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Pizza-licious

aaaaveryone loves pizza--and with good reason! Cheese, veggies, meat, and the perfect crust all add up to a very happy mouth! In my house, quick meals are a must, and this one takes the cake. You can prepare the dough up to three months in advance, and putting it all together takes mere minutes. You can put any topping you want on the crust, which makes it easy to personalize for picky eaters. This is my kind of pizza!

aaaaSome of my family's favorite toppings include roasted bell peppers, italian sausage, pesto, carmelized onions, and barbecue chicken, but be creative and add whatever you'd like! Better yet, get lots of toppings ready and have a party where everyone makes their own designer pizza. The possibilities are endless!

Pizza Dough:

2 cups warm water
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons yeast
3 tablespoons oil
6-7 cups flour
1 tablespoon salt

1. Stir water, sugar and yeast in a small bowl; let stand five minutes.

2. Stir 6 cups of flour with the salt. Pour in yeast mixture and oil; stir until mixed.

3. Kneed dough on floured surface, incorporating the last cup of flour, for 2-3 minutes. Shape into a ball, place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place until doubled (about 45 minutes).

4. Punch dough down, then fold into itself 4-5 times, leaving the smooth side up. Cover and let rise again until doubled (about 30 minutes).

5. Punch down, then remove from bowl and cut into 6-10 pieces, depending on the size of the crust you would like to make. Cover balls that are not being used.

6. Flatten one ball, then roll into a circle or rectangle. Crust should be 1/4"-1/2" thick.

7. Wrap crust in plastic wrap. Freeze for up to three months. Repeat with remaining dough.

Pizza Assembly:

Before beginning, be sure to have pizza sauce, cheese, and all desired toppings ready to go. Toppings (especially meat) should be pre-cooked.

Turn the oven's broiler on, and put a rack a few inches from the broiler's flame. Remove one crust from freezer. Lightly spray one side of crust with oil. Place crust, oiled side down, onto a baking sheet or directly on an oven rack. Let cook for 5-8 minutes, until top side is lightly browned.

Turn the crust over and let cook an additional 3-5 minutes.

Remove crust from oven. Put sauce and toppings on pizza and top with cheese. Place back under broiler for 3-5 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and turning brown. Serve and enjoy!