Dinner Poll Result : Pizza

This was the conversation we had the other week.

"What's for dinner, Mom?"

"Pizza."

"Really?  Why?" 

Can you sense the surprise?  And did you see that follow up question?

Yes, that is a good question, 'WHY?'  

Well, if you ask me why I decided to make pizza for dinner that night, I would have to answer 'because that is what the boys requested.' (It is true.  I had asked the kids at lunchtime what they wanted for dinner and both boys replied, "Pizza.")

If you were to ask the kids why they wanted pizza for dinner,  they would probably look at you as if I were asking them if they wanted to breathe and say something like, 'Do you need to ask WHY we want to have pizza for dinner.  Don't you know?  You don't NEED a reason to have pizza for dinner!' (And that would seem the perfectly logical answer as far as they were concerned.)

In fairness to them, they were surprised because I actually MADE pizza.   I honestly can't count the number of times I have asked them what they wanted to have for a meal and they have answered 'pizza.'  

I suppose they figure that I would eventually get the message and realise that given a choice, they would always go for pizza.  (I now realise the question should be 'why do I even ask?')

Just this afternoon, RD was on the keyboards when I went downstairs.  I asked him what he wanted for lunch and without missing a beat he replied, "Pizza."  

I had to quickly rephrase my question to include the parameters.   "What do you want for lunch that is in the refrigerator?"

Below is another pizza dough recipe I use.   Although it is easy enough to buy pizza bases or even Lebanese bread in the grocery to make pizza, there is a certain satisfaction to making it from scratch.  You just knead it.  

Pizza Dough  
Makes 2 medium pizzas

2 t  dry yeast
1 t  sugar

¾ c warm water

½ teaspoon of salt
2 cups flour
2 T oil

1.  Mix the warm water, yeast and sugar. (I usually do this in the glass measuring cup where I heated the water.) Stir well with a fork.  Set aside for about 5 minutes, until mixture starts to bubble.   

2.  Sift flour into a bowl. Add salt and stir together to combine.

3.   Make a well in the flour and pour in yeast mixture.  Add oil.  Draw in flour with a fork and and mix well to form a ball of dough. Knead the dough on a floured surface for 7 – 10 minutes until 

4.  Place the ball of dough into an oiled bowl (I normally just oil the same bowl). Cover with plastic wrap or a tea towel. Put the bowl in a warm place and leave for 30 minutes until double in size.

5.  Punch down the dough and knead on a lightly floured surface.

6.  Halve the ball of dough, and roll out to make 2 pizza bases.

To use:  Spread tomato paste and toppings.  Bake in pre-heated oven for 10-15 minutes at  200°C.