I am sure glad we didn’t wait to have our friends over to watch a Portland Trailblazers playoff game. I made pizza, from scratch, for the occasion and we had some special release IPA from Hood River, Oregon.
The Blazers lost the game, and therefore did not advance to the next round in the playoffs.
Maybe next year!
I used to make pizza more often years ago, but we don’t eat cheese much anymore. I’ve made some great vegan pizza as well, without the vegan style “cheese”. To me, it tastes like plastic and also doesn’t really melt.
Making a crust is easy, the most time consuming part is letting the dough rise.
Crunchy Cornmeal Pizza dough:
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal ( I like medium grind )
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup warm, not hot water
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1 envelope yeast
For the toppings:
shredded cheese (mozzarella, parmesan, whatever you like)
thinly sliced red onion
thinly sliced mushrooms, any kind
thinly sliced bell peppers (I like red because they are sweet)
tomato sauce (I cooked down one can of diced fire roasted tomatoes until most of the liquid evaporated)
artichoke hearts, olives, sliced tomatoes, etc.
It’s your pizza, add whatever toppings you like!
Dissolve yeast and sugar in the warm water and let sit until frothy and bubbly.
In a bowl, mix flour, cornmeal and salt.
When the yeast mixture is ready, add it to the flour along with the olive oil. Mix and them turn it out onto a floured board. Knead until soft and spongy. If it feel too sticky, add a tiny bit of flour; if it is too dry, add a tiny bit of water.
Once it is all nice and ready to rise, put the dough into a lightly oiled large bowl and rub a bit of oil all over the pizza dough. Cover with a clean towel, then let it rise until doubled in size. Punch it down, then let it rise again.
Preheat the oven to 425°.
Finally, lightly oil a pizza pan (mine has holes in it) and sprinkle some cornmeal over it.
Roll out the dough, stretch it and put it onto the pan.
Let it rest a few more minutes on the counter.
Sprinkle the dough lightly with some shredded cheese and then PREbake the crust on the lowest rack for about 10 minutes.
Remove from oven, add the tomato sauce, distribute the toppings and sprinkle with some more shredded cheese.
Put it back into the oven on the lowest rack, and bake for 20 to 30 minutes until the crust is nice and crispy.
Let it rest for about 5 minutes before cutting.
Enjoy!
in cahoots with muddy boots 
I used to make pizza a lot as well, I have to start again. Have you tried the Follow your Heart and Daiya brands? They melt really well and the mozzarella is tasty, well to me, ha ha.
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Hi Trudy, haven’t tried Follow your Heart, so will check it out. Daiya I had a few years ago. Maybe it’s better now. I do however really like a vegan cheese company based here in Portland, Heidi Ho. She has a great vegan feta and a cheesy spread great for mac and cheese. Her products were featured on Shark Tank a while back.
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Yes I saw that and she’s gotten a deal with Whole Foods, so maybe I’ll get to try it. Have you tried Daiya shreds?
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I have tried the Daiya shreds, but it’s been a long while. I shall try them again to see if I like them better this time around. I’ll let you know.
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There are a couple of nut based cheese shops out here that I have to check out since Heidi ho isn’t an option yet.
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Sounds interesting! I always love to try new things. Sounds like you do too.
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Always,! I like open minded people and new things, that’s the only way to fully enjoy life. 😁
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Indeed!👍!
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Yummmmmm!
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Yes indeed!
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One of our favorite combinations for pizza is tuna and kalamata olives with lots of fresh thyme. First had tuna pizza in Italy; tweaked the recipe and voila! I might have to try your crust recipe … just because of the cornmeal factor!
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The cornmeal adds a nice crunch, especially the medium grind. Pizza in Italy is definitely yummy.
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Beautiful pictures. Turns on the taste buds!
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Thank you!
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Do they have vegan pizza in Italy? It looks beautiful but I’m not much of a pizza eater anymore. And you know me, a lazy cook. That’s where you shine. We had a bit of rain and it’s a cloudy day. Next week, HOT! I hope to get the rocks in and shoveled today! Better in the rain than in the heat. Hope you are having a wonderful day doing wonderful things.
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Marlene, pizza in Italy does not have much cheese at all. I had a great day and will get in touch with you tomorrow. Hugs, lots of them.
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