Stuffed Crust = Stuffed Us

Saturdays have always been pizza day for my husband (Dusty) and I, and we've continued that tradition with Asher (20 months) now, too - I really look forward to it throughout the week . . . it's just fun to have something like that that we all enjoy as a family, even if it is just pizza (I'm sure once Aiden can eat food he'll enjoy it, too). Usually we order in from somewhere, but occasionally I'll make homemade pizza - yummy. I love homemade pizza crust, and the recipe I used this time is super convenient because you can mix the dry yeast in with the dry ingredients - no need to let it sit in water until it dissolves. I got the recipe from "The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook" which I got as a Christmas gift from my parents. It's a wonderful cookbook - definitely check it out. It's full of great tips and yummy recipes.

Also, I wanted to try to do stuffed crust this time - we love it from Pizza Hut so I figured why not give it a try? Turned out delicious! I just bought Sargento Mozzarella/Provolone cheese sticks and wrapped the outer crust around them. I also used the rest of the dough (about 1/3) to make cheese sticks - Dusty LOVES them . . . I think they're just okay. We figured the true test with the pizza would be whether or not Asher liked it because pizza is definitely his favorite food; he always says, "Pizza, mmmm, yum yum." :) He's so cute - you can see in the picture below that he's trying to give a "thumbs up" as he takes a bite. Apparently he liked it because he stuffed so much in his mouth that he gagged, but refused to let me take any out! Anyway - hope you get a chance to try the recipe sometime!

Pizza Dough

4 1/4 c. bread flour (I used AP flour because that's all I had on hand)

1 envelope (2 1/4 tsp.) instant or rapid-rise yeast

1 1/2 tsp. salt

2 Tbls. olive oil

1 1/2 c. warm water

Mix 4 cups of the flour, yeast, and salt in bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment. With mixer running, pour in the oil, then the water, and mix until it comes together. Switch to the dough hook attachment, and knead dough until smooth and elastic, appr. 5 minutes (or knead by hand for 10 minutes). Add in the remaining 1/4 c. of flour if necessary. Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover and let rise until doubled in size, appr. 1-1 1/2 hours.

Preheat oven to 475 degrees F. Divide dough into desired portions depending on how many/how large of pizzas you want. Start from the center and press dough with fingertips from the center out to the edge. Then stretch dough to desired size. Transfer to pan, and top with desired sauce and toppings. Bake 13 minutes. (Next time I'd like to try to make my own sauce - supposedly it's pretty easy)

Cheese Sticks (in case you're interested)

Brush pizza dough with 1 Tbls. melted butter and a drizzle of olive oil. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning, garlic salt, and parmesan cheese to taste. Sprinkle liberally with shredded monterey jack cheese and bake at 375 F for about 8 minutes. Enjoy!

Coming soon . . . the Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Brownies I promised you!