Scribe-ls

Don't sweat the price of pizza!   Make your own!  It's more healthful and cheaper by far.  You can freeze the dough and the sauce, buy cheese in bulk and get creative with the toppings.

It's easy!  Here's how:

Dough for 2 Big Pizzas

Proof 2 tablespoons rapid-rising yeast in 1/2 cup hot tap water with a spoonful of sugar or honey.  You mix it all up and let it set until foamy.

Then stir in 1 tablespoon of salt, 1/3 cup of olive (or other cooking) oil, 1-1/2 cup warm water and 1 cup of unsifted white flour until it's smooth.

Now the fun begins - stir in enough flour a half cup at a time (you can use up to 1 cup of whole wheat flour at this stage).  As the dough becomes thicker and thicker, it's easier to just wash those hands, take off the rings and get your hands right into it.  What you're looking for is a dough that's thick enough to be slightly springy but soft enough to not shrink too much from whatever shape you make it.  Knead it at least another two minutes after the right consistency is reached.

If you like a really chewy crust you can oil the same bowl you mixed in, put the dough ball in it, cover lightly with waxed paper and let it rise away from drafts until double in size (about 45 minutes).  Or, you can immediately divide the dough into two and roll out your crusts one at a time on a moderately floured clean board or countertop.  Transfer to a pizza stone or large side-less cookie sheet either oiled or sprinkled with a handful of corn meal by folding lightly into quarters.  Pinch up the edge with your forefinger and thumb, add sauce, cheese, additional fresh herbs and toppings and bake at 450 degrees in the middle of the oven until the edges are darkly golden, but the cheese isn't. That's roughly 15-20 minutes.

You can easily multiply this recipe and freeze individual dough balls wrapped in freezer paper.  Thaw them out in the fridge beginning about 24 hours before you need them by unwrapping and placing in an oiled bowl and covering with waxed paper.

...what you want my sauce, too?  No Ragu for you, huh?  sheesh...credit really goes to Trios of Boston's cookbook for this one...

Red Sauce for 2 Big Pizzas

Sautee 1 tablespoon of crushed garlic in a skim of olive oil in a 2-quart saucepan until it's slightly browned.

Add:

1 28 ounce can of good quality crushed tomatoes (or peel and crush 6 large tomatoes of your own if you know the trick)

1 tablespoon of dried basil leaves or one bunch of chopped fresh basil

1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper (canned is fine, really, but freshly ground is zingier)

That's it.  Simmer it for at least a half hour and cool to lukewarm before using on pizza.  It's good on pasta, too.  You can add other herbs, onions, etc., as you wish.  This is the best basic sauce for starting all kinds of good things.

This sauce can also be cooked in quantity using the huge cans of crushed tomatoes from the warehouse store.  The trick is to only increase garlic, herbs, salt and pepper by about 2/3 for each additional 28 ounces of tomatoes.  (It's amazing how those things get really disproportionately strong in large quantities.)  Freeze by two or three cup batches in re-usable bowls for the most utility.