if you love pizza - homemade pizza, you must have a pizza stone to really make a good one. i just recently purchased one and my goodness what a difference. i use to put the pizza on the backside of a baking sheet, and that just doesn't do the trick. you have to have a pizza stone. plain and simple. the pizza stone i purchased is from emile henry of france. it's awesome. it has handles on two sides for easy transportation from the oven to the counter. and it looks good enough to serve off. the pizza stone also came with instructions for homemade pizza dough. i will never purchase pizza dough from the store again. the dough i made was out of this world. i'm gonna go ahead and say it - but, it could be the best pizza i have ever had . seriously. making dough is so easy. 3 cups of all purpose flour, 1 envelope of fast rising yeast, 1 1/4 cup of hot water, 4 tablespoons of corn meal, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 2 teaspoons of sugar, 1 teaspoon of salt. mix it up, knead for about 5 minutes, cover with a towel for 20 minutes, and viola! rolling this dough out was so much easier than times past when i have bought dough at the market. it was soft and subtle. i was fighting with it. i topped this pizza with marinara, mozzarella, crumbled sausage, fresh pineapple, mushrooms, fresh spinach, parmesan, and feta cheese. there is a bit of prep work involved. you actually need to put the pizza stone in the oven at 500 degrees for 1 hour before you plan to bake your pies. but, turn on some music, grab a glass of wine and get all your toppings ready to go. you will never go out for pizza again after you make your own.
