Pizza Marinara

Crust Ingredients (makes 2 - 12 inch pizzas - serving size: 4-6 people):

1 1/3 cups warm water

1 Tablespoon honey (Limiting my sugar intake, I usually use less than 1 tablespoon. I will usually just add a small little drop of honey, just enough to activate the yeast to rise)

2 1/4 teaspoons (or 1 packet) instant yeast

4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more as needed

2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus more for greasing

1 teaspoon of salt

cornmeal for dusting the pan

Sauce:

15 oz can of plain tomato sauce

garlic powder

pepper

crushed red pepper

salt

Italian seasoning

Toppings suggestions:

veggies - mushrooms, onions, minced garlic, bell peppers, Kalamata olives, black olives, etc.

meats - grilled chicken, ground beef, turkey sausage

Pizza dough recipe:

1. Pre-heat over to 475 degrees.

2. Warm water should be warm and not hot. Whisk the warm water, honey and yeast together in a bowl. Cover and allow to rest for 5 minutes.

3. Add the flour, olive oil, salt and beat for 2 minutes until dough comes away clean from the sides and forms a ball.

4. Knead by hand on a floured surface for 5 minutes. Add more flour if the dough is too sticky.

5. Add the dough back into a greased bowl. Cover the bowl with a moistened clean dish towel and allow dough to rise at room temperature for 60-90 minutes until double in size. If the room is too cold you may need to put the bowl on the stove while your oven pre-heats to allow it to rise.

Note: As a busy mom, I sometimes do not have enough time to wait for the dough to rise. I will give it as long as I can and just bake it. Personally, I don't mind that the dough may not be as fluffy as it could be.

5. Lightly grease baking sheets or pizza pan with olive oil. Sprinkle lightly with cornmeal or flour.

6. Divide the dough in half and shape into two pizzas.

7. Add tomato sauce to the pizza and spread out evenly. Use as much as you prefer.

8. Season with Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, a dash of crushed pepper and add toppings of your choice.

9. Bake for 13-15 minutes.

10. Slice and enjoy!

Notes: You can use a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook or paddle attachment to help mix the dough. If you have a bread maker, it can also be very helpful to use the bread maker on dough mode to make the pizza dough.

Pizza tastes even better when made over a grill or fire using a pizza stone. If using a pizza stone over the grill or fire, pizza may take less time to cook.