Okay so Kaye from Pudgy Penguin Perusals recommended Martha White's crust and I just had to give it a shot. The first pizza really was so so... Maybe on the level of frozen pizza tasting. So I tried the Martha White's Mix. Oh since I was at Wal-Mart today I can give the correct prices.
Crust # 1 (Wal- Mart Brand ) is .44 cents. Crust #2 is (Martha White's Brand ) .78 cents.
So pretty much the same thing. 1/2 cup HOT water. 30 strokes instead of 20 , make a ball and THIS recipe has you brush the ball with 1 tsp oil.
So then you cover and let sit for 5 minutes.
Press into the pan. (again I used floured hands).
THIS time you poke the crust and bake for 5 minutes before topping. Then you add the toppings and bake 9-11 minutes. I did 8 minutes.
I shouldn't have been typing this post. I think that 7 minutes would have been better. I must have a HOT oven. So it is on the crispy side. Next time I am not cooking it on the bottom rack. And I am not typing the post while it cooks. (The boys are in test tasting it now).
True to my word I used more sauce and less cheese. Yep.. this crust is better.... Not to mention that it is about 1 and 1/4 inch wider all the way around. I am wondering if it is good enough to try some fancier pizza's. Maybe BBQ chicken pizza or some other California Pizza Kitchen knock offs.
Stay Tuned. I have a urging to come up with a TRES fabulous home cooked pizza. I couldn't find my old Pizza Stone. Might have to look for another one. I hear the Pampered Chef ones are wonderful.
Hum... lots to think about in this economy.. still not as good as take out... but about 15 bucks less. Multiply that by four Friday Pizza Nights and that is a whole lot of book money!
Here are the latest Super Cheap and Easy Pizza photos. (PLEASE Excuse the dirty oven... I use it a lot.. still no excuses right.. It is self cleaning... )
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8 comments:
Mmmmm now I'm craving pizza. I'll have to try the Martha White crust sometime. I always take the lazy way and use a Pillsbury pizza crust. I make a "white" pizza that the hubby and I enjoy... olive oil as opposed to pizza sauce.
Look forward to reading more of your forays into pizza making!!
Oh, that looks SO GOOD....thanks for the idea as it really sounds and looks good! I can't wait to try it!
I have to say regarding dirty ovens (a problem which I share ALSO because of pizza!) - what's the point of having a "self-cleaning" oven if you can't keep the racks in there and you have to clean them by hand which is a huge amount of work, and you're only going to turn around and make more pizza on them ANYWAY, so why waste the effort?!!! Instead, you could be reading!!! :--)
Glad you thought it was better. Yeah, you do have to know your own oven. I cook mine on the middle rack. I don't think you need a fancy stone from pampered chef. You'll probably pay a ton more. Walmart carries those too. I got mine from J.C. Penny and it was less than $10.00 and came with the rack and pizza cutter. We had friends over one night and made pizzas and they were impressed. They said they were going to try it so I told them about the stone but then they told me they just got one at Walmart. Roasted red pepper strips are really good on it too. You blew me away saying your GRANDSON. No way on earth could you be old enough to have a grandson ! That was a typo, right?
I haven't had pizza in a long time and that is making so hungry-it looks really yummy Toni.
Oh everytime I see that finished product I start to salivate. Like Dar I haven't had pizz in a long time...
What a great idea! I love these group efforts. Well, Toni's effort, group advice! My hubby's favorite is the Chef Boy-R-Dee (sp?) but my middle son works part time at a Pizza place (he gets them 1/2 price, we take advantage of that!) and he loves making them at home and comparing to his dad. We get the Betty Crocker mixes, 88c at our local store cheaper at Walmart, and use a pizza stone (a cheap one just like Kaye said although we do have a ice cream scooper from The Pampered Chef that my sis-in-law gave us that is soooo worth it. The warmth of your hand heats the metal and the liquid inside and makes it so easy to scoop hard ice cream) Sorry, got off topic. We use our pizza stone for lots of stuff - biscuits, garlic bread, etc. and we put it on the top rack but not on the very top adjustment in the oven. My hubby and son are always experimenting with new ways to improve their pizzas. Hubby puts lots of gunk I don't care for while my son piles on the cheese and makes a thick crust. Yum! If you want it to be more like take-out most stores carry pizza dough with yeast in it that's already mixed and sold in the refrigerated section. That costs more than the powdered mix but is still cheaper than a pizzeria. That's good too.
Have fun with it Toni! I love to hear and see your updates.
I gotta say - that pizza sure looks good! And, personally, I'm in love with the Pampered Chef baking stones.
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