The Recipe: Homemade-ish Pizza

I won’t claim to know how to make pizza crust from scratch. Having to activate yeast, let the dough rise, punch it down, etc. is a bit intimidating to me. I’ll try it one of these days. In the meantime, using a few spices, I’m happy with turning store-bought pizza dough into my own. And thanks to the toppings I’ve experimented with, Pizza Day in my home is one we look forward to.

Store-bought pizza dough – the kind you mix with water and let sit for 10 minutes – has proven to be easy to work with and is thankfully inexpensive. I form the dough into a circle on a pizza stone and sprinkle it with salt, pepper, garlic powder, sage and a pinch of cinnamon. Sage gives the dough a subtle sausage-like flavor while the cinnamon offers a hint of sweetness.

One of my favorite pizzas to make includes chicken, spinach, tomatoes and mushrooms with an alfredo sauce. It’s bright, colorful and, if I do say so myself, delicious. Recently, I ate a yummy pizza in West Virginia that inspired me to re-create it at home. My version features chicken, bacon, onions and slices of smoked Gouda, also with alfredo sauce.

My husband and I typically split a whole pizza, so if you’re cooking for more than two, I would suggest more than one pizza. I don’t have exact measurements for toppings so cover the dough with as little or as much of each ingredient that suits your taste.

Pizza

  • 1 packet pizza crust mix
  • ½ cup hot water
  • salt, pepper, sage, garlic powder, cinnamon
  • mozzarella cheese
  • toppings of choice

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Mix crust mix and water according to package directions. Cover dough and let sit in a warm spot for 10 minutes. Form into preferred pizza shape (round or rectangle). Sprinkle with salt, pepper, sage and garlic powder to taste. Add a pinch of cinnamon. Bake for 5 minutes.

Spread alfredo or tomato sauce on crust. Add your favorite toppings. (I like to cover the toppings with the mozzarella instead of making it the second layer). Bake for 10-15 minutes. Devour!