Quickest Pizza Delivery EVAH!

We are becoming increasingly picky about our pizza. Our dream pizzeria, Zu Roma, we suspect of changing owners and quality, so they are no longer dreamy. Plus, we can only afford it on Mondays (2 for 1!), although Zu Roma will deliver them unbaked and ready for the freezer. We are somewhat satisfied with I Fratelli, but their quality is spotty. One Sunday after returning to town, we even tried the pizza place on our corner. Bad decision.

So, we are back to making our own, which we have loved to do anyway. We made it on a double date in the summer (also a bad idea; Dallas is HOT, and so is our oven-baked apartment all summer long!). It makes for ideal customization, since you can make individual ones with whatever you like.

The crust is the tricky part, but please keep an open mind. There is thick, bready Sicilian style crust, which takes a few hours to rise, and there is thin, manageable crust that whips up pretty quick. I'll post the thick one someday, but for now I'm using the thin one. And let's face it, nothing makes you hungrier for pizza than waiting for pizza. Am I right? Remember all those 45 minute waits in Pizza Hut?

Make this. Eat this.

Quick and Decent Pizza Dough for Thin Crust

(one 12 inch thin-ish crust)

1/4 oz packet of yeast

1/4 t sugar

3/4 c warm water

1 3/4 c flour
1/2 t salt

Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water (around 110 degrees). If you get the water too warm, it kills the yeast and your dough goes nowhere. Too cool, and you get no action either. Use a thermometer if you're iffy.

Mix flour and salt together in a large bowl and pour yeast water over. Mix with a heavy or wooden spoon. I have even drizzled olive oil into the water before adding, but it is not necessary. Turn out the dough on a floured surface and knead for 2 minutes. At this point you can get let it rest whilst you prepare the toppings, or just roll it out right away. Aim for a 12 inch circle or your desired thickness. Pat it out on a baking sheet that has been greased (to avoid tragedy) and even sprinkled with cornmeal if you have it. From here, you can either top it and bake the whole thing all at once (500 degrees, 8-12 minutes), or toast the crust slightly until it can exist on its own, then top it and put it directly on the oven rack to get nice and toasty.

Got sauce?

(enough for 2 large pizzas, so half it if necessary)

1 medium onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

2 T oil

1/2 qt tomato sauce, or crushed tomatoes

12 oz tomato paste (2 cans?)

dash red wine

1 t salt

1 t oregano

1 t basil

Cook the onion in the oil until soft. Add the garlic, cook till fragrant. Add the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Add everything else and simmer for as long as you can stand it (one hour seems excessive, so just simmer as long as it takes you to prepare everything else.We toppped our pizza that night in two halves: one with sausage (pre cooked) and mushrooms, one with green pepper, olives and mushrooms. The veggie side won that night.