Aaaww…yeah! Everyone’s favorite night – well I know it’s ours anyway. I always make two different kinds – one that the kids can’t turn down and the other is a special one for mom and dad. I love making pizza from scratch and will be sure to post about the pizza sauce recipe I use and the pizza dough recipe, too. I keep both on hand in the freezer – it makes pizza night so quick and easy. The little investment of time and effort completely pay off when you compare homemade vs. store bought – especially in price! There’s not contest. A five pound bag of bread flour costs less than 4 dollars, and the 1.5 pound bag semolina flour costs less than 5 dollars. With those two bags, I can make about 8 pounds of pizza dough which for us equals eight large pizzas dough portions.

Pizza night was a success as usual. Even my picky-eat-like-a -bird daughter scarfed her’s down and little boy M said he wanted thirds. Thanks for reading!

Ingredients for Pepperoni Pizza –

• 1 – 15 ounce ball of pizza dough, homemade or store bought
• 1 cup of pizza sauce, homemade or store bought
• 4 ounces of fresh mozzarella cheese, torn
• 15 slices of pepperoni
• Parmesan cheese
• Pizza seasoning or dried oregano (optional)

*Preheat your oven to 475 about 15 minutes before you make your pizza. I use a pizza stone and place it on the lowest rack of my oven.
1. On a piece of parchment paper, shape the pizza dough into the desired diameter. I use a little olive oil to prevent sticking. Work from the inside out, and gradually move your hands away from the center of the dough. You could also do this with a rolling pin – I happen to love using my hands for the job. Once you’ve achieved the size you want, take a fork and poke the tines all over the surface of the dough.
2. Spread the pizza sauce all over, making sure to leave about an inch around the circumference. Next, take your torn mozzarella and place on top of the sauce. Because it’s fresh mozzarella, you can leave lots of empty space because this type of mozz melts beautifully and spreads itself nicely when heated. I love the stuff! Top with pepperoni, followed by your Parmesan cheese and dried seasonings if desired.
3. Carefully transfer the pizza – still on its parchment paper to an upside-down sheet pan. I use it like a pizza peel to move it to the stone in the oven. Bake for about 10 minutes. Using the sheet pan again, remove the pizza from the oven and place the parchment paper and all onto a cooling rack. Enjoy!

Ingredients for the BBQ Chicken Pizza –

• 1 – 15 ounce ball of pizza dough, homemade or store bought
• 1/3 cup of store bought BBQ sauce, I used Sonny’s
• 1/2 cup smoked Gouda cheese
• 3 ounces of fresh mozzarella cheese, torn
• 1/8 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese
• 6 – 8 ounces shredded, cooked chicken – sauced with a few tablespoons of BBQ and ranch dressing – trust me on this one!
• Fresh cilantro (optional)  if you have it – I didn’t but it’s a great addition
• 2 small Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
• Pizza seasoning and dried oregano (optional)

Shape the dough and dock with fork as above. I placed the toppings in this order: BBQ sauce, mozzarella, 1/2 the smoked Gouda, all the chicken, the other half of the Gouda, Parmesan, then the dried seasonings, and tomatoes. Transfer the pizza to a sheet pan and then into the oven for about 10 minutes. Place on a rack to cool as before and enjoy!