Pizza Crust - Fail

I owe you last night's recipe. I decided to have a hot pizza ready for Mr. V when he got home from work around 9:30p. I've not had much success with pizza crust in the past, but thought surely with my KitchenAid I couldn't be stopped. I slightly adapted what appeared to be a simple crust from allrecipes.com. The crust was delicious and the pizza as a whole was fantastic.

Unfortunately it stuck like superglue to the pizza pan after it was baked. I think I should have followed my instinct to flour the dough and oil the pan instead of the instructions to only oil & dust the pan. After a long day at work, poor Mr. V had to stand at the counter slowly chipping off little pieces of pizza for supper.

Crust Ingredients:

1 pkg yeast - I used pizza dough yeast, but couldn't tell you the difference
1 tsp. sugar - I used brown for extra flavor
1 cup warm water - no more than 110 degrees F
2 1/2c flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
dash of garlic powder (optional)
dash of onion powder (optional)
dash of Italian seasoning (optional)

Toppings:

1/2 can drained spinach
1/2 jar sliced olives
1/2 jar marinated artichoke hearts
1/4 jar pasta sauce
4oz mozzarella cheese







Equipment:

Mixing bowl
Dough hook if using a mixer to knead
Pizza pan
Measuring cup/spoons
Small skillet
Chisel for removing crust from pan (kidding....mostly)



Directions:

Crust:

• Preheat oven to 450 F
• In the mixing bowl, gently stir together warm water, sugar, and yeast - let sit for 10 minutes till foamy
• Dump in the rest of the ingredients

• Beat until smooth then let rest for 5 minutes

• oil & flower baking pan 

• Stretch out the dough and smooth into a round
• Let the dough rest for 15 minutes while prepping your toppings

•  Top and bake for 15-20 minutes.

•  Remove from oven when cheese is bubbling and the crust is golden

Tips & Variations:

• Oil & flour the pan, but also flour the dough. I also don't recommend a pan with holes for this recipe. I think that contributed to the sticking
•  Add some pepper or spice to the crust for a kick
• If you have the time, make your own pizza sauce 

 
 Cost: 

Crust
Yeast	$0.33
Flour	$0.36
Oil/Salt/Sugar			$0.10
	$0.79
Toppings
Sauce	$0.88
Olives	$0.45
Artichokes	$0.90
Spinach	$0.45
Cheese	$0.75
	$3.42
Pizza total	$4.21

 
$.79 for a pizza crust isn't too bad, considering the way you can customize it. At my local grocery store, a pre-made crust costs between $2.35 and $4.29. This pizza tasted better then most I've ever eaten. We loved the topping combo. If it hadn't stuck to the pan I think it might have been the perfect pie.