Grampa's Famous Pizza

I love to cook up sweet memories with my crew.  Letting your children help out with meal time prep may seem like a hassle because the kitchen gets messy and it takes longer to prepare dinner but the memories being made and the lessons that are learned are priceless.

One of the things we love to cook up together is homemade pizza.  Little hands help roll and knead the dough, dimpled fingers sprinkle cheese onto the crust while sneaking a few bites.  Older children chop veggies/ meat to add for our toppings  and Mom watches little dust clouds of flour flit through the air.  Laughter is the music as we bake up memories together.  Yes the counters, and the children, get messy, but it is so worth it!  Enjoy whipping up Grandpa's famous pizza crust with your family this week.  You will find the recipe below.

Grampa's Pizza Crust

1 package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
2 Tbsp oil

2 and 1/2 cups flour (I use whole wheat)
Dissolve yeast in warm water.  Stir in remaining ingredients.  Beat vigorously for 20 strokes. ( I use my kitchen-aid).  Let rest for 5 minutes.  Roll out into lightly greased pizza pans.  Then top with your choice of sauce and toppings.  Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes.  Enjoy!

*  I double the crust recipe and make two large pies.  I also add spices (garlic, basil, and a pinch of sugar) to my recipe and brush the crust with butter before adding sauce.


For chicken pesto pizza I added homemade pesto for the sauce, a combination of mozzarella, Parmesan, asiago, and feta for the cheeses, and topped with cooked chicken breast.  Added broccoli as well as chicken to the second pizza.  So yummy!  Serve it up with a big ol' side salad and you have a healthy meal.  Happy bakin' and memory makin'.