Pizza Good Enough for a Dog

1 teaspoon yeast
1 3/4 cups lukewarm water
4 1/2 cups flour
3 cups tomato puree or sauce
1 pound Mozarella, grated or sliced
1/4-1/2 cup grated Parmesan
olive oil (drizzle a little over top)
salt and pepper
oregano
basil

This is my mom's old recipe from the sixties. Dissolve yeast in water. Stir in enough flour to make a moist dough. Knead until smooth. Divide into 2 or 3 parts (depending if you want thin or thick crust), put in oiled bowls. Let proof until doubled, several hours. Spread on greased pizza pans or cookie sheets. Add toppings & bake at 400-450 degrees for about ten minutes depending on thickness of crust. Personally, I like to bake it in two stages: spread dough with tomato sauce only & bake at 450 degrees until it blisters (about 6 minutes); remove from oven, spread with cheese and seasonings, return to hot oven and bake about 5 minutes longer (the cheese is much nicer this way).

When Matt and Rachel were young I baked pizza at least once a week for years, so it was a real family staple. Several months ago Matt called me for the recipe and I explained it in detail. His roommate Sarah told me what transpired. She left the apartment while Matt was in the middle of making the pizza. Later in the day, when she returned hoping to eat some pizza, there was none left. Matt had eaten most of it, and fed the rest to Sarah's dog! I gather it was some kind of bonding experience between Matt and his roommate's dog.