One of our favorite things to make for dinner is pizza.. with an AWESOME crust. The one thing our family really cares about is the crust. Really good crust. Puffy, chewy, and thick crust!
Most of the time we buy a ball of dough already made from our local grocery store, but nothing, and I mean nothing, beats a homemade crust. Today we are so excited to be sharing one of the best crusts we have ever tasted on behalf of Red Star Yeast. This crust is thick and chewy, just how we like it, and what makes it even more amazing is that it has some extra cheese mixed in to the dough!!
Ingredients : For the dough:
- 2¼ cups bread flour, divided
- 1 package (2¼ tsp, ¼oz, 7g) RED STAR Active Dry Yeast
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- 1 cup water (120 -130°F)
Ingredients : For pizza sauce and toppings:
- 1-lb pork sausage
- ¼ cup chopped onion
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- ½ tsp fennel seeds
- 15-ounce can tomato sauce
- 1½ tsp Italian seasoning
- 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Mozzarella cheese
- 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- In medium mixing bowl, combine 1 cup flour, yeast, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper; mix well. Add warm water to flour mixture. Mix with a wooden spoon or dough whisk until almost smooth. Gradually stir in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Knead on floured surface 2 to 3 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic. Cover dough; let rest 15 minutes.
- In large fry pan, lightly brown sausage; drain. Add onion, cumin and fennel seeds. Cook until onion is soft; set aside. Combine tomato sauce and Italian seasoning.
Preparing Pizza
- Divide dough into 2 parts. With well-floured or greased fingers, press each half into greased 12-inch pizza pan, forming a rim around edge. Spread half of sauce over dough. Spoon half of sausage mixture evenly over sauce. Sprinkle cheeses on top. Bake in preheated 425°F oven for 20 to 25 minutes until edge is crisp and golden brown and cheeses are melted. Serve immediately.
- *You can substitute Instant (fast-rising) yeast in place of Active Dry Yeast. When using Instant Yeast, expect your dough to rise faster. Always let your dough rise until ripe. Traditional methods: use equal amounts; Bread Machine: use ½ tsp Instant Yeast OR ¾ tsp Active Dry Yeast per cup of flour in your recipe.
