Tell me, is there anyone who doesn’t love a good pizza now and then? Nice crisp crust, fresh tomato, basil, and ooey gooey cheese?

Waaaay back in the day, back when Earl’s Restaurant {a local chain} still had the forno pizza ovens, Jeff was the pizza guy at the White Rock location. Yup, my sweetie made those yummy flat crust pizzas with the gourmet toppings. Although those days are long gone {we’re talking early University days}, I cannot count the number of times I’ve harassed him to PLEASE REMEMBER the recipe for their crust so I can recreate my favorite thin crust pizza at home. But, no luck. Until this week however, when my House & Home subscription arrived in the mail:

Though I was giddy {as usual when receiving the latest issue} about all the design articles, I was particularly excited to see the words HOMEMADE GOURMET PIZZA on the cover. Aha!

So, with my perfect crust recipe in hand and guests coming for dinner, on Thursday I got in touch with my non-existent Italian side. Just call me Mama Karla.

Here is the Perfect Pizza Crust, courtesy of Canadian House & Home {pickup your issue soon for the complete recipes – Classic Margherita Pizza, Mushroom and Artichoke Matzo Pizza, Naan Pizza with Curried CHicken and Asparagus – not to mention some gorgeous homes}

Canadian House & Home’s Perfect Pizza Dough
Makes enough for a 13″-14″ pizza.

1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 cup warm water
1 8g packet active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
3/4 tsp table salt
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp olive oil

Combine 1 tsp all-purpose flour with 1/2 cup warm water in a small cup. Sprinkle yeast overtop and let stand 10 minutes or until foamy.

Meanwhile, combine  1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour and 3/4 cup whole-wheat flour with salt and add 1 cup of flour mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer. Add yeast mixture and remaining 1/2 cup water, and mix with whisk attachment until smooth. Switch to the dough hook and mix in remaining flour 1/4 cup at a time, mixing for at least 30 seconds between additions. Add flour until dough comes away from the sides of the bowl, but still sticks to your fingers a bit. Add olive oil and mix well.

Transfer to a large oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let stand in a warm, draft-free place {such as the oven with the light turned on} until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

NOTE: I do not have a stand mixer, so I used a hand whisk and then my hands to knead in the flour {at the point where they say to use a dough hook}, and it worked just fine. I’m an old-fashioned kind of girl anyhow  

So what kind of pizza did we make with this yummy dough? Classic Margherita {tomato, basil, and cheese}, and my knockoff of Earl’s California Shrimp pizza {pan-fried garlic shrimp, sun-dried tomatoes, sprinkle of mozzarella, feta, drizzle of pesto. Once cooked a wedge of lemon squeezed over the top}

{Before they visited the oven}

{Nice and crisp and bubbly}

So instead of calling your local pizza place tonight, how about a pizza party at your place? Kids and adults alike will love getting a little messy, sprinkling the dough with their favorite toppings.

Buon Appetito!

PS House & Home also has a great recipe section on their site, it’s worth a visit for some mealtime inspiration!