Inexpensive Pizza That's Nutritious and Delicious

Most everyone loves pizza. On any given night when I give my kids a choice "pizza" is usually the first word out of their mouth (even if that wasn't one of the options).

We live in a rural area where pizza delivery isn't an option. Even if it were, for what you get good pizza can be pretty expensive (yes, I said GOOD pizza).

I love making homemade pizza, but it takes a lot of time. So, what I've started doing is making several batches of dough at a time (which is the part that takes so long) and freezing them. Then, in the morning before I go to work I remove a frozen dough ball from the fridge and it's thawed and ready to roll out and use that evening.

Here's my recipe (this is a double recipe, for which I get about 4 good-sized dough balls):

Dissolve two packets of yeast (usually 4.5 tsp) into two cups of warm water. Add two teaspoons of sugar and stir. Allow the yeast to "bloom" or get good and foamy, usually within five minutes or so.



Place all that in a bowl (I use a stand mixer which makes this process infinitely easier) and add two tablespoons of kosher salt and four tablespoons of olive oil. Gradually add five cups of flour (I usually use a mixture of white and wheat), mixing as you go.



When all the flour is incorporated, add a sixth cup of flour gradually until the dough forms a ball and no longer sticks to the inside of the bowl.


Dump the ball of dough into a greased bowl, turning once. Cover with plastic wrap (or damp towel) in a warm spot and wait about an hour til it is about twice the size.




Punch the dough down and roll it out to make your pizza. Bake the pizza at 475 degrees (yes, hot) for 10 minutes or so.



With the dough you have left over, form it into balls and tightly wrap it with plastic wrap and drop the wrapped balls into a freezer bag. These'll stay good for a few months (but chances are you'll use them long before they go bad).