Pizza Night!

We have been having pizza/movie night on Fridays for the last 7 or 8 years.  The kids are highly offended if we miss one or alter the plan in any way, like, say, suggesting that we go to the dollar movie theater instead.  They're cool with the dollar theater, just not on Friday night, please.

For most of that time, I made homemade pizza.  I haven't been doing it quite as much lately (we've got $5 Little Caesar's close by, though that get old after a couple weeks in a row).  After a lot of trial and error, I've figured out how to make a pretty good pizza for our tastes.

 source

For years I used this recipe for the crust, which I adapted from this one.  The amounts seem weird because I scaled it from 10 up to 15 servings to make two thinner crusts.  If I wanted (two) thicker crusts, I just doubled the original recipe.

• 1 cup and 2 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon and 1-1/2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1-1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon and 1-1/2 teaspoons white sugar
• 3-1/3 cups bread flour
• 2 teaspoons bread machine yeast (or packet of fast rise)

1. Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select Dough cycle; press Start.
2. Remove dough from pan after rise cycle and use for your favorite pizza recipe.

I recently discovered this thin crust recipe from Robbie's Recipes, which is faster because it doesn't have to rise.

• .25 oz. pkt. active dry yeast
• 1/4 tsp. granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup 110 degree water
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Her directions have you do the mixing and kneading by hand, but I just put it in my bread machine and let it do the work, and take it out before the rise begins.

Whichever recipe I use, I almost always use at least part whole wheat flour.  I like the whole white wheat because it has a lighter texture and flavor than the more common variety, which is made from red wheat.

I also have learned that for the crust to be done and not doughy in the middle, I need to parbake the crust, even if the recipe doesn't call for it.  I roll out the dough on the pizza stones, prick it with a fork, and bake it for about 5 minutes at about 450*.  Then I add the sauce and toppings and bake it about 8-10 minutes longer, until the cheese is browning around the edges.  Sometimes I brush olive oil around the edge of the crust after the first bake and use a sea salt mill to sprinkle a light dusting of coarse salt around the edge...it makes those edges that sometimes get left on the plate extra yummy.

Now for the sauce.  I originally started with this one, but tweaked it to our tastes until it became this (enough for two pizzas):

• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon honey, or even a little less
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• salt to taste

Do you have a family pizza night tradition?  Order out, or homemade?