OK, I know I am probably alone here, but I actually like homemade pizza better than 90% of the pizza found in restaurants. The 10% that I like better is baked in Italy but I simply can’t afford to fly to Rome every time I get a pizza craving! No duh!!!! And I have to admit; the part about actually being in Italy probably has something to do with my feeling that the best pizza is made there. I do so love Italy!

Now of course, intrinsic to my preference for homemade pizza I include the fact that I have friends who make incredible pizza in and outside of their own homes. Our dear friends Chip and Linda who own the Quillayute River Resort* in Forks, WA have an Italian pizza oven in their home. And Chip is a master bread baker. So between the amazing crust that he prepares from scratch and the oven that is designed for the purpose, Chip’s pizzas are amazing. And our great friend Tim in Anacortes also prepares fantastic pizzas. He actually bakes his creations on his grill. Fabulous.

But I do neither. I use my oven. I crank the sucker up to 475 degrees, bake the pizza on the bottom rack, and use the convection setting. That’s as far as I am willing to go to insure tasty pizza. I simply can’t foresee a real pizza oven in my future. And if I tried baking pizza on our grill, I would either burn myself or worse yet, burn down the house. (I am not a grill queen. And I don’t want to task Mr. C. with a grill assignment I am unwilling to try myself. We have our positive attributes, but mechanical aptitude is not one of them! Two spatulas, hot flames. Not going to happen!) So we are stuck with pizza ala Chez Carr.

In my opinion, the first thing about any good pizza is the crust. And I happen to like thin crust. I want it to have flavor, but not so much that it detracts from the rest of the ingredients. The second thing I think is essential to the overall appeal of a pizza is the sauce. For years I would make a tiny bit of sauce and spread it on very lightly. Wrong! The sauce is important. It should be very flavorful and should not be used sparingly.

The next ingredient that is super important – cheese. Gotta have plenty of cheese or why bother?

And then pepperoni, Italian sausage, chopped onion, black olives, mushrooms, and bell pepper. What is not to like in this combination? For me it is the very definition of pizza. But I live with a guy who likes pesto sauce or a white pizza sauce, so I am going to be trying out recipes with more contemporary ingredients in the next few months. If you have a favorite I would love to hear from you.

But in the meantime, give this recipe a try. Your kids will love it. They won’t even notice the whole grain flour in the crust. They might not like the extra onions or bell pepper pieces. But the great thing about pizza is that you can add ingredients to one part of the pizza, and leave them off the other side. Everyone gets what they want and everyone is happy. Now how often does that happen with any other dish? Bon appetito!

Whole Wheat Pizza Crust:

¾ c. + 1 T. lukewarm water

1 pkg. or 1 scant T. active dry yeast

1 tsp. sugar

1 c. whole-wheat pastry flour

1 c. bread flour

½ tsp. kosher salt

extra virgin olive oil

Place water, yeast, and sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer. Stir with your bread hook. Let stand until the yeast has dissolved and starts to look bubbly, about 5 minutes. Stir in whole-wheat flour, most of the 1 cup of the bread flour, and the salt until the dough begins to come together. Add enough remaining flour to make a smooth, elastic ball of dough that pulls away from the sides and bottom of the bowl, about 4 to 5 minutes.

Pour a small amount of olive oil over the dough and turn to coat. Cover with a clean kitchen tea towel or plastic wrap. Let sit for about an hour or until doubled in size. Punch down. While the dough rises, prepare the pizza sauce and get the topping ingredients ready.

When the dough is ready, punch it down. Spread it out on a lightly greased large pizza pan or baking sheet. Spread the dough as thin as possible. Form a small rim by pinching edge of dough.

Red Pizza Sauce:

1 sm. can (8 oz.) tomato sauce

3 T. (about half of a 6 oz. can) tomato paste

1 T. Italian seasoning

1½ tsp. dried oregano (I use Mexican oregano)

½ tsp. dried marjoram

½ tsp. sugar s 

½ tsp. granulated garlic

¼ tsp. onion powder o

¼ tsp. kosher salt

pinch crushed red pepper flakes

freshly ground black pepper

Stir all ingredients together until thick and smooth.

Pizza Toppings: (my favorite)

sliced or shredded mozzarella cheese (about ¾ lb.)

1 lb. crumbled cooked bulk Italian sausage

1 lb. pepperoni slices

½ c. chopped onion

¾ c. halved black olives

1 c. sliced mushrooms

½ of a bell pepper, chopped

½ c. grated Parmesan cheese

Pizza Assembly:

Spread the pizza crust with a nice thick layer of pizza sauce. (Lots of sauce is best! If you don’t use it all, put the rest in the freezer for the next time you get a pizza craving or make marinara sauce.)

Spread about a third of the mozzarella over the sauce, then add the other topping ingredients. Finish with the rest of the mozzarella and the grated Parmesan.

Bake in a pre-heated 475 degree oven on the lowest rack for 12-14 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and the crust is browned. Let sit for 3-4 minutes before slicing.

And of course you can change topping amounts, add or delete toppings, do whatever you want to your hearts content. Other topping ingredients we enjoy – sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, and anchovy fillets (when we are feeling worthy).

*Quillayute River Resort

Nestled in a secluded forest by the Quillayute River, this relaxed, all-suite resort is 7 miles from La Push Beach and 16 miles from Bogachiel State Park.

The cozy 1-bedroom suites feature full kitchens with vintage-style appliances, as well as living areas with fireplaces and pull-out sofas. All have satellite TV, free Wi-Fi and heated bathroom floors, plus covered porches with river views and BBQ grills.

Each of the five riverside housekeeping suites have a comprehensively-equipped kitchen with charming, completely refurbished 1950s era appliances, and new pots, pans, dishes, and utensils – everything you need. Kitchens also come equipped with toasters, blenders, electric hand mixers, microwaves, coffee makers, coffee, salt, and pepper.

Bedrooms have either 2 double beds or 1 King size bed, DISH TV with ESPN, and DVD/CD players. Other amenities in all the suites include DSL Internet connections, clock radios, telephones, and a collection of books for the non-electronically inclined.

Relax in the comfort of your living room while you watch the river flow and cozy up next to the fireplace.

Bathrooms are equipped with heated tile floors, hair dryers, full-size bathtubs, and EO Products – Organic Skin and Hair Care Products soaps, bath gels, and lotions.

Each suite has its own set of deck chairs and a charcoal barbeque on the covered porch overlooking the river. Each suite is also separated from the next by an enclosed garage.