This Pizza is F'ing Awesome

I've always liked making my own pizza. I used to get those pre-made pizza crusts when I was in college and add toppings. I never thought they were all that good and they are pretty expensive for what you get. The I started picking up a ball of pre-made dough from Trader Joe's (only costs like a buck) but I could never make it taste like much more than cardboard. So I ventured online to find a recipe for a homemade pizza crust and -- I found a great one (who knew the internet could be so helpful?) The downside is that it takes some time. This is a recipe found on allrecipes.com (not a bad site, I've used it a few times).

It goes like this:

INGREDIENTS

• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl, dissolve sugar in warm water. Sprinkle yeast over the top, and let stand for about 10 minutes, until foamy.
2. Stir the olive oil and salt into the yeast mixture, then mix in the whole wheat flour and 1 cup of the all-purpose flour until dough starts to come together. Tip dough out onto a surface floured with the remaining all-purpose flour, and knead until all of the flour has been absorbed, and the ball of dough becomes smooth, about 10 minutes. Place dough in an oiled bowl, and turn to coat the surface. Cover loosely with a towel, and let stand in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
3. When the dough is doubled, tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and divide into 2 pieces for 2 thin crust, or leave whole to make one thick crust. Form into a tight ball. Let rise for about 45 minutes, until doubled.
4. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Roll a ball of dough with a rolling pin until it will not stretch any further. Then, drape it over both of your fists, and gently pull the edges outward, while rotating the crust. When the circle has reached the desired size, place on a well oiled pizza pan. Top pizza with your favorite toppings, such as sauce, cheese, meats, or vegetables.
5. Bake for 16 to 20 minutes (depending on thickness) in the preheated oven, until the crust is crisp and golden at the edges, and cheese is melted on the top.

Just a few notes: this obviously makes two crusts. So, you may want to freeze one. The time to do that is after the first rise when you separate them. Then when you thaw it, you let it rise for the last 45 mins. If you don't freeze it, it keeps for a few days in the refrigerator.

Completing the pie:

We've tried a couple variations: standard pepperoni, jalapenos, tomatoes, mushrooms with store-bought sauce.

Tonight we tried something different and it was awesome. Here's how to replicate the awesomeness:

Instead of using a store-bought sauce, I made an oil based sauce (olive oil, pepper, salt, crushed garlic, grated parmesan cheese) and brushed it on the crust with a pastry brush. Then we added lots of fresh tomato slices, mozzarella cheese and grated parmesan flakes on top. Then bake until the cheese is a little browned and add fresh arugula leaves to the top.

This was a really good change inspired by a pizza my sister made a few weeks ago. I hope you'll try it!