Adina Cooks!

Here are the 2 kinds of pizza I made with my Pizza Sauce and Pizza Dough recipes.

1. Place the pizza stone in the oven, and let it preheat for half an hour at 475 degrees.
2. Roll out dough on a lightly floured wood block, then place on a pizza peel which is sprinkled with corn meal.
3. Poke holes in the dough, and put on a light coat of olive oil
4. Put on pizza sauce
5. Put on cheese (I use low-skim mozzarella, which I shredding using my KitchenAid mixer shredding attachment)
6. Add other toppings as desired.
   • TIP: If using pepperoni, get rid of the excess grease by placing the pepperoni slices on a paper plate, cover with a paper towel, and microwave for about 60 seconds.
7. Slide pizza from pizza peel onto pizza stone in oven
8. Bake until cheese is melted in the center, and crust is golden brown. For cheese pizza, bake for approximately 4.5 minutes. If you have more toppings, it may require up to 7 minutes. Keep an eye on it!

This dough makes a pizza that is halfway between a thin a regular crust.

• 3/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 tablespoon dry milk powder
• 2 1/4 cups bread flour
• 1 teaspoon Gluten Flour
• 1 teaspoon active dry yeast

Add all the ingredients to your bread machine in order according to the manufacturers instructions. Select the dough cycle, then press start. When the cycle is complete, do not take the dough out right away. Leave it in there for an additional 1/2 hour.

Remove dough from pan, and place on a floured surface. Punch down the dough, and divide into 3 sections (for a 12" pizza). Form the dough into a ball, and place each ball into an individual bowl. Put a light layer of olive oil on each dough ball, and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let sit for 15 minutes before rolling out dough.

I have been experimenting with several pizza sauce recipes, and what I came up with here is my favorite so far. I tried making it with Escalon 6-1 Ground Tomatoes, but it gave me terrible heartburn, and I didn’t like the tinny taste. If anyone has any other recommendations for the tomato part, please leave me a comment!

Adina’s Pizza Sauce

• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 6 ounces warm water
• 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon (or 1 inch) anchovy paste
• 3/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1/8 teaspoon dried tarragon
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
• 1/8 teaspoon rosemary
• 1/8 teaspoon thyme
• 1 pinch fennel seed

In a food processor, combine tomato paste, water, Parmesan cheese, garlic, sugar, anchovy paste, and onion powder.

In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine oregano, marjoram, basil, ground black pepper, salt, parsley, tarragon, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, rosemary, thyme, and fennel seed. Add enough water to moisten the mixture. Microwave the mixture for 2 minutes at 30% power.

Add the herb and spice mixture to the tomato puree, and pulse until well blended.

Refrigerate the sauce for at least 6 hours (overnight is even better) before using on pizza.