Best Homemade Pizza

**Note: Special thank you to Ali C., who took these terrific pics during one of the original “Friday Night Pizzas.” Ali is a remarkable woman who now works on The Mercy Ship. Her blog post “i have been blind” (about her work overseas) is one of the most powerful pieces I have read in a long time.

Looking for a special family tradition? Ever been curious to try your hand at homemade pizza dough, or do you need some suggestions for awesome toppings? I’m so excited to share about…

Friday Night Pizza!

I got the idea from my brother-in-law, John. This was his family’s tradition growing up, and now he and Jenny, my sister, host one at their own house!)

Pizza Night is awesome for the obvious reason – amazing, yummy homemade pizza dough & toppings – but also for another reason.

I remember John saying that the “Friday pizza night tradition” perhaps saved him from many nights of trouble as a teenager. He didn’t have to follow his wild high school friends all over town…For at least one night of the weekend, he always had plans. Fun plans. For pizza!

Maybe it’s the over-protective mom in me speaking, but that sounded like an excellent preventative habit to start.  Delicious food +potentially keep kids out of trouble? Check, and check.

In all seriousness, thanks to Paul, John’s dad, for thinking up this awesome idea, and for sharing the amazing pizza toppings and dough recipe with our family! We’ve been enjoying our own version of “Friday Night Pizza”!

{By the way, if you follow this blog, you know that we deal with life-threatening allergies to milk in our home. This has put an interesting/scary twist on pizza night, but we’ve made a few adaptions to make sure Sam is safe. We make a large pizza for all the kids with Sam’s safe Daiya cheese. The kids actually love the pizza! Giving all the kiddos the safe cheese has helped make it a safer environment for Sam.}

Anyway, now what you’re waiting for!

Here’s the pizza dough recipe that my sister uses (and I believe the original recipe!)

Pizza Dough Ingredients:

• 1 cup warm water
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1 packet of yeast
• 3 cups of flour (Jessica’s note: I’ve used either 1/3 or 1/2 whole wheat flour in this recipe, and found it works well)
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 T olive oil

Instructions:

Mix water, sugar, and yeast together and let sit for 5 minutes. Put remaining ingredients in a standing mixer. Slowly add in liquid. Mix in the mixer until blended. Place dough in a greased bowl and let rise for 1-3 hours. Then roll out onto your pizza pan, and once topped, bake at 500 degrees for 15 minutes.

 

The best part of John and Jenny’s pizza is the toppings! These creations from John’s dad are some of the most original and delicious combos I’ve ever tasted! Here are a few of my favorites. (I’ve listed the ingredients in the order in which you place them on the uncooked dough.)

Keep in mind – these aren’t “recipes” per se, but just some ideas for yummy combinations! If you have any questions, let me know!

Jessica’s note: For a healthier option, remember that you can always make your own condiments. I highly recommend the ebook Restocking the Pantry for recipes for all of these sauces and condiments.

10 Best Pizza Toppings

 

• Gorgonzola pizza: Alfredo sauce, mozzarella, grilled or breaded chicken, caramelized red onion, halved cherry tomatoes, and a smidge of Gorgonzola cheese.
• Buffalo Chicken Pizza: Hot sauce and ranch or blue cheese mixed for the base, mozzarella, grilled chicken seasoned with buffalo sauce, and a sprinkle of blue cheese.
• Hawaiian pizza: jarred spaghetti sauce, mozzarella, caramelized onions, cooked bacon pieces, diced pineapple.
• Margarita pizza: olive oil, sliced tomatoes, mozzarella. After cooking: basil leaves.
• Cheeseburger pizza: tomato sauce and mayonnaise mixed, mozzarella and cheddar, cooked bacon, diced tomatoes, cooked hamburger. After cooking, add shredded iceberg lettuce.
• BLT pizza: the same as the above recipe, using bacon instead of hamburger.
• Mushroom and Gouda: olive oil. shredded Gouda, cooked bacon, sauteed mushrooms (which you sauteed in the bacon grease)

 

• Mexican Pizza: salsa, colby jack cheese, diced tomatoes, ground beef with added taco seasoning. After cooking, add shredded iceberg lettuce and avocado.
• Sausage, peppers and onions: pasta sauce, ground sausage crumbled, sauteed onions and peppers.

What’s your favorite pizza combo? Which one of these sounds or looks the best?

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