 5 min., or until the dough is smooth and elastic. Let it rest and rise for 15 min. Punch it down and let it rest in a covered bowl for 20 min.
5. Punch down the dough and roll it out to fit the pan.

Topping:
Anything you desire. We usually stick with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese.
Bake 20 min. at 425 degrees.

Image Credit: Sabine 2013