The following “Chew This!” column originally appeared in “The Courier-Times” and / or “The Shelbyville News”. Check their websites for further information and dates.

An Update to my Homemade Pizza

Blaise Doubman

I love anything and everything pizza and I have several recipes on my website for homemade pizza, even deep-dish pizza. A couple of years ago, I shared a recipe here with everyone for homemade pizza and sauce, but I have experimented even more over those last couple of years and have slightly changed up the recipe. This recipe is even easier than the original one I shared with everyone and can be doubled or even tripled with ease. Just follow the recipe and I promise that you will end up with a delicious pizza crust. You can brush the crust with garlic butter, if desired but it is really not necessary. I have actually used this recipe in my “dessert pizza”, where I brush the entire crust with cinnamon and sugar before topping with all sorts of brownie pieces, gummy worms, ice cream and other toppings. That is another column though.

My new, updated, pizza sauce recipe is really easy. You simply combine 15 oz tomato sauce with 6 oz of tomato paste, 2 tablespoons oregano, 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon garlic salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper and ½ teaspoon white granulated sugar. It is so delicious! You can adjust the measurements according to your own tastes for this recipe and you can even store it in the refrigerator for up to three days. If, alfredo, is what you would like to top your pizza with, you can make homemade alfredo sauce too, just as easy. Add 1 stick of butter to a skillet with 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream. Stir and cook together for about 2 minutes, over low heat. Stir in 2 teaspoons of garlic, minced with ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper and 2 cups grated parmesan cheese. Once to a boil, continuing stirring and then remove from heat. Allow to cool slightly before topping on your pizza or using as desired.

Updated Homemade Pizza

Top this pizza with, or without, anything you may desire.

1 .25 package active dry yeast

1 teaspoon white granulated sugar

1 cup warm water

2 ½ cups bread flour

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

Start by preheating your oven to 450 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine the active dry yeast with the white granulated sugar and warm water.

Let this stand for about 10 minutes.

Stir in the bread flour, olive oil and salt. Let this stand for 5 minutes.

Spray a pizza pan with non-stick cooking spray and turn the dough out onto the pan.

Lightly press the dough down and form into a circle, filling the prepared pizza pan.

Top with desired sauce and toppings.

Bake, in preheated oven for about 20 minutes, until the crust turns golden brown.

Remove and let rest for about five minutes before cutting and serving.

Ask and Answer: There have been a few people write in to me, asking if I have a recipe for homemade butter. I do not, however, if you Google it, there are thousands of recipes. My favorite, from what I have seen, is to simply pour your heavy cream into a stand mixer and beat it, slowly at first and then faster after a few minutes, until it simply turns yellow and into butter, leaving the buttermilk at the bottom of the bowl. Remove and use. If you find a recipe that you really like, please send it my way and I will try it and report it back here to everyone.