For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal live. John 3:16 (NIV)

"The pizza makes the party" was an often heard phrase in my childhood days, my parents constantly drilling it into me that if I didn't make the most amazing pizza anyone has ever tasted, I may as well have not made one at all. There are 3 Critical areas to making a great tasting pizza, and luckily none of them are "add 5KG of solid fat". Contrary to the popular associations made by pizza companies, pizza does not have to be unhealthy and full of calories to taste good. The first area of importance is the crust, the base of the pizza and the edges. The 2nd most vitally important part is the sauce, the tomato or other flavored paste generally placed between the base and the toppings, and the most important part of a pizza is the toppings, the flavor of the pizza and generally regarded as the most important part of the pizza.

The Crust is often overlooked by many as being an unimportant part of the pizza creation process, and as such is generally picked up from the shop and not worried about. Although this is a viable alternative, making your own crust can both taste delicious and be very rewarding. The hardest part of creating the crust of a pizza is baking it correctly, the biggest problem most people have is it coming out still doughy and inedible. The reason this happens is because common ovens don't actually get hot enough to correctly bake the crust properly and everything starts to burn before the crust is done. The best way to overcome this problem is to cook the crust first for a few minutes, then add the sauce and ingredients to your pizza and finish cooking the pizza.

Yeast is a vital ingredient in the bread dough and often many forget how fragile it is. It is one of the key ingredients and makes the crust rise and stay nice and light as such make sure the other ingredients are not too hot or cold to kill the yeast. The problem with yeast is that if your ingredients are hotter than room temperature they may kill the yeast, and if they are too cold it won't work properly.

There are many pizza dough recipe variations and as such I won't list any here. Some people love to add wheat or sesame seeds to give it a little extra flair and make it their own. Another thing you can do to really spice up your pizza base is add some cheese around the outside and roll over the crust so the cheese is inside the crust. That way when your unsuspecting guests bite into the edge of your delicious pizza they will be hit with a surprise cheese sensation.

The sauce is another critical ingredient for the pizza and often one many take the easy route out of and simply purchase it in a can. Although better sauce can really make a much better tasting pizza. The basics are simply tomato, water and spices although if you like sweeter pizza sauce add some sugar to it. For a little bit of extra kick try some of the following herbs, not only in your sauce, but also on top of your pizza: onion flavoring, salt, pepper, basil, sage, thyme, cumin and some chili powder if you like some spice. To cook them, simply mix them all together and simmer the mixture for about 11 minutes till it blends together. When its done, turn the stove off and move onto the toppings.

The toppings are probably the easiest to explain for everyone loves to make their own combinations of toppings, one variation that many don't try is adding a layer of cheese, then place your vegetables and meats on, and then add another layer of cheese over the top. This makes for a deliciously cheesy pizza as well as still remaining quite healthy.

It generally takes about 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit to cook the pizza. When the crust turns a golden brown color and the cheese is all melted with some golden bits, the pizza is done and you can enjoy the fruits of your efforts.

Creating a pizza at home is an incredibly easy task, and not only do you save plenty of cash making it yourself, it tastes better than what the pizza boy brings to the door too. For some spectacular mouthwateringly delicious pizza recipes, check out http://www.thecookshangout.com where I've whipped up some amazing free recipes to make your place the place where all your friends want to come and party.

Theres a reason why 99% of chef's say they "can't live without http://www.thecookshangout.com especially the completely FREE 30 Day cooking course available for a limited time only.

Thanks for Reading and happy cooking,

-- Maria Glensworth

Article Source: EzineArticles.com

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