Homemade pizza from scratch (dough and all)

Making pizza from scratch isn't as hard as some might think because in reality it's really easy if you take your time. In this post I am going to divulge my recipe for the best homemade pizza you've ever had (I hope).

Prep time: 1 hour and 20 minutes

Baking time: 15-20 minutes, cooling period 5-10 minutes

Ingredients:

sugar

salt

oil

yeast

flour
molasses
garlic
pizza sauce
shredded cheese
tomatoes

Step 1, the dough

The first and foremost step to making any pizza is the dough; it's the base, crust and arguably the best part of a pizza. This dough recipe is as simple in its ingredients as it is to make and tastes just as delicious.

Step 1
Get a large bowl to mix with (I prefer Pyrex) and mix in 2 packets of yeast (1/4 oz each) and 1 1/2 cups of warm water. I like to boil my water and let it cool off just a little bit instead of using warm tap water because it helps the ingredients dissolve better and faster.

Step 2
Add in 2 tablespoons sugar, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 clove minced garlic, 1/4 cup of olive, 1 teaspoon molasses and 4 cups all purpose flour. continue to mix the ingredients until it firms into a solid mass and all the flour has mixed in. (Tip: add a little bit of olive oil to the bowl so the dough doesn't stick). Cover it with plastic wrap or a plate and let it sit for about an hour. (Tip: you may want to give the dough a knead once and a while during the rising process).

Step 2, the pizza

When removing the dough from the bowl make sure the surface you are going to put it on has been covered with flour that way the dough doesn't stick. When flattening your dough you can use a rolling pin although I do mine by hand because it feels more relaxing.

Step 1
Flatten out your dough until it's good and evenly thick either by hand or with a rolling pin. Make sure when rolling the dough you keep in mind the shape of the pan your going to be cooking the pizza on.

Step 2
Take your baking pan and add a little bit of oil before you put the dough on it. Make sure when putting the dough on the pan that there is enough to hang off each side a little bit for when you make the crust.

Step 3
Making the crust is easy and you can stuff it with whatever you want like cheese, meat and sauce or even onions. What you need to do is take your filling and fill in all the edges around the entire pan then use your finger and wet the edge of the dough all the way around. Fold over the dough and pull it back under the filling and pinch it in place all the way around.

Step 4
For this pizza I added only half the amount of sauce you would add to a regular pizza. I compensated for the lack of sauce by adding more cheese followed by freshly cut tomato slices cut into wedges.

Step 5
Set the oven to 425 degrees and cook the pizza for 15-20 minutes. Remove the pizza when the crust is has started to brown and the cheese has sufficiently melted. Let stand for 10 minutes then dig in.

xoxo Rebecca

March wishlist

1). These deco stone earrings from J. Crew are the first thing on my list. I'm a huge fan of the art deco period and these errings are a perfect accessory for my wardrobe. I will admit the holes in my lobes are stretched but I do plan to get secondary holes shortly. I hope to build a good collection of "normal" earrings by the time I am able to change the earrings out.

2). I found this gold choker necklace from J. Crew the other day and I just had to have it on my list. It's such a simple yet elegant piece that I could see it with so many simple outfits.

3). Who doesn't love a good gingham shirt? Well if you can believe it I don't own one in red which I think is the most popular color. So when I came across this mini gingham twill shirt from Sandra Ingrish at Nordstroms well you know.

4). I'm always a fan of a good coctail or in this case a homemade soda. This book I found on Amazon tells you how to do all that and more. From making simple syrups to the art of flavoring this book has it all and more.

5). What else can I say about Diptyque other than they have wonderful products (especially their candles)! This floral room spray smells just as good as it sounds which is amazing just like every other Diptyque products.

6). Collar necklaces can be so fun and add the perfect pop of color when wearing that ironed oxford. Seeing as I don't have one like this and I could always use a collar with stone embellishments this stone collar from J. Crew is just what I've always wanted.

7). As a photographer I'm constantly on the prowell for new cameras especially film cameras because they come cheap and I love developing my own film. Well This is it the la sardina lomography camera, simple yet fashionable I could see myself taking this everywhere.

8). Heels, heels, and more heels! All I want is more heels! These hermosa pumps are the perfect heel height combined with the perfect floral print. It even comes in a pink that makes me want to get both of them.

9). A good pair of Birkenstocks can go a long way and although not the most fashionable until now that is they are some of my favorite sandals. Whether it be because their easy to slip on or because they mold to your feet their are a million reasons to love Birkenstocks. So you should head on over to Nordstroms and buy these floral printed Birkenstocks before they sell out.

xoxo Rebecca

Budgeting time (school)

Time, something we never seem to have enough and always seems to slip away from us when we least expect it. For me especially I can attest to this, always feeling like their aren't enough hours in the day.

For a lot of us managing the small amount of daylight we have to crank out our list of places to be and things on our to do list can get very frustrating and difficult. I know personally I've never had a good track record for managing my time. Being highly ADD I always seem to mismanage my time when not properly planned out.

Over the years I've come up with a good system that has helped me better manage my time and in turn not be freaking out at the last minute all the time. Here are a few of the key tips to my time management that hopefully help you too.

Plan ahead
I can't tell you how many times I've gotten a project and been freaking out because it's due the next day and I had almost nothing done. The key is to plan ahead. Take out your planner or calender and immediately mark off the due date of the project or paper. This will help you in the long run because every time you flip through your calendar you'll see that you have something due.

Set goals 
Set goals for when you want to have certain things done that way the project won't seem so daunting. I like to separate my projects into three sections which means three due dates but that's just me. If your someone who procrastinates as much as me them you'll want to set a lot of due dates so it doesn't feel like your overloaded with work.

Execution
Always make sure you follow through with your goals and don't ever fall short. If you fall short of goals then you'll be behind and that's going to overload you. Again from my personal experience if you get lazy your going to fall behind and that could throw you way off course. You need to know when to reel in the fun and buckle down on work.

xoxo Rebecca