Pizza Night

Last week I was flipping through Real Simple and I came across these 10 easy, kid-friendly pizza recipes. We all looked them over while we were eating dinner and each picked out the one we thought looked yummiest. Oscar picked the ham, cheddar and apple pizza and it went on the menu for this week.

So today we used this Amazing Whole Wheat Pizza Crust recipe and made our first experimental pizza in our experimental pizza adventure. We adjusted the crust recipe to use all whole wheat flour, 2Tbs honey in place of the sugar, and added 1/2tsp garlic powder and 1/2tsp onion powder. It made a LOT of dough.

We spread our honey mustard and piled on the apples, ham and sharp white cheddar. Sprinkled with salt and pepper.

The parent pizza got some extra garlic powder and salt around the crust. This pizza was SO yummy. I'm thinking it will definitely be repeated. Oscar says he gets an A+ for picking an awesome pizza. I agree. SO GOOD. I'll post the broccoli salad recipe tomorrow and next week will be Jeremy's pizza pick!

Ham, Cheddar, and Apple Pizzas

from Real Simple

Ingredients

• 1 pound pizza dough, at room temperature
• cornmeal, for the baking sheets
• 1/4 cup honey mustard
• 8 ounces white Cheddar, grated (2 cups)
• 1/4 pound thinly sliced ham
• 1Granny Smith apple, thinly sliced
• kosher salt and black pepper

Directions

1. Heat oven to 475° F. 
2. Shape the dough into 4 rounds and place on 2 cornmeal-dusted baking sheets.
3. Dividing evenly, top the rounds with the mustard, Cheddar, ham, and apple; season with ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. 
4. Bake until the crust is golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes.

Whole Wheat Pizza Crust

adapted from allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons honey 
• 1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (or anything that will be yummy w/ your toppings)
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
•  3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

Directions

1. In a large bowl, dissolve honey in warm water. Sprinkle yeast over the top, and let stand for about 10 minutes, until foamy.
2. Stir the olive oil, salt and seasonings into the yeast mixture, then mix in 3 cups of whole wheat flour until dough starts to come together. Tip dough out onto a surface floured with the remaining 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 500 degrees F. 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 lightly oiled, lightly dusted with cornmeal pizza pan. Bake 5 minutes.
5. Top pizza with your favorite toppings, such as sauce, cheese, meats, or vegetables.
6. Reduce oven to 425 degrees F and bake for 10 to 15 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.