I love recipes that I can stretch to feed more than just our family, although, when I make pizza I tend to make quite a lot, because it's a family favorite, and the boys especially enjoy having leftovers or munching on it throughout the day.

I already have a pizza dough recipe for you, here on the blog.  It's my honey pizza dough which I've been making since my teenage years, it always turns out just perfect, fluffy and rises beautifully.

But with that said, I'm always on the lookout for new dough recipes, so I'm bringing you a whole new pizza dough for a sheet pan pizza that can feed 12 and is made in a big sheet pan.  Obviously, you can play around with it, use whatever toppings you prefer, double or even triple the recipe depending on how many people you're serving and so on.



2 packages (4-1/2 teaspoons) active dry yeast
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 cups warm water
4 cups all-purpose flour or bread flour
1 tablespoon garlic salt
½ cup olive oil, divided
1 cup pizza sauce
Pepperoni, Ham
Shredded Cheese
Italian seasoning



Coat an 18x13-inch sheet pan with ¼ cup olive oil and set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the yeast and sugar with the warm water. Allow to proof about 10 minutes.

Add the flour and garlic salt and mix on low speed for a few minutes before slowly adding the remaining ¼ cup of olive oil. Mix until a smooth ball starts to form, about 5 minutes.
Press dough evenly onto the bottom and up the sides of the prepared sheet pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 450°F. Once dough has risen to almost double in height, flatten the bottom and press the dough up the sides of the pan with your hands.

Spread pizza sauce evenly over dough. Add your toppings and then cover with the cheese of your liking.  Finish with some Italian seasoning.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the crust starts to brown and the cheese starts to bubble. Let set 5-10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Here's a great pizza recipe, easy to throw together and the results are magnificent.

I have a family of pizza eaters, teenagers and a husband who would probably be very happy with pizza every day.  I do enjoy it myself but I get a bit tired and bored of the same old pizza delivery or even the same homemade pizza.

Sometimes we need to kick it up a notch.

What I've done in this recipe is combine my own pizza dough with a Taste of Home recipe.  I don't like to brag, but I will say that this was one of the tastiest pizzas we've ever had, thick, soft crust and a delicious flavorful topping.

Give it a try and let me know what you think.




Homemade Pizza dough

4 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
2 medium green peppers, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon each dried oregano, basil and marjoram
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 pound Jones Dairy Farm All Natural Pork Sausage Roll, cooked and drained
1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, well drained
2 ounces sliced pepperoni

Transfer to a well-greased 12-in. heavy ovenproof skillet or round baking pan, letting dough drape over edges. Sprinkle with 1 cup mozzarella.
4. In a skillet, saute the green peppers, onion and seasonings in oil until tender; drain. Layer half of the mixture over crust. Layer with half of the Parmesan, sausage and tomatoes. Sprinkle with 2 cups mozzarella. Repeat layers. Fold crust over to form an edge.
5. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with pepperoni and remaining mozzarella. Bake 10-15 minutes longer or until crust is browned. Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing. Yield: 8 slices.

These were SO good.  I've been trying to use my cast iron skillet more, researching recipes and finding yummy treats to make.

I recently made a Foccaccia that was to die for, so when I saw these Garlic Pepperoni Knots, I knew my boys especially would love it, and they did.

It's so easy to make.  I adapted it slightly by using my own pizza dough and it turned out really well.




2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
4 ounces pepperoni, cut into 1/4-inch squares
Pinch red pepper flakes
6 medium cloves garlic, minced (about 2 tablespoons)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
2 tablespoons minced fresh chives (optional)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for sprinkling
Flour for dusting
My Homemade Honey Pizza Dough
1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
Pizza Sauce


Heat butter and oil in a 10-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat until butter melts and foaming subsides. Add pepperoni and cook, stirring, until pepperoni begins to crisp, about 2 minutes. Add pepper flakes and garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add parsley and chives and stir to combine. Transfer mixture to a large bowl and stir in Parmesan cheese. Do not wipe out skillet.

On a lightly floured surface, divide dough into two even pieces. Working one piece at a time, roll or stretch into an oblong about 8 inches long and 4 inches wide. With a bench scraper or knife, cut crosswise into 12 strips. Repeat with other half of dough.


Tie each strip into a knot and transfer to bowl with pepperoni/garlic mixture. Toss and fold with your hands until every knot is thoroughly coated in mixture. Transfer the knots to the skillet in a single layer. Drizzle with more olive oil, cover tightly with plastic, and set aside until doubled in size, about 4 hours. Alternatively, refrigerate until doubled in size, 12 to 16 hours.


When ready to bake, preheat oven to 425°F and adjust oven rack to center position. Unwrap garlic knots. Sprinkle with Romano cheese. Transfer to oven and bake until golden brown and crisp, 25 to 30 minutes.

Remove from oven and immediately brush with more extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle lightly with more Parmesan. Serve right away with warmed sauce on the side.

What???

Pizza dough that is not made with yeast???  Yep.  It all started because my kids asked for pizza tonight and I didn't realize that I had run out of yeast, so I did a quick search on google and found this great recipe from Joe Macho.

Now I've never made dough without yeast and I wasn't quite sure how it would turn out, but you gotta take risks sometimes right???

I will tell you that it turned out great, it was soooo crispy and thin just like I love it.  Even better is that I never have to worry about not having yeast around if I am in the mood for a homemade pizza :)




1 3/4 Cups Flour
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
1 Teaspoon Salt
3/4 Cup Water


Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl, add the olive oil.  With a fork, stir in the oil until a crumbly mixture forms.  Pour in the water, slowly, while constantly mixing until a dough ball forms and no flour is left in the bowl.

Knead the dough on a well floured surface for 2-3 minutes.  Roll out the dough with a rolling pin as  close to the size of the pan you are going to use.

Grease the pan and transfer the dough onto it.  With a fork, poke all around the dough,  it will eliminate any bubbles that may occur when baking.

Finish off with your favorite sauce and toppings.  You can cover the pizza at this point and refrigerate until ready to use, or bake in a 500F for 12 to 13 minutes. 

So remember the Pepperoni Pizza Bread I made last year???

It was such a huge hit with the kids and hubby that I put it on the menu again for this week,  but after having seen a similar recipe on A Thrifty Mom, I decided to use her recipe but just tweak it here and there.



The result, well.....if you liked the Pepperoni Pizza one before, you're going LOVE this one.  One thing that I thought was missing from the last one was the pizza sauce, and this one has plenty of that.  YUM!

So here is the recipe adapted from A Thrifty Mom, if you click the link above it will take you to the original recipe :)

Pizza Monkey Bread

 

1 Tube Pillsbury Grands Flaky Biscuits 16.3oz
1 small tube (7.5 oz) 10 buttermilk biscuits
5 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons to grease the pan and 3 to pour on top
Cubed mozzarella cheese
Oregano
Garlic powder
Pizza sauce
Pepperoni
Chourico
Fresh Basil

To prep your pan spread 2 tablespoons of butter on the pan then sprinkle oregano along the sides and bottom. At the top of the biscuit pull it apart, stuff the inside with 1 teaspoon sauce, cheese and toppings.



Pinch the top back together to seal it back up.



Place seam side up on it’s edge in the pan.

Now take the smaller biscuits and do the same thing.  For these I used a slice of pepperoni, a slice of chourico and some cheese.  Then place those between the big ones.

Once you have all of them stuffed, pour 3 tablespoons melted butter on top. Sprinkle a bit more oregano on top.



Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes till top is a rich golden brown color. Take out of oven and flip onto a serving platter.



These are really good, they didn't last but 5 minutes and there was fighting over the last piece. I can't wait to try different fillings.

For the past few years I have used the same pizza crust, it's one that we all enjoy and I'm kinda iffy when it comes to dough especially for pizza, if I like something I stick with it just because I fear trying something that will be a total fail.

While on Pinterest the other night, I came across this Fail-Proof Pizza Dough recipe and I thought "well, I'll try it".

I'm so glad I did because it's amazing and it's now our favorite.  I'm sure I'll still use my old recipe but this one is just too good to pass up.

The recipe comes from Lauren's Latest, and I can't wait to see what other goodies she has on her site :)



Basic Pizza Dough
yield: 2-12 inch pizzas, approximately 1 lb. of dough

Ingredients:
1 cup warm water
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 tablespoon honey {or sugar}
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons olive or canola oil
3 cups bread flour {give or take 1/2 cup…depending on the heat & humidity}

Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, preferably that of a stand mixer, stir yeast and honey into warm water. Sit for 5-10 minutes or until bubbles form and mixture starts to foam. This tells you that the yeast is alive and kicking. Pour in salt, oil and half the flour and mix.

Once that flour is incorporated, start adding flour in bit by bit until you get the pizza dough to the consistency you want: slightly tacky, but when you touch it it doesn’t stick to your hands.

Once you reach this stage, turn the mixer on high to knead for 6 minutes. Turn a timer on and walk away! Resist the temptation to stop earlier than 6 minutes! That seems to be the magical number. It should look something like this when it’s done!

The dough should be smooth and easy to work with. And the bowl should be clean!
Lightly grease the bowl & the dough so it doesn’t dry out, cover with plastic wrap and let it rise 1-2 hours. That’s it!



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For the Cheesy Garlic Pizza, I also used Lauren's recipe for the cheesy garlic bread sticks, just tweaked it a little. I used romano, cheddar, colby and monterey jack.

Cheesy Garlic Bread Sticks
yield: 1- 12 inch pie

Ingredients:
1/2 recipe Fail-Proof Pizza Dough
2 tablespoons softened salted butter
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese {use the real stuff!}
1/4 pound grated mozzarella cheese
{salt & pepper, if desired}

Directions:
Preheat oven to 500 degrees with pizza stone inside. {If you don’t have a pizza stone, use an upside down cookie sheet}



Mix butter and garlic in a small bowl and set aside.

Spread pizza dough out into a 12-inch circle on parchment paper. {This makes it easier to transfer to the pizza stone.}

Spread the butter and garlic mixture over dough



and top with parmesan and mozzarella cheeses.



Top with a light sprinkling of salt and pepper, if desired. {That step is totally optional!}

I love a good thick crust but there are times that nothing but a flaky thin crust will do, especially if I'm having veggie pizza.

I had a bit of a hard time finding a recipe I liked but once I did, I always go back to it.  I don't have a recipe of my own, I just tried a few things until I found one I liked, but I am going to give you the recipe to the Thin Crust from The Kitchn because it's the most similar to mine, matter of fact it's pretty much how I make mine :)

 

3/4 cups (6 ounces) of water
1/2 teaspoon of active-dry yeast (if using instant yeast, you don't need to dissolve it during the first step)
2 cups (10 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt

About 30 minutes to 1 hour before baking, pre-heat your oven to 500 degrees. If you have a baking stone, put it on a rack in the lower-middle part of the oven.

In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, heat the water until it feels barely lukewarm when you test it with your finger (if the water is so hot that you can't leave your finger in it, wait for it to cool down). Add the yeast to the water and use a fork or whisk to stir it into the water. Set this aside for a few minutes and allow the yeast to dissolve. It's ok if the yeast doesn't bubble, but it should be entirely dissolved and the mixture should look like thin miso soup.

Measure out the flour into a large mixing bowl. Add the salt and use your hand or a whisk to combine.

Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in the water-yeast mixture. Use your fingers or a wooden spoon to combine everything together.

When it comes together into a cohesive ball, turn it out onto the counter along with any extra flour in the bowl that hasn't yet gotten worked in.

Knead the dough until all the flour is incorporated and the dough is smooth and elastic to the touch--about five minutes.The dough should still feel moist and slightly tacky. If it's sticking to your hands and counter-top like bubble gum, work in more flour one tablespoon at a time until it's smooth and silky.

Use a bench scraper to divide the dough in two.

Shaping the Dough:

Tear off two pieces of parchment paper roughly 12-inches wide. Work one piece of the dough in your hands and form it into a large disk. Lay the disk of dough on the parchment paper.

Working from the middle of the dough outwards, use the heel of your hand to gently press the dough outward until it's about 1/4 of an inch thick or less. You can also use a rolling pin for this part. We like to make free form pies, but if you'd like a circular pie, you can trace a large circle on the back of the parchment to use as a guide.

Repeat with the second piece of dough.

Note: The dough will stick to the parchment paper, making it easier for you to roll out. You'll bake the pizza right on the parchment paper. As it cooks, the dough will release from the parchment, and you can slide the paper out before serving.

Topping and Baking the Dough:

Spoon a few tablespoons of sauce into the center of each pizza and use the back of a spoon to spread it out to the edges. Pile on all of your toppings except the cheese.

Using a bread peel or the backside of a baking sheet, slide your pizza (still on the parchment) onto the baking stone in the oven. If you don't have a baking stone, just bake it right on the baking sheet.

Bake for about 5 minutes and then rotate the pizza 180-degrees (most ovens have 'hot spots' your pizza will bake unevenly if it's not rotated). Bake for another 3 minutes and then sprinkle the cheese over the top. Bake for another 2-3 minutes until the edges are golden brown and crispy.

Remove your pizza from oven and let it cool on a wire rack. At this point, you can slide the parchment paper out from under the pizza. Repeat with second pizza.

Let both pizzas cool for about five minutes (we know--it's hard to wait!) and serve.

The first thing that came to my mind when I saw this recipe was "WHY didn't I think of that?".


The picture itself made me drool and I knew that I had to make it, there's no way my kids would ever forgive me if I didn't and honestly, kids and pizza go together like beer and brats or peanut butter and jelly.

So here's a super quick, easy, DELICIOUS meal to throw together.  I'm thinking this would be perfect for sleep overs and get togethers with friends and family.



1 teaspoon yeast
3/4 cup warm water
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup Lindsay Chopped California Ripe Olives or 1/2 cup Lindsay Large Pitted Black Ripe Olives, sliced
1 1/2 cups favorite toppings, chopped
8 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil

Sprinkle yeast over warm water in a bowl. Let it sit for 3 minutes until foamy, then add in flour and salt. Mix (using a mixer, spoon, or your hands) just until it comes together. Add in the olives and toppings and combine well.

Dough will be tacky, but feel free to dust with a bit more extra flour if it feels too tacky. Let rise for about 1 hour, then put in the refrigerator for another hour.


Take the dough out of the refrigerator and flour a Silpat or waxed paper. Roll out into a rectangle about 11×17”. Sprinkle cheese over top. Then, using the Silpat or paper, fold along the long side, like an envelope. Seal sides so cheese is not exposed. Let rest while you preheat oven to 450 degrees. Let oven stay at 450 degrees for 20 minutes.


Bake the bread, either on a pizza stone or baking sheet, for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. About 3 minutes before taking it out, lightly brush the top with olive oil and let it finish baking.

Let rest on a wire rack to cool slightly before slicing.


It was gobbled down by the family, multiple compliments on how good it was and has been requested for tomorrow again.  My husband actually asked me to make him one to take in to work as well.

HUGE THUMBS UP!

Super easy to prepare using my Honey Pizza Dough, but filled with cheese and Italian spices.

SO good dipped in Pizza Sauce.




1 Honey Pizza Dough recipe (but add a bit of garlic powder to the dough when making)
Italian Seasoning to taste
Sliced Cheddar Cheese (you can use Shredded too)



Roll the dough out to an oval or rectangle shape then drizzle with olive oil....spread it over the entire surface


sprinkle with Italian Seasoning


On one half of the pizza lay your cheese slices. I just cut up some from a block of Cheddar cheese I had and as you can see they don't exactly look pretty, but it doesn't matter, they will all melt into a gooey yummy goodness


Fold over and pinch sides to seal


Bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown

When I first tried this recipe, a couple of years ago, I wasn't quite sure what to think, I mean I knew my kids love pizza but I was afraid that if I messed with the traditional way, they would not be impressed.

BUT, I'm pretty lucky, my kids love anything to do with pizza and this recipe is so versatile that you can adjust it to their liking.

So here you go, a different way of presenting pizza to the kids....let me know what they think.




3 (7 1/2 oz.) tubes of refrigerated buttermilk biscuits, quartered
14 oz jar spaghetti sauce, divided
3 c. shredded mozzarella cheese, divided (I use a mix, whatever I have on hand)
1 clove garlic, minced (I use half a teaspoon of the jar minced garlic)
Optional: sliced pepperoni, sliced mushrooms, onion, ham, sausage or pineapple


Place biscuit pieces in a large mixing bowl;


add half the spaghetti sauce,


2 cups cheese and garlic.



Mix until biscuit pieces are well coated; spread in a greased 13"x9" baking pan.

Pour remaining sauce on top; add any optional toppings.


Spring with remaining cheese; bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes.


Serves 8 to 10.

I usually make the Honey Pizza Dough, which you can find here in my recipes. I've been making that one for years and it's my family's favorite. It's fluffy and it rises beautifully.

But sometimes when I'm in the kitchen doing my freezer cooking on the weekends, I throw this one together and pop it in the freezer.

This recipe will make 8 individual pizzas, all you need to do is make the dough, divide it into 8 balls, flatten them into discs and then freeze them between sheets of wax or parchment paper. When you want a quick meal, pull one from the freezer and add the toppings and bake. DONE!

I'm going to give you the original recipe that can be found on Martha Stewart's site, but I tell you I don't follow it to the letter.

For example, she divides the dough into two balls and freezes those first and then refreezes the actual pizzas. I don't do that, I immediately divide the dough into the portions I want and freeze them. That's it....




Ingredients

* 1 1/2 cups warm (115 degrees) water
* 2 packets ( ounce each) active dry yeast
* 1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for bowl
* 2 tablespoons sugar
* 2 teaspoons coarse salt
* 2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for kneading
* 2 cups whole-wheat flour (spooned and leveled)

Directions

1. Place water in a large bowl; sprinkle with yeast.


Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Brush another large bowl with oil.


2. In bowl with yeast, whisk sugar, oil, and salt.



Stir in flours with a wooden spoon until a sticky dough forms.




Transfer to oiled bowl; brush top of dough with oil.


Cover bowl with plastic wrap; let stand in a warm spot until dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour.


3. Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface. With floured hands, knead until smooth, about 15 seconds; divide into two balls.


4. Set balls on a plate (they should not touch); freeze until firm, about 1 hour. Then freeze in a freezer bag up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in refrigerator.

5. Divide each ball of dough into 4 pieces. Using your hands, stretch each piece into a 5-inch disk (if dough becomes too elastic to work with, let it rest a few minutes). Freeze shells on two parchment-lined baking sheets. Stack frozen shells between layers of parchment paper. Freeze in a freezer bag up to 3 months. Bake from frozen.


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Here's what I did with mine:

I cut the dough into 8 equal parts


Formed them into balls


Made them into discs, froze the ones I wasn't using and then rolled out the others for us for lunch.

The kids love homemade pizza because they get to put their own ingredients and do whatever they want, like smiley faces.

There was sausage, bacon and pepperoni pizza



Mommy and daddy decided to turn theirs into calzones. YUM....all we did was put all the toppings that we wanted and then folded the dough over and pinched the ends to seal.

Daddy's was all about the meat, bacon, pepperoni, sausage and cheese


Here's mine, sausage, bacon, jalapeno, onion slices and cheese