pizza from home

since this is both a crafting AND food blog, i thot i'd highlight some food stuff tonite. one of the things i have been trying to perfect this past year is homemade pizza. anyone bake pizza at home? and i'm not talking the bake at home stuff you get from the store!

i have tried several different crusts, made in my trusty bread machine. and while they have turned out OK, none have blown our socks off. i still haven't finessed the cheese, sauce, toppings ratio either. half the time i think i put on too much and it starts sliding off the crust.

here are a couple crust recipes i've tried (all for use in bread machine):

Basic Pizza Dough

1 1/3 cups water
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1 Tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp yeast


Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

1 1/3 cups water
1/4 cup olive oil
2 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp yeast


Another Pizza Dough Recipe

1 1/8 cup warm water
1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
3 1/3 all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp yeast

and from this website---

Thin Crust Pizza Dough
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm water (110 degrees F.)
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
3 cups bread flour
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons semolina flour
3 tablespoons Dough Relaxer (optional)
3 teaspoons instant active dry yeast

i haven't made this one lately, but when i did we did like it. so maybe i should try it again.

i have also tried par-baking the crust before hand, baking on a hot stone or not, and using different temps and different time periods. if i was more organized i would have all that data nicely organized in a notebook, but alas, i'm not ... sigh. since i have a son who absolutely LOVes pizza, i'd like to perfect my crust recipe and then churn out several batches for the freezer to take out at a moments notice. stay tuned to see if i accomplish this before my son graduates from high school.

so what about you, dear reader, have a fav pizza crust recipe to share? or even a tip or hint on making pizza at home? i'd love to hear your comments. please! i'm begging you---give me a comment!!!