Buon Cibo

This is Italian for "good food", which is definitely how I feel about pizza!  And I love making it even more!  For about 4 years, I worked at a pizza restaurant in Pima, AZ.  I really loved those pizza making days, my co-workers, employers and being a pizza delivery girl.  Even though it has been years since I've worked there and the restaurant is now gone, I still enjoy making pizza from time to time.  It became like an art to me.  A part of me comes back to life when I shape/press the dough and create the pizza with its toppings.  That was me tonight. For dinner, I had a good time making BBQ Chicken Pizza and Breadsticks.  Here is my masterpiece:

Of course I can't blog about cooking food without including a recipe, so here is one I've been using lately:

Dough

Combine 3 cups of lukewarm water, 4 TBS of sugar, 2 TBS honey and 2 TBS of yeast and let it sit for about 10 minutes, or until yeast is ready.

Add 7 cups (more or less as needed) of flour and 1 tsp of salt gradually while kneading dough (by hand or in a mixer) until dough is at the desired consistency (not sticky or too dense/hard). 

Divide dough in half and shape into 2 dough balls (one for pizza and one for breadsticks)

Let them sit for about 5 minutes (I like to spray them with cooking oil so they don't dry out)

Then place a dough ball on a pizza pan and hand press/stretch dough until it is evenly flattened across the pan

Pizza

Let the dough rise for about 20-30 minutes (depending on the temperature of the room)

Top evenly with sauce, cheese and other toppings as desired

I added bbq sauce to the pizza sauce, cheese, shredded cooked chicken, pineapple and sweet onions.

Bake at 425 degrees for about 15-18 minutes

Breadsticks

Cut dough into strips (I like to twist them) and place on a pan

Let them rise for about 10-20 minutes (depending on room temp)

Lightly brush on melted butter (I add garlic salt and parsley flakes to it)

Bake at 425 degrees for about 8-10 minutes

Take out, lightly butter again and sprinkle on Parmesan cheese

And....Voila! That is my delicious pizza and breadsticks dinner ☺