Making Homemade Food Convenient: Pizza

We love having pizza night at our house, but on a Friday night I'm in no mood to whip up a homemade pizza crust.  And I don't like to pay for a greasy, not so great, take out pizza.  I won't buy frozen pizzas because of the ingredient list and lack of taste.  So here's the solution I came up with:  par baking & freezing my own pizza crust.  Every now and then I'll spend some time in the kitchen just making pizza crusts to freeze.  Here's how to make your own pizza crust, ready to freeze & use in a moments notice.

Note: It's always a good idea to have a helper in the kitchen.

Par Bake Pizza Crust
Pre-heat oven to 500.  Make your dough according to recipe.  After the dough has risen, roll out onto greased pizza pan, dusted with corn meal.  Bake for 3 minutes.  Then remove from pizza pan & let cool completely on wire rack.  Once cooled, wrap in saran wrap, then foil & store in freezer.

When you're ready to cook a pizza, pre-heat oven to 400.  Unwrap frozen crust & place on pizza stone (makes the best tasting crust).  Add your favorite toppings & bake 10-15 minutes until golden & bubbly.

The great thing about making pizza at home is you can top it however you want.  Like putting fresh parsley on one slice just for yourself since your family doesn't like it. ;)

Pizza Crust
2 1/4 tsp yeast
3/4 c warm water
1 1/2 c flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp oil

Stir yeast into water & let dissolve.  Mix into flour, salt & oil.  Knead until dough forms a ball.  Place dough in a greased bowl & cover with a towel.  Let rise in a warm place, about 10-15 minutes. 

Our favorite pizza toppings:
* extra virgin olive oil, mozzarella & parmesan
* red sauce, cooked ground beef, mozzarella & parmesan cheese