A Point of Pizzazz

Do your jazz fingers now because your hands are going to be busy mixing, kneading, chopping, and eating after you read this recipe for homemade pizza.

Pizza has got to be one of the best creations in the world because it has everything I could wish for, all in one perfect warm cheesy bite.

You have a crispy crust dressed with a yummy sauce, tons of veggies, drippy gooey cheese, and little bites of salty meat and olives. For me, that type of pizza is absolute perfection.

And if you want something different, go ahead and add or remove the toppings because the toppings aren't as important as a delicious perfect crust. I mean, in my opinion you need the cheese, but everything else is optional, kind of like how it seems like it's a personal opinion about who invented pizza.

Nobody can track who invented this delectable cuisine. Was it the Egyptians or did pizza originate in Greece or Italy?

What can be agreed on is that pizza was a peasants food because flour and water were inexpensive.

Also everyone agrees that originally the crust of the pizza served as an edible bread plate with the toppings as the meal. This kind of pizza could have looked much different from the kind we eat today though, because the toppings were whatever people had on hand.

Also it is agreed that the word pizza comes from the old Italian word "pizzo" that means "a point".

And just hearing about the word point makes me want to take the first little pointed bite of the yummy pie.

So let's not waste anymore time and get down to the dirty business of making the dough for the crust. Here's my favourite recipe.

Pizza Dough

2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil + a little extra for greasing your cookie sheets
3 cups whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon corn meal

1. Combine the yeast, brown sugar, and water in a bowl and let it rest until the yeast begins to bloom. This will take about 10 minutes.

2. In a large bowl, add 2 1/2 cups of your flour and salt. Make a well in the middle and pour in your yeast mixture and olive oil. Mix to combine and then knead for about 5 - 10 minutes, adding more flour until the mixture is no longer sticky.

3. Pour a little cornmeal in the bottom of a bowl and place your dough in it.

4. Cover the bowl and place it in a warm place to rise until it doubles in size, about an hour.

5. Punch the dough down and roll it into two large pizza crusts.

(If you like a thicker crust, let your dough rise for about 20 more minutes before you cover it with toppings. I like a thinner crust so I put my toppings on right away.)

6. Grease two cookie sheets with a bit extra olive oil and cover with your favourite pizza toppings.

7. Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes and enjoy!

I used tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, mushrooms, sausage, olives, onions, and tomatoes. And because I had so many toppings, I didn't have to use too much cheese to love it!