Homemade Pizza - Roasted Hawaiian and Spicy Supreme

Oh man, doesn't that picture just make you drool?  I love making my own pizza.   It's typically healthier and it just tastes better when you've taken the time to do it properly. 

I was thinking about this all day today and then remembered that I no longer have my pizza stones anymore.  If you haven't made pizza on a stone, you're missing out - it really alters the foundation of your pizza.  Rather than going out and buying a couple, I opted to just use my regular pizza pans which work just as well. 

One of the cool things about this recipe is that it's done in segments, allowing you to do other things in between.  I, for instance, took the time to workout while my dough was rising.  In fact, I had another interesting interaction with myself while I was in the basement doing incline bench presses.  Allow me to elaborate:

Grigal (lifting):  "ONE!...(Oh man, this pizza is going to be so good)....."TWO!...(I can already taste those peppers)...."THREE!"...(...I feel like I'm forgetting something...Nah.)..."FOUR!! ...(...did I put together the pizza sauce?  Yeah, yeah I did.)...."FIVE!!"...(Are you sure?... I don't remember opening the tomatoes.)..."SIX!!"...(Oh shit, I didn't make the marinara.)..."SEVENEIGHTNINETEN!"  

After successfully hyperextending both of my shoulders from double-timing the last 4 reps, I ran upstairs to make the sauce, accompanied by a barrage of "Ow's".  Yes, I could have used store-bought, bottled sauce but I committed to myself to do this the right way today. 

Ingredients:

(Crust):

• 3 1/2 Cups Bread Flour (Yes, bread flour.  I use this rather than all-purpose for this.)
• 2 1/4 Tsp. Active Dry Yeast
• 1/2 Tsp. Light Brown Sugar
• 1 1/2 Cups WARM Water (Not hot, not cold.  Lukewarm.)
• 1 Tsp. Salt
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
• 1 Tsp. (Approximately) Corn Meal (You will use this to dust your pizza pans prior to baking.)

(Easy Marinara/Pizza Sauce):

• 1-28oz. Can Crushed Tomatoes
• 1-8oz. Can Tomato Sauce
• 1-6oz. Can Tomato Paste
• 8oz. Cold Water (Just use the Tomato Sauce can to measure.  :) 
• 2 Tbsp. Oregano
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. Basil
• 1 Tbsp. Garlic Powder
• 1/4 Cup Sugar

(Fixings For Spicy Supreme):

• 1 Cup - Red Onion, Sliced
• 1 Cup - Mushrooms, Sliced
• 1/2 Cup - Hot Italian Bulk Sausage, Pinched bite size.
• 1/2 Cup - Green Bell Pepper, Sliced
• 1/2 Cup - Pepperoni Slices
• 1/3 Cup - Fresh Jalapeno, Sliced in coins
• Enough freshly shredded Mozarella to cover the surface of the pizza.  Yes, you can buy the pre-packaged cheese, but there are a fair amount of preservatives in that.  If you shred your own, it makes a creamier base for your pizza.  You will thank yourself.)

(Fixings for Roasted Hawaiian):

• 2/3 Cup - Red Onion, Sliced
• 1/3 Cup - Roasted Red Peppers, Sliced (You can just buy a bottle of these if you don't want to roast your own.)
• 1/4 Cup - Canned Pinneapple, Sliced
• 3 Slices - Provologne Cheese

How To Make:

• Gotta start with the crust.  In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast and brown sugar in the warm water.  Give it a stir and let it sit for 10 minutes so the yeast can do it's thing.  When the 10 minutes are up, add the salt and olive oil and stir to combine.  Next, add about 2 1/2 cups of the bread flour and stir for a minute or two until combined.  (Dough will be sticky, you'll add more flour later.  Don't sweat it.)
• Dust your clean, working surface with more flour so the dough doesn't stick to your cabinet or cutting board and have about 2/3 cup flour in a bowl nearby for easy adding.  Pour the dough out onto the flour and knead 6-7 minutes adding flour as needed (knead, needed?) so the dough doesn't stick. 
• When kneaded, form the dough into as tight a ball as you can, sealing the seam underneath and place into to a well-oiled bowl.  At this point, your dough wants to take a nap, so cover it with a clean towel and set aside to rise 1 hour.  (This is the same technique I use on my birds when they get ornery and need to go to sleep.)
• While dough is rising, combine the elements of the marinara in a medium sauce pan and begin to simmer over low heat.  You will allow this to simmer for the hour while the dough rises in order for the flavors to come together.  Additionally, you can slice your vegetables and cook your pieces of Italian sausage in a small fry pan for 5 minutes.  (No need to cook through, it will finish in the oven.)
• When dough has risen, give it a little punch right in the center to let the air out.  (Don't hit the dough, just use your fist and press in.)  Flour your surface lightly again and pour the dough out and divide into 2 equal pieces.  Then, either with your hands, or a rolling pin, form into large, pizza-shape discs (imagine that) pressing from the middle out to the edges.  Drizzle a little olive oil onto your pizza pans and sprinkle lightly with corn meal.  Place your dough on the pans and poke a series of holes with a fork so it doesn't balloon up while in the oven.  (I'll tell you another funny story about that another time.)
• Preheat your oven to 425 degrees and place the pizza dough on the middle racks.  Allow to cook 6 minutes and remove from the oven.  (If your dough ballooned up a bit, poke it with a fork again.  It's ok.  It happens.)  Ladle on enough marinara to create an even coating along the surface.  *Cardinal Rule #1 - Layer your cheese on the sauce BEFORE adding your toppings.  That way, your cheese will stick to your sauce and your toppings will stick to your cheese.  If you reverse this, your toppings will fall off easily as soon as you try to slice your pizza.*   Tear up the provologne and place on the 2nd pizza, add toppings and bake for 8-10 more minutes until the crust has become crispy and golden.

Look at that crust.  Perfect: