Pizza crust

Is there anyone out there who doesn't enjoy pizza? Anyone who doesn't enjoy biting into a warm, thick crust topped with gooey cheese and tangy tomato sauce? If so, this is not the post for you.

I could eat pizza for dinner a week straight and not be sick of it. The possibilities are endless: breakfast pizza with eggs and bacon, white pizza without sauce but with three types of cheese, meat lovers' for all you carnivores. I love that you can put anything on top of a crust and just chow down. I love that it's totally acceptable to eat with your hands. I love that pizza can be eaten with a plate, even, just folded on itself and eaten on the run. I love...okay, a lot of things about pizza.
What I really love is this pizza dough. It's a whole wheat/white flour blend, hearty and perfectly delicious. The recipe makes enough for two pizza crusts, so you can go wild and make a veggie version and a white version. While Mommi was here we made a classic Margherita pizza, with pesto instead of basil, and thickly sliced pieces of mozzarella. The result was a refreshingly light dinner, with the slightly salty cheese blending perfectly with juicy tomato and zesty pesto. Serve with a green salad for a tasty dinner!

Amazing Whole Wheat Pizza Crust (from Allrecipes.com)
1 tsp. white sugar
1 1/2 c. warm water
1 Tbsp. active dry yeast
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. salt
2 c. whole wheat flour
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1. In a large bowl, dissolve sugar in warm water. Sprinkle yeast over the top, and let stand for about 10 minutes, until foamy.
2. Stir the olive oil and salt in the yeast mixture, then mix in the whole wheat flour and 1 c. of all-purpose until dough starts to come together. Tip dough into a surface sprinkled with remaining flour, and knead until all of the flour has been absorbed and the dough becomes smooth, about 10 min. Place dough in an oiled bowl and turn to coat the surface. Cover loosely with a towel, and let stand in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
3. Tip dough onto floured surface and divide into 2 pieces. Form each into a tight ball in same bowl, and let rise until doubled again, about 45 min.
4. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Roll out dough with rolling pin to desired size and place on a well oiled pizza pan or baking sheet. Top with your favorite toppings and bake for 16-20 min.

Margherita Pizza Toppings
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 tomatoes, thickly sliced
1 mozzarella log, thickly sliced
1 jar of basil pesto
1. Combine garlic and olive oil, and spread over pizza dough. Layer tomatoes, then cheese, then drizzle pesto on top. Bake and eat up!

Yet another gratuitous picture of John Paul preparing food. Today he gets back from his 12-day sojourn to Switzerland and Spain, where he got to celebrate the Spanish World Cup victory!