Josh's First Homemade Pizza Crust!

Josh is now 14 and hungry all the time!  STARVING! He loves pizza and often makes quick 'pizzas' from tortilla shells.  This was his first try at making a scratch dough with yeast.  I suggested it might make two but he insisted that we use all the dough for the crust. It was pretty awesome - you can see where I nicked a piece to try!  He grated the pepperoni - a trick he learned from his friend Sheldon - an topped it off with mozzarella!  Here is the dough recipe he used plus a bonus sauce recipe:

Pizza Dough & Quick Pizza Sauce  
Yield: 1 large 15-inch pizza or five 6-inch pizzas and 3 2/3 cups of sauce

photo credit: Manitoba Canola Growers

Why order pizza if you can make a quick and healthy pizza right from home?

Pizza Dough

Ingredients:

1/2 cup whole wheat flour (125 mL)
1 1/2 - 2 cup all purpose flour (375-500 mL)
2 Tbsp wheat germ (30 mL)
1 package (7g) quick rising instant yeast (1 )
1 cup hot water (250 mL)
1 Tbsp canola oil (15 mL)
1/4 tsp salt and pepper to taste (1 mL)

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, mix whole wheat flour, 1 cup all purpose flour, salt and yeast. Stir in hot water and canola oil. Gradually stir in enough of remaining all purpose flour to make a soft dough.
2. Knead on lightly-floured surface until smooth and elastic. Shape dough into ball. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes before rolling out.
3. Chef’s Tip: The dough can be wrapped in plastic wrap and kept in the refrigerator for eight hours or in the freezer for one month.

Quick Pizza Sauce

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp canola oil (25 mL)
1 small onion, diced (1 )
3 cloves garlic, minced (3 )
3-4 Tbsp chopped fresh oregano or 2 Tbsp each of fresh oregano and basil (45-50 mL)
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (1 mL)
1 can (28 oz/796 mL) crushed tomatoes (1 can)
1/2-1 tsp sugar (optional - will reduce the acidity of tomatoes) (2-5 mL)

Instructions:

1. In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add canola oil. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, pepper and crushed tomatoes. Simmer sauce for 5-10 minutes.

Source: http://www.mcgacanola.org/food_recipe.cfm
Check out the Be Well blog at: http://canolarecipes.com

This quick and easy to make recipe for pizza dough and pizza sauce was featured on Great Tastes of Manitoba in 2010.  Here is the video: Go Ellen!