Cooking Victory - Pizza Crust/Macaroni Grill Bread

Back when we lived in Tanzania and I knew nothing about cooking... my dear friend Tiff gave me a recipe for a dough that could be used for Pizza Crust or for Macaroni Grill bread. Yum. Then she got me a pizza stone when we got back to the US. Double cool, huh? Yep, she's an amazing friend!

So, on the request of my mother-in-law (YES! I've arrived! The MIL has asked me for a recipe!), here is the recipe. Crust credits go to Tiff, baking perfection credits go to Keri! I have wonderful friends who teach me so much about cooking!

Pizza Crust
Preheat oven to 375-400 degrees. If using Pizza stone, place it in oven while it's heating up.


Mix together:
1 cup warm water, 2 tsp sugar, and 1 package (or 2 1/4 tsp) yeast. 
Let sit for 5 min.


While that's rising, mix together:
2 1/2 cups flour (I usually do a mix of white flour and whole wheat flour)
1 heaping tsp salt
3 Tbsp Olive Oil (NOT Extra virgin, just regular olive oil)
Pinch of Rosemary
Pinch of Oregano
Pinch of Basil


Add the yeast mixture and knead into a dough. The LESS you knead it, the better it will be. Just knead until it's mixed well. Let rise in bowl for 10 minutes.


Roll out, spread a thin layer of Extra Virgin Olive Oil on top, prick with a fork, and bake for ONLY 5 minutes.


Then pull out your dough, add your sauce and toppings and cheese, then bake for just as long as it takes for the cheese to melt. The crust will be perfectly cooked through, even in this short amount of cooking time! I use the pizza stone, but I've done small pizzas in a regular pan and the baking time is the same.


Macaroni Grill Bread
Do the same as the pizza crust recipe, through the kneading process, except add Thyme, too.


Then turn the dough out and let it rise on the baking sheet you are going to bake it on. 


Spread a thin layer of EVOO on the dough and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and garlic salt.


(I found that you need to press it down in the middle just a little before you bake it, so that it cooks all the way through.) 


Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until the top is brown. 
It has a great crust, just like the restaurant's version! 


Well, who ever thought I'd be posting recipes! Love it! Send me some good ones! I get overwhelmed with all the recipe choices out there, and I rely heavily on the word of mouth/reviews of recipes. I mean, how else are you supposed to know something is good?