The most delicious pizza you'll ever have -- if you're the guy I married

Last night, I made pizza. Two pizzas, to be exact. And I had to fight my husband for every last slice. After much moaning and groaning and weeping to the angels, he grabbed my shoulders, looked me in the eyes, and said, "This is the best pizza I have ever had in my life. In my LIFE." I backed away from the crazy man, and he just kept going. "No, seriously, IN MY LIFE."

If you knew how mild-mannered my husband was? You would be in shock, I assure you.

Now, I'm not sure that this pizza beats New York pizza or even New Jersey pizza, but for New Hampshire pizza, it's pretty darn good. I love making pizza at home; it's cheap and fun and easy and you can have a blast with toppings without breaking the bank.

I also love ordering pizza because of the thing where you dial the phone and 20 minutes later someone shows up at your house with dinner. All those food bloggers who say that "You'll never order pizza again!" along with a dough recipe are liars. Liars, I say! Because I don't care how easy your recipe is: You dial the phone. A guy shows up. You have food. And there are no dishes. It doesn't get easier than that!

But when made at home, pizza is immensely satisfying. It is, indeed, easy to make pizza dough. It's easy to make pizza sauce. It's easy to get funky and creative without veering outside of something that's also familiar and comforting. When people ask me what my favorite food is -- with that little hesitant laugh, because who can ever answer that question? -- I answer without missing a beat: Pizza.

I've finally found a dough that I love; I've tried the Joy of Cooking and King Arthur Flour and Smitten Kitchen and even the recipes on the backs of the yeast envelopes. But this recipe is the most consistent, the best-tasting, and -- surprise! -- the quickest. I don't generally like rapid-rising yeast, but it works perfectly in this to give it that nice, crispy bottom.

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough from 1,001 Low-Fat Vegetarian Recipes

-3/4C all-purpose flour, sifted (I never sift anything. I'm so lazy.)
-1 pkg fast-rising yeast
-1/4 tsp salt
-1/2C very hot water
-2 tsp honey
-1/2C whole wheat flour (I always need almost another 1/2 cup to make the dough come together)

1. Combine all-purpose flour, yeast, and sat in medium bowl; add hot water and honey, stirring until smooth. Mix in enough whole wheat flour to make a soft dough. (Note: I did everything, including the kneading, in my stand mixer with a dough hook.)

2. Knead dough on floured surface until smooth and elastic, 3 to 5 minutes. Cover dough with bowl; let stand 15 minutes before using. Roll out dough on a pan or pizza stone.


Pizza Sauce (my recipe)

-1 6 oz. can tomato paste
-1 6 oz. can water
-1 tsp salt
-1/2 tsp sugar
-1 tsp Italian seasoning
- black pepper to taste

1. Whisk all ingredients together over medium heat. Once the sauce is smooth, lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes.


Start with these basics and you won't go wrong, I promise. Top it with bacon, smoked mozzarella, and red peppers. Or buffalo chicken and bleu cheese. Or tomatoes, garlic, and feta. Or fontina and pear.

Or do what I did last night and make someone swoon: Caramelize some sweet onions for a good, long time. Crumble up some nice, local, all-natural sweet Italian sausage and cook through. Top pizza with mozzarella, onions, sausage, and black olives.

And then get ready to fight for your half of the pizza.