posted by:CheapThrills

I love pizza. I could eat it everyday, and so could my kids. I have a bread machine that I adore, and the dough-only cycle is perfect for making a great crust. You can  make it by hand if you don't have a machine. I prefer a wheat crust, but you can use all white flour if you prefer. When making a white crust, I add 1/ tsp garlic powder and 2 tsp oregano to the flour.

CRUST

1 3/8 C water

3 tbsp canola or vegetable oil

3 C bread flour

1 C wheat flour

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp sugar

2 1/2 tsp rapid rising yeast

When using a bread machine, add ingredients in order listed and put on dough-only cycle. You will need to watch the machine and tweak the amount of water if you are doing a whole wheat crust, as it tends to be a little drier than white. If dough seems too dry, add water in increments of 1 tsp. Dough should not crack, but it shouldn't be sticky, either. Dough cycle should take an hour and a half.

When mixing by hand, combine ingredients in a large bowl and mix until well blended, again adding a little additional water to make the dough nice and smooth. Let rise in warm place for 45 minutes. Punch down and let rise another 20-30 minutes.

SAUCE

1 15 oz can tomato sauce

1/2 C ketchup - this is one product I prefer organic because it doesn't have HFCS in it.

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 tsp oregano

1/8 tsp garlic powder

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. The longer it sits, the more the flavors blend, but you can mix and pour if you are in a hurry.

Spread dough in greased pan, add sauce and desired toppings.

For deep dish pizza, use one greased pan and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Allow to rest five minutes before cutting (which keeps all your cheese from pulling off.

For thinner crust pizza, divide dough in two and spread in 2 greased pizza pans. Bake at 500 degrees for about seven minutes, depending on the oven. Again, wait five minutes before cutting.

We like to serve pizza with salad or cut vegetables and dressing, as I insist on serving a veggie with most meals. The kids like dipping the crust in the dressing, too.

Enjoy!