Nathan Isaac (Author) - Italian Cookbook of Famous Pizza Restaurant Recipes

1. INTRODUCTION

Lets face it, either now or at some point in your life, pizza was Absolutely Your Most Favorite Thing Ever! Seriously, whats not to love about the stringy, hot, cheesy gift sent down from food heaven?!? Besides being Amazing and Delicious, one of the best parts is the fact that they are so Quick and Easy to make yourself, not to mention Super Customizable Pizza has a unifying force that brings us together ~ 8 of us at least, depending on how big the pie! One could go so far as to say that this simple Italian dish of bread, tomatoes and cheese could one day inspire World Peace It's just that AWESOME!! Whether you eat it at some fancy Italian spot, get a dollar slice or make it at home, pizza is the one food that most people can definitely agree upon. Here are five reasons why pizza is fun to make yourself and how you can actually get a better pizza at home than from your local delivery restaurant

1. It's Cheaper! To make pizzas at home, even really deluxe pizzas with interesting toppings, are estimated to cost about $4 per pie, which beats any sort of delivery.
2. Have It How You Like It: Need gluten-free dough? No problem, if you're cooking at home. If you have allergies or particular affinities for flavor combinations, making your own pizza at home is the easy solution.
3. It's Just Better: Make-at-home pizza allows you to truly control the quality. With some common kitchen utensils, your kitchen oven and a proven recipe or two, you can produce at home is vastly superior to what you can get at nearly any national chain or local delivery spot.

   You can certainly make a better dough and crust at home than 95% of the pizzerias out there. At the very least, you can control everything going into it (the kind of cheese, the amount of cheese, the amount of crispness of the crust) and that will ultimately make a big difference.

4. People Love Pizza. Love. We are always find it gratifying to make good pizza at home because it just puts friends and family over the moon. Making really great pizza at home is one of the surest crowd-pleasing dishes we know.
5. Pizza Is One of the Best Ways to Eat Seasonally. You may not think of pizza as a seasonal dish (which season do mozzarella and tomato sauce belong to anyway?).

   But the flash heat of the pizza oven brings out the flavor of seasonal produce in a ravishing way. Pizza is the perfect base for the richest flavors and freshest produce and it is so much fun to scavenge the local grocery stores and farmers markets for new topping inspiration each season.

And now, presenting your collection of Over 31 of the Most Popular Pizza Restaurant Recipes including a wide variety from their menu of sauces, crusts, appetizers and desserts Feel free to Go Crazy and make every night a Pizza night! No Delivery Required. ENJOY! PIZZA HUT COPYCAT RECIPES
2.1. PIZZA HUT'S Pizza Sauce Yield: 2 cups Ingredients: 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce 1/4 cup water 1 teaspoon sugar 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano 1/4 teaspoon dried basil leaves 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon black pepper 1 whole bay leaf 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice Instructions: Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until sauce starts to boil. Lower heat and simmer, covered,for 30 to 45 minutes or until it is as thick as you like it.

Makes enough for 2 pizzas.
2.2. PIZZA HUT'S Thin 'N Crispy Crust The crust for this Pizza Hut classic has to be made ahead of time, and is easily enough for at least two 16-inch pizzas, or more depending on how thin you roll the dough. Ingredients: 2 cups water 1/2 teaspoon yeast (proofed in water) 4 cups flour 3 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil 1 1/2 cup cake flour 2 teaspoons salt Instructions: Combine all ingredients in a mixer and knead for 10 minutes. Place in large bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to ferment as long as possible (12-24 hours).

Punch down dough now and then when you get the chance. Preheat oven to 550 degrees F. Roll the dough as thin as desired. (roll, flour and flip, until you end up with a shape equal to 90% the size of your pan as it will stretch when you transfer the dough. (make sure you oil your pan) For regular pizza, add your toppings and bake for 10 minutes. However, since this particular recipe was meant for light toppings, you'll need to oil the crust, then prick it with a fork and pre-bake for 3 minutes.

Now remove from oven, add your favorite toppings and return to oven for 10-15 minutes or till cheese is bubbly and outer edge of crust is a light golden brown.
2.3. PIZZA HUT'S Deep Pan Crust Prep time: 30 minutes Cook time: 20 minutes Total time: 50 minutes Makes 2 personal pizzas Ingredients: 2 tablespoons of oil 3/4 cup milk plus 2 additional tablespoons, warmed to 110 degrees 1 teaspoons sugar 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour 1 package instant yeast or 2 teaspoons of rapid rise yeast 1/2 teaspoon table salt Instructions: Turn the oven on to 175F. Warm the milk to 110F, add the sugar and the yeast in a bowl. Let it sit for 5 minutes till frothy. Add olive oil to the yeast mix.

Then add to the flour and salt. Knead with dough hook to form a soft, dough (about 10 minutes). Divide the dough in two. Oil the pans. Roll out the dough and put in the oven for about 10 to 15 min so it will rise a bit. While the pizza is pre baking, put the pepperoni on a paper towel and put in the microwave for 30 seconds (depending on your microwave oven) that will remove the excess grease of the pepperoni Take the pre baked crust out of the oven, put the oven to 400F.

Dress the pizza with toppings of your choice. Put the pizza back in the oven and bake for 15 to 20 min at 400F. As the temperature rises this will give the pizza dough oven spring, and allow the dough to rise creating the deep dish pizza like pizza hut.
2.4. PIZZA HUT'S Stuffed Crust Makes 1 large pizza Prep Time: 30 Minutes Cook Time: 30 Minutes Inactive Time: 120 Minutes Ingredients: Dough: 3/4 cup warm water (110 to 115 degrees) 1-1/4 teaspoon yeast 1 tablespoon sugar 2-1/4 cups bread flour 1-1/2 teaspoon salt 1-1/2 tablespoon olive oil Toppings: Eight 1-oz. mozzarella string-cheese sticks 1-1/2 cups shredded mozzarella Your choice: Pepperoni slices, chopped onions, sliced mushrooms, sliced black olives, sliced jalapeno (nacho slices), sliced green peppers, pineapple chunks, Italian sausage, sliced tomatoes, sliced ham, anchovies Instructions: First prepare the dough for the crust.