My Homemade Pizza/French Bread

This is one of our families favorites & we make it about once a week.

Homemade Pizza Dough/French Bread

(This makes 2 large pizza's or 2 loaves of bread)

2-1/2 c. very warm water

2 Tbsp. yeast

2 Tbsp. sugar
6-1/2 c. white flour

5 Tbsp butter/margarine

1/2 tsp. salt

Pizza Sauce

1 tall can or 2 sm. cans of tomato sauce

1 Tbsp. Italian Seasoning

1 Tbsp. Garlic Powder

(if you like your sauce thick then add a can of tomato paste as well)

Mix water, yeast & sugar (in that order) together in a bowl. Place aside & let it "proof" for about 5-10 min. The picture above is what the yeast mixture looks like when it has proofed. (I usually place it in front of the vent on my stove so the heat from the oven preheating will help "proof" the yeast mixture.) Mix the flour, salt & butter together. Then when the yeast mixture is done proofing add it to the flour mixture & mix well. If the dough is a little dry you can add about 2 Tbsp. of Olive Oil. Sometimes the amount of flour will depend on the weather. If it's wet (humid) then you'll need a little more flour (but be sure to not add too much). I will usually add about 1/2 cup at a time until it looks/feels right. If it's dry outside then use a little less. Put on a floured surface to rise & cover with a dry towel. If the dough still feels a little sticky then put a little flour on the dough & knead it into it by hand until it's not sticky anymore. Let rise for about 10 min.

While the dough is rising, mix the sauce.

When the dough is done rising, break it into 2 pieces & roll one out on your pizza stone/pan. You can bake this on a cookie sheet if you don't have a pizza stone/pan. Spread sauce on top, add cheese and any other toppings. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 min. You can freeze the remaining dough to use later if you'd like or bake an extra pizza to enjoy now or for leftovers.

French Bread

Use dough recipe above. When dough is done rising seperate into two & place in greased loaf pans. Bake at 350 for 30 min. Remove from pans & place on cooling racks.