Pizza Recipe

UrbanoeFresco!
           Your Bite of Italy

Pizza Dough 

       Pizza

The history of pizza begins in antiquity, when various ancient cultures produced flat breads with toppings.

The precursor of pizza was probably the focaccia, a flat bread known to the Romans as panis focacius, to which toppings were then added. Modern pizza developed in Naples, when tomato was added to the focaccia in the late 18th century.

The word pizza was first documented in AD 997 in Gaeta and successively in different parts of Central and Southern Italy. Pizza was mainly eaten in the country of Italy and by emigrants from there. This changed after World War II, when Allied troops stationed in Italy came to enjoy pizza along with other Italian foods.

" Buon appetito."

Ingredients 

• 1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1-1/4 cups warm water (110° to 115°)
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 pound ground beef
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 can (15 ounces) tomato sauce
• 3 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 medium green pepper, diced
• 2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions

• Prep
  25 m
• Baking
  25 m
• Ready In
  60 m

1. In large bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in water; let stand for 5 minutes. Add oil and salt. Stir in flour, a cup at a time, until a soft dough forms.
   
   
2. Turn onto floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 2-3 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes. Meanwhile, cook beef and onion over medium heat until no longer pink; drain.
3. Punch down dough; divide in half. Press each into a greased 12-in. pizza pan. Combine the tomato sauce, oregano and basil; spread over each crust. Top with beef mixture, green pepper and cheese.
4. Bake at 400° for 25-30 minutes or until crust is lightly browned. Yield: 2 pizzas (3 servings each).

Footnotes

• 2 slices: 537 calories, 19g fat (7g saturated fat), 40mg cholesterol, 922mg sodium, 64g carbohydrate (5g sugars, 4g fiber), 25g protein.