{Homemade Pizza and Breadsticks}

I don't know about you, but when the weekend rolls around, my husband and I are in pizza mode! We will occasionally order in, but I'd say about 95% of the time, we do a homemade pizza. Last night was a classic pepperoni pizza night, and I may or may not have gotten creative by making fun twisted breadsticks! (Yes..I did!)

Ingredients:
1 C warm water
1 packet of yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp vegetable oil
3 C flour

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Add yeast to 1 C warm water in a medium sized bowl. Let it dissolve for 3-5 minutes. Add in sugar, salt, oil, and flour (in that order). Knead your dough for a few minutes and then set on the counter and cover with a bowl. Let rise for about 10 minutes. **I did two batches to make dough for the pizza and dough for the breadsticks. Once your dough is ready, loosen it up a bit and then roll it out somewhat before spreading it out on your greased pizza pan. Create a raised edge for the crust. Pre-bake your crust for about 5 minutes or until a light golden brown. Add your toppings and bake for about 10 more minutes.

The pepperoni pizza I made last night was one of my best in my 3 years of making pizza on the weekends. I used to just do the basic..top with sauce, cheese, pepperoni..done. I've gradually added in some other ingredients and preparation techniques for style points. When you start the topping process, do your layer of sauce..then a thin layer of cheese, cover that layer with pepperonis..do another layer of cheese, top with more pepperonis (for show)..and then do just a little more cheese on top to cover your pepperonis a bit. Sprinkle a little oregano on your pizza. Now, the crust edge...butter (with softened butter) and sprinkle with garlic salt. It is delicious!



Breadsticks..
Roll your dough out and cut into strips. Did I mention my favorite kitchen tool is food scissors! Once you have your strips, roll them into snake shape (like you would with play dough as a child). Combine two of your snakes by twisting them together, making sure the ends are tight. Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake for about 5 minutes (at the same temperature as the pizza). Remove from oven and rub w/ melted butter..then sprinkle on garlic salt and parmesan cheese. Yum!




If you're a lover of mexican food (like myself and my sister Candace!), then you should probably try using black beans as your sauce (just blend a can until you have a paste-like texture)..and top w/ chicken (seasoned w/ cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper), cheese..then add lettuce and pico after you've removed it from the oven. Barbecue chicken is another favorite! You can also roll your dough out (thinner) on the counter and then transfer to a greased cookie sheet for a thin crust pizza. I love thin crust pizza! (I know, I know..I must not be a native Chicagoan, haha).

The great thing about homemade pizza is that your options are endless! The ingredients and design of your pizza is entirely up to you! Have fun! Let us know how it goes! Please comment or email if you have any questions!

sincerely fabuless, the windy city.