Going Italian With Your Homemade Bread
Pizza is halfway there if you have a bowl of bread dough on the rise. Press out half the dough on a pizza pan or baking sheet. Use olive oil to keep your hands from sticking. Form a ridge around the edge to contain the fillings. Proceed as usual with your favorite toppings and cheese.
My mother loved to make pizza for us. She never used a set recipe and did most of her creative thinking on her feet. We had some cranky relatives visiting once. One asked for her recipe for pizza and my mother, truthfully, said she really didn’t have one. It was just a bit of this and a dash of that. My mother then overhead the one relative whisper to the other, "Watch her so we can get the recipe." The other one mournfully replied, "I lost her at the onions!".
Since you always know what to order when you go out for pizza, it should be fairly easy to come up with your own special orders at home. The following are a few of my favorites. Add to them, take away but just enjoy the suggestions.
Red & Green Bell Pepper and Onion Pizza needs a liberal spread of diced peppers, and finely chopped onions laid out over the sauce and cheese. It is a bit crisper than regular toppings but is a nice change of pace.
Mushroom Pizza is just that! If fresh mushrooms are on sale, buy six or eight ounces, slice up neatly and spread decoratively over your sauce and cheese. The taste of mushroom goes a long way so you won’t need to go into debt on this one.
Breakfast Sausage Pizza uses ground sausage meat. Before you cover your pizza with it, make sure the meat is browned in a skillet until crumbly.
Pepperoni and Olive Pizza is the most popular at our house. For a less expensive version, buy a stick of pepperoni and slice it yourself. Olives can be diced, cut in half or chopped.
As long as you have dough in your hands and pizza on your mind, you can try a favorite variation and make Pizza Pockets. Take a portion of dough, about half a fist full, roll it out to slightly thicker than 1/4 of an inch. Brush entire surface with beaten egg. On one-half of the dough place a tablespoon or two of tomato sauce, your choice of filling (sausage, pepperoni, mushroom, onion and a generous scoop of mozzarella cheese. Fold in half, sealing carefully. Make an artistic crimp around the edge if you have the time and inclination. Brush top with beaten egg, cut a few vent slits and bake at 375 degrees on a greased baking sheet for approximately 20 minutes or until very golden brown.
As you work with your bread dough, think about it and leave your mind open to other ideas. I often find myself making one thing and wishing I had done it another way as inspiration hits! Write down your ideas. Don’t lose the moment. It may turn out to be a favorite memory.
The Italian theme can be carried out for a simple lunch on the run for the children. Just split and toast English Muffins. Spread a little spaghetti sauce, some grated mozzarella cheese and leftover bits of meatloaf, salami or pepperoni. Slip under the broiler unit of your oven until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Whenever I make spaghetti for dinner, I always seem to have a dab or two of spaghetti sauce left over. I usually save it in a small plastic dish (old butter tubs work well for this) in the freezer. When I want to make the quicky pizza recipe, I don’t have to open a new jar. The little bit is usually enough to cover the pizzas.
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