Pizza Part II

Our very favorite pizza is home-made. It takes some time to get everything together, but you can do it in stages. Make the sauce a day or two in advance. Roast or sauté the vegetables ahead of time. Then put it all together when the crust is ready.

Pizza crust is easily made in a bread machine or food processor. You can make your own pizza sauce (recipe below), buy ready-made sauce or simply brush the crust with olive oil or pesto.

You’re in control of the toppings and cheese. I suggest using lots of vegetables (see the suggestions below) and a small amount of flavorful cheese.


A baking stone (a special ceramic stone that can be put into your oven) is optional, but it helps make an especially crisp crust.

Pizza Dough

This recipe makes two thin-crust pizzas, 12-14” (30-36 cm) or one thick crust pizza. If you want, you can refrigerate all or part of it for a day or freeze it for a month. Package it in a freezer bag and let it defrost in the refrigerator overnight before using.

1 1/3 cups water (room temperature)
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cup whole-wheat flour
1 ½ cups all-purpose white flour
1 package (2 ½ teaspoons) dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoon salt

Bread Machine Instructions

Put all of the ingredients in the pan following manufacturer’s instructions. Program for the dough (or pizza dough) cycle. The dough should be soft.

Take the dough from the pan (divide it now if you plan to use only half) and knead it gently into a disk gently on a lightly floured surface. Cover with a towel and let it rest for 10-15 minutes.

Food Processor Instructions

Insert the metal blade and place the dry ingredients in the bowl of the processor. Mix the water and oil together and pour it through the feed tube until the mixture forms a soft ball. Knead in the processor for a few minutes.

Remove the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover and let rise until doubled. Portion it and continue with directions from above.

If you’re using a baking stone, put it on the bottom shelf of the cold oven now. Preheat the oven to 475 Fahreinheit (245 Centigrade).

Roll out the dough on a lightly oiled pan, using your fingers to push the dough gently into the corners of the pan.

Spread the tomato sauce on the dough and then arrange your choice of toppings.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the crust is brown and crisp.

Sprinkle on grated cheese and return it to the oven for another minute or to, until it melts.


Pizza Sauce

This is an easy sauce made with ingredients on hand. If you don’t have the exact type of canned tomatoes called for, be flexible – use tomato sauce or cut-up whole tomatoes instead.


Olive oil
1 small (or ½ large) onion, diced
1 whole clove garlic, peeled
1 small can (400gm/15 oz) diced tomatoes or tomato sauce
1 small container or can (100 gm/6 oz) tomato puree or paste
½ teaspoon dried oregano

Heat a small amount of olive oil in a saucepan. Add the onions and whole garlic and sauté until soft and translucent. Add the tomatoes, puree and oregano and cook on low heat for 10-15 minutes. If need be, add water to thin the sauce, or cook longer to thicken it if it’s too thin. Remove the garlic clove before using.

Topping suggestions:

Sautéed onions, mushrooms, grilled eggplant, zucchini, black or green olives, thinly sliced tomatoes, cherry tomato halves, red, yellow or green peppers

Cheese:

A small amount of flavorful cheese compliments, rather than overwhelms the vegetable toppings. Use grated mozzarella, parmesan, Bulgarian or other cheese of your choice. By sprinkling on the cheese at the end, it stays soft and creamy.

Pizza Part I

Just before Pesach. Just after Pesach. What's better than eating pizza?

Pizza has a bad name. Loads of goopy, greasy cheese and a thick white-flour crust means lots of calories, fat and cholesterol and little in the way of vitamins, minerals and fiber.

But we all love it. And it doesn’t have to be bad. In fact, if your favorite take-out pizza place is flexible, you can order pizza that’s good for you.

Every now and then our family orders pizza from a store here in Beer Sheva. We like their thin, crisp crust and fresh vegetable toppings. It’s not greasy, delivery is quick, and they are very polite.

When we get past the delivery details, the phone conversation goes something like this:

Me: “I’d like eggplant, onions, tomatoes and black olives. And no yellow cheese, please.”
Young man at the pizza store: “Excuse me?”
Me: “Just a very small amount of Bulgarian (hard white) cheese.”
Young man: “O.K. Yellow cheese plus Bulgarian cheese.”
Me: “No, just Bulgarian cheese. And only a little.”
Young man: “Are you sure? You know it costs the same.”
Me: “Yes, I’m sure. And I don’t want the soft drink.”
Young man: “But it comes with it. You’re paying for it anyway.”
Me: “Yes, I know. Send a bottle of sparkling water instead.”
Young man: “I don’t think we have any.”
Me: “No problem. We’ve got plenty of water at home. Just send the pizza. And please, be sure to leave off the yellow cheese.”

It may take some effort to get what you want, but it’s worth it. So go ahead and order a pizza once in awhile. Eat just a few slices and enjoy.

And don’t be shy about special requests!