Heartwarming Pizza

We made daddy (and ourselves) a Valentines pizza! What's that saying again??..."A way to a man's heart is through his stomach." haha


Check out this kneading action!! "Go Sawyer go, Go Sawyer go!"




Heartwarming Pizza

A fun food idea from FamilyFun magazine! My Valentines sure did enjoy it!

Perfect Pizza Dough


Kids can push, pull and twist this basic pizza dough all they want--the more you handle it, the better. Use it for pizza, breadsticks, calzones and even focaccia.

Ingredients

* 1 cup warm water
* 1 tsp. sugar
* 1 1/4-oz. packet active dry yeast
* 3 tbsp. olive oil, plus extra for coating
* 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
* 1 tsp. salt

Instructions

1. Place 1/4 cup warm water in a small bowl. Stir in the sugar until dissolved, then sprinkle the yeast onto the surface of the water. Let the yeast float there for 1 minute, then stir it into the water. Let the yeast "proof" for 10 minutes. It should bubble a bit; if it doesn't, the yeast is outdated and inactive.
2. Pour the yeast mixture into a large bowl, then stir in the remaining water, and add the olive oil, flour and salt. With a wooden spoon, mix the dough until it forms a ball. On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough for 10 minutes, or until it is smooth and elastic.

Coat the inside of a large glass or ceramic bowl with olive oil. Press the ball of dough into the bottom of the bowl, then flip the dough over so the oiled side is on top. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, then let the dough rise in a warm place until it has doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours. Makes 1 1/2 pounds of dough.

Now to construct the pizza.

Ingredients

Perfect Pizza Dough (the recipe above)
olive oil for coating or cornmeal for dusting
1 c. homemade or store-bought tomato pizza sauce
3 c. cheese (of your choice)

Directions

Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Punch down the risen dough, knead it a few times to remove all the air, and divide it in two. On a lightly floured work surface, use a rolling pin to roll one portion into a 12-inch round. Place on a lightly oiled baking sheet and shape into a heart. Take some more dough in your hands and roll the dough in a snake shape to make the crust around the edges.

Spread a thin layer of sauce on the crust--not too much, or else your pizza will become soggy. (A word on sauce: if you don't have time for homemade, spruce up a 14-ounce jar of store-bought by adding garlic and dried oregano.)

Top your pizza with cheese and your choice of any additional toppings. Bake 12 to 15 minutes; subtract a few minutes if you're using a pizza stone. When done, the crust will be golden underneath. Makes two 12-inch pizzas.