Beachwood Camp- Pizza Day
Homemade Pizza
If you think it is too hard to make pizza from scratch let me share with you what my camp kids made today. These are all from scratch. They made the dough, rolled it and made the pizzas you see here. The kids range in age from 7-12. I am so proud of each and every one of them. Recipe follows.
Homemade Pizza
1 packet active dry yeast
1 t. sugar
1 2/3 c. warm water
4-4½ c. flour
2 t. salt
3 c. pizza sauce
16 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese
Cornmeal
In bowl combine 2 cups of the flour with the yeast, sugar and salt. Add the water and stir to blend. Add flour gradually and keep stirring. Stir until soft dough forms. Place dough on floured surface and knead until stretchy and smooth, about 10 minutes. Allow dough to rest 3 minutes and knead a few more times. Place in bowl and cover. Let rise until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes.
Punch dough down. Divide dough in half and roll each half into a 12-inch circle. Dust back of baking sheet with cornmeal and place dough on cornmeal, pressing down a little. Slide dough off sheet and onto a clean baking sheet. Place half of the remaining ingredients on the dough and repeat with remaining half of dough. Add more toppings, if you like and bake in a preheated 450-degree oven for 13-15 minutes. Cool a few minutes before cutting. Makes 2 pizzas.
Mini Pizzas: You can also divide the dough into 8 equal pieces and roll them out into 6-inch rounds. Then let each person make his or her own pizza. Bake a few minutes less than the big pizzas.
Get creative with the toppings: for your pizza toppings can include pepperoni, sausage, peppers (sweet or hot), Canadian bacon, mushrooms, artichokes, tomatoes, olives, chicken, turkey, pineapple, grilled eggplant, chickpeas, kidney beans, white beans, fresh herbs, spinach, broccoli, zucchini, ham, onions, roasted garlic, green beans and even dandelion greens. Well, you get the idea.
Have fun with the cheese, too. Mozzarella is great, but you can use any cheese you like including cheddar, feta, Parmesan, Romano, Monterey Jack, Muenster, provolone, Edam, Colby, Swiss or brick.
