Tomato & Basil Pizza

Paula sent this one in. Pizza top to bottom!
I am not a fan of take-out or fast food. My daughter asked me recently “Why can’t we just order a pizza over the phone like normal people?

So now in addition to being labeled “insane” , I am now considered “abnormal”.
Tomato & Basil Pizza


You will need (Utensils):
  1. 2 Medium bowls
  2. 1 - 15" pizza pan or 2 - 10" pans
Ingredients For Crust:
  1. 1 Envelope active dry yeast
  2. 1 Cup warm water (to dissolve yeast)
  3. 1 1/2 Cups wheat flour
  4. 2 Teaspoons sugar
  5. 1/2 Teaspoon salt
  6. 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  7. 1 1/2 Cups White flour
Ingredients For Toppings:
  1. 1 Block Mozzarella Cheese (Shredded)
  2. 4 Large Tomatoes (Sliced)
  3. 2 Cloves Garlic (minced)
  4. 4 Tablespoons Fresh Basil (chopped)
  5. 4 Tablespoons Olive Oil
  6. 2 Teaspoons Oregano
Variations:
  1. You can add any toppings such as vegetables, onions etc.
  2. Instead of or in addition to tomatoes, you can use a sauce. Just put it on before other toppings and cook an additional 5 -10 minutes.
Directions:
  1. Preheat Oven to 425 degrees
  2. Dissolve yeast in warm water.
  3. Allow to rest for 5 minutes.
  4. Stir in whole wheat flour, sugar, salt, olive oil and 1 cup of the white flour.
  5. Knead in the remaining 1/2 cup of unbleached white flour by hand, kneading for about 5 minutes.
  6. Spray a medium size bowl with nonstick cooking spray.
  7. Place dough in bowl and turn to coat thoroughly.
  8. Cover bowl with a cloth and allow it to rise in a warm place for 15 minutes.
  9. Spray one 15-inch pizza pan or two 10-inch pizza pans with nonstick cooking spray.
  10. Stretch pizza dough to fit pan.
  11. Put crust in 425 degree oven for 5 minutes.
  12. Remove from oven and place tomato slices, shredded mozzarella and seasonings on partially baked crust.
  13. Drizzle Olive oil over top
  14. Bake until cheese is melted and crust is browned. About 15 - 25 minutes.

Some people have a favorite Pizzeria. NOT PAULA! No! If her daughter wants Pizza then she is going to get REAL PIZZA. Though to some this may seem like overkill, actually once you do it, and if you get it down right, it is great to make in the house. Additionally, you can buy ready made frozen pizza dough and start from there (just adding the toppings that you like). To be honest I am lazy so I buy the ready made dough and then experiment with garlic & onion pizza; broccoli pizza; or any other type of toppings you like. (Just no anchovies - YUCK!) I happen to love fresh onion and garlic with a touch of broccoli. But if you get this recipe down, including the dough, it basically is great for whatever floats your boat. We leave this specific recipe in the 3 star for difficulty cause it does need time and thought.

Also, once you get the dough down - well there are a million things we can make with it! All Yummy.

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