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If I was stuck on a desert island and could have only one food every single day, I would pick pizza. Â It has everything from a yeasty crust to a rich, thick tomato sauce and topped with your favorite vegetables or meat, or both. Â Then there is the gooey, melty, delicious cheese! Â Pizza is the perfect food! Â So today I am sharing two amazing recipes for Homemade Pizza Crust and Pizza Sauce.
 Today I have two tested, perfected, delicious recipes to share.  Some time ago I made homemade pizza sauce and froze it to have on hand.  This is a wonderfully easy recipe made with tomato sauce and tomato paste, seasoned with herbs and garlic.  It has a robust flavor and is so much better than anything you can buy pre-made.
This recipe makes about 4 cups of sauce, or enough for five or six 12-inch pizzas, depending on how much sauce you like on your pie.
 
The dough is just amazingly delicious. Â It is everything pizza dough should be and is not difficult to make. Â As with most yeast dough and bread, there are several simple steps. Â This is the first stage – called the sponge. Â It’s made with yeast, water, olive oil and flour. Â When allowed to rise for an hour and a half, the yeast blooms and bubbles and doubles in volume.
The dough is then mixed with flour and salt and transferred to a lightly oiled bowl. Â Covered with plastic wrap the dough is set aside for the second rise.
 The dough will then again double in volume after about an hour and a half rise.
Last week, for Memorial Day, I made a Herbed Goat Cheese Spread for our picnic.  I wanted to serve the goat cheese with a baguette so I decided to make my own.  After a few flops over the years I knew I wanted to try a different recipe.  I went with the baguette recipe in my wonderful cookbook titled Baking With Julia.  The baguettes are made over a two day period and starts with a small piece of fully risen dough from a recipe such as this.  A walnut sized piece of dough, called the old-dough, was snipped from this risen pizza dough and set aside for my bread making adventure.   You see … I HAD to make pizza so I could make the baguettes.  It was the right thing to do – yes?
I’ll post the recipe for the baguettes later this week so stay tuned!
This is my favorite part. Â I love working with dough and especially when it has a wonderful soft texture. Â You can press the dough into a disc or use a rolling pin to shape your pizza.
 I always hate to look at my hands in photos but thought this really showed the bubbles and texture of the pizza dough.
This dough recipe makes enough dough for two large pizzas. Â My husband loves a meat pizza so for this one I topped it with our homemade sauce, chopped sweet onions, pre-cooked ground beef, a little grated Parmesan cheese, fresh mozzarella and a rich flavorful Gorgonzola cheese.
 Sprinkled with a few herbs and baked – this pizza was a hit!  The Gorgonzola really set it apart.
The second pizza started with plenty of homemade sauce.
I topped this pie with oven roasted red onions, olives and freshly grated mozzarella cheese.
I added a little fresh Basil after it came out of the oven. Â This was my favorite pizza!
In fact I couldn’t wait another minute to taste it. Â Nobody missed that bottom piece with the big puffy crust. Â Oh yum! Â I hope you’ll try these recipes soon.
Homemade Pizza Sauce
Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 1 hr
Total Time: 1 hr 5 mins
Yield: 4 cups
Course: Condiment, Sauce
Nothing like homemade pizza sauce!
Ingredients
- 1 (29-ounce) can of tomato sauce
- 1 (12-ounce) can of tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano, or 2 tablespoons fresh chopped oregano
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon table salt
Instructions
- In a large saucepan combine the tomato sauce and paste. Add the remaining ingredients and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it comes to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cover and simmer for 1 hour. Use immediately or freeze in a sealed container. Yields: 4 cups or enough for about six 12-inch pizzas.
Recipe Notes
Adapted from Taste of Home
The dough is made in several stages, each easy with amazing results.
Ingredients
For the sponge:
- 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 1/2 cups tepid water, about 80 degrees
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
For the dough:
- The sponge
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 scant tablespoon table salt
Instructions
To prepare the sponge:
- Add the yeast to the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the water stirring to dissolve the yeast. Allow the yeast to rest for 5 minutes or until it becomes creamy. Add the olive oil and then gradually stir in the flour with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl, cover and let the sponge rest and rise in a warm place (about 85 degrees) for 1 1/2 hours. I use my microwave as a proofing oven. It is very warm inside when I keep the task light on underneath. Be sure your dough is free from drafts. The sponge should double in volume and become very bubbly.
To prepare the dough:
- Use a rubber spatula to deflate the sponge and fit the mixer with the dough hook. Add 2 cups of flour and the salt to the sponge and mix on low for 2 or 3 minutes. Increase the speed to medium and add a spoonful of flour, one at a time, if needed to help bring the dough together. It should be cleaning the sides of your mixer bowl. Continue to knead on medium for another 5 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled mixing bowl and turn it to make sure all sides are moistened with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow it to rest in a warm location for another 1 1/2 hours. The dough should double in volume and hold an impression when you gently poke it with a finger.
- Move a rack to the lower third of the oven and preheat to 475 degrees. If using a pizza stone, place it in the oven to preheat. I don’t have a pizza peel but at this point you would sprinkle the peel with cornmeal and set aside. I used a rimless baking sheet dusted with cornmeal.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough and cover the half you have set aside to work with later. Shape the dough into a ball and then flatten into a disk. Roll the dough into a 12 inch circle using a rolling pin. If the dough snaps back and doesn’t hold it’s shape, let it rest a few minutes then try again. Transfer the dough to the peel.
- Top the pizza with sauce, then vegetables or meat and cheese. Leave a 1-inch border around the rim of the pizza. Slide the pizza onto the preheated stone and bake for 15 minutes or until golden and bubbly. Repeat with remaining dough.
Recipe Notes
If you want to make the dough ahead of time wrap each piece of fully risen dough in plastic wrap, then place it in a Ziplock bag. Store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. You can also wrap it tightly and freeze until needed. To thaw the frozen dough, place it still wrapped in the refrigerator overnight. Both frozen and refrigerated dough should be allowed to come to room temperature before shaping. Â (adapted from a recipe by: Steve Sullivan, published in Baking with Julia)
I can’t say enough good things about this cookbook. Â The instructions are easy to understand and each recipe is written with great detail. Â If you read through the recipe a time or two, there is no way to mess it up. Â Happy Monday – thanks so much for stopping by!
Tricia
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef says
I made pizzas the other night and said, "John, can you check the pizza?" <br /><br />"Looks okay to me," he says.<br /><br />They were like eating shoe boxes with colored bits on top. 🙂 He's never checking pizzas again.<br /><br />I'll try yours and maybe they'll turn out this good.
Anna and Liz Recipes says
Hi Tricia! We're with you, pizza is the number one food we prefer! And yours looks amazing! Love the addition of Gorgonzola cheese too. Yum! Have a great week!
SavoringTime in the Kitchen says
Pizza is one of those wonderful indulgences that I just need to have at least once a month. I'd love to try both the dough and sauce soon! It looks wonderful!
Wendy says
If I ever get stuck on a desert island, I sure hope its your Pizza Island! Can I join you? This crust looks just the way I like it…not too thin, not too thick, just puffy enough to be chewy on top and a bit of crunch on the bottom. 🙂 Pinned for celebration meals! I can't wait to try the sauce. I often put pizza sauce and cheese on top of veggies and its great to have a homemade sauce
Chris Scheuer says
Tricia, your pizza sounds WONDERFUL and I totally agree with you about pizza. I could eat it for every meal! Though I must say, bacon is right up there with pizza for me. :).
Kitchen Belleicious says
that looks like the best crust I have ever seen and the sauce! WOW!
Elzbieta Hester says
Oh men, it's only 8am here … and I feel like swallowing your pizza right now. Red onions… always forget how much I like them. Beautiful pizza, Tricia<br /><br />ela h.<br />Gray Apron
Angie Schneider says
My mouth is watering, Tricia. I have been trying darn hard to cut down the consumption of carb. and now you come up with this terrific pizza…o man, no carb. no fun…the sauce looks perfect!
Gerry @Foodness Gracious says
Outstanding Tricia I bet being Homemade really shone through!
Monica says
Dorie Greenspan is such a great teacher; I enjoy all books written by her and I'm always learning something. I have to agree that pizza is the perfect food! Funny, I was just watching a show where the question of what food you'd pick to eat for the rest of your life came up. And your pizza from crust to sauce to topping is so thoroughly made and looks delicious.
Cheri Savory Spoon says
Hi Tricia, this looks like a wonderful recipe, I have been craving something like this fiercely. Pinned.
Kari Lindsay says
I might love pizza as much as you do, we eat it at least once a week! This crust looks perfect and soft, and I bet it smells amazing while the dough is rising!
TLady says
Oh my! I have been wanting a good pizza sauce recipe! Thank you Tricia! WHO doesn't love PIZZA? 🙂
Big Dude says
Your pizza look delicious, the sauce and crust will be saved for our use and it's hard to disagree with your desert island food choice. Now I'm hungry for pizza.
Sue/the view from great island says
I've been itching to make my own pizza dough for a while now, and yours looks fabulous! When I get back from Massachusetts this is first on my agenda!