Pizza Dough & Sauce

We have pizza night every Friday night at our house, and we have about 12-15 people, including us, that get together. I tried a new pizza dough recipe last night, and I am going to use it from now on.  I like it so much more, and it is much more fluffy. I always have my marinara sauce on hand because I usually make a double or triple batch because it freezes beautifully. 






Pizza Dough



Ingredients


• 1 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees F)


• 1 (1/4-ounce) envelope active dry yeast


• 1 teaspoon honey


• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil


• 3 cups unbleached bread flour or all purpose flour


• 1 teaspoon salt




Directions


In a large bowl, combine the water, yeast, honey, and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, stirring to combine. Let sit until the mixture is foamy, about 5 minutes.


Add 1 1/2 cups of the flour and the salt, mixing by hand until it is all incorporated and the mixture is smooth. Continue adding the flour, 1/4 cup at a time, working the dough after each addition, until the dough is smooth but still slightly sticky. You might not need all of the flour. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until the dough is smooth but still slightly tacky, 3 to 5 minutes.


Oil a large mixing bowl with remaining olive oil. Place the dough in the bowl, turning to coat with the oil. Cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm place, free from drafts until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.




Kitchen Aid Mixer Directions

Add 1/2 of the flour and salt to mixing bowl while yeast is dissolving in another bowl. After yeast mixture is fluffy, pour the mixture in to mixing bowl with flour and salt. Using the dough hook attachment, run the mixer on the 2nd setting until the dough comes together, adding 1/4 cup of flour at a time, until the dough climbs up the dough hook(may not use all the flour).  Let the mixer run for 10 minutes to knead the dough. Remove the dough from the mixer and, on a floured surface, form into a smooth ball shape. Place the dough into a greased bowl and cover with a clean towel. Place in a warm, draft free place for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the dough doubles in size. I preheat my oven to 200 degrees, turn it off, and then place my dough in the oven and cover with a went and ringed out tea towel for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and roll to desired size.

Marinara Sauce

INGREDIENTS

* 1 pound sweet or spicy Italian sausage (optional)
* 1 pound lean ground beef (optional)
* 1 small sweet onion or 1/2 cup minced onion
* 4 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
* 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
* 2 (6.5 ounce) cans canned tomato sauce
* 1/2 cup water
* 2 tablespoons white sugar
* 1 tablespoon of fresh finely chopped basil leaves
* 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
* 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning or Oregano
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
* 1/2 large minced green bell pepper
* 1/2 large minced red bell pepper
* 1/2 teaspoon crushed hot red pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. In a food processor place tomatoes, tomato paste, minced garlic, onion, green bell pepper, and red bell pepper. Blend until smooth.
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, add tomato sauce, tomato and veggie mixture, oregano, parsley, salt, and sugar.
3. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. If you are adding meat to the sauce, brown meat halfway, and add in oregano, parsley, and salt to meat. Brown the rest of the way, and then add in your tomato sauce, tomato and veggie mixture, and sugar.