In our family, we have pizza every Friday night.  We spread out a blanket on the floor and have a pizza picnic while we watch a movie.

I used to buy pizza from a delicious, local pizza parlor.  Until one time when I spent $30.00 on 2 pizzas, drinks, and chips.  $30.00!  I couldn’t believe it!!

We had received a bread machine for our wedding almost 12 years ago.  I dug it out, modified a recipe that came with it, and my creation was an instant success.  We like the taste of this pizza better than the take out, and I like it even more because of it’s affordability!

Here’s my modified version of the crust. Feel free to experiment with it and have fun!

• 1 1/3 c water
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 1 tsp or more of fresh, minced garlic
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 2 c whole wheat flour
• 2 c white flour
• 2 tsp yeast
• Sometimes I add parsley flakes and basil.
• I’ve been know to add a bit of parmesean cheese, too.
• Sometimes I add more whole wheat and less white flour. Depends on my mood!

I put it all in the bread machine. It mixes and rises in 1 1/2 hours. If you don’t have a bread machine, I’m sure a cookbook would tell you how to mix and rise dough. I’ve never done it without the machine, but if you have to, it’ll be worth the effort.

The dough either makes one really thick crust, or 2 thinner ones, which is what I usually do, as we like leftovers for the next day.
I put cornmeal down on the pizza stone and roll out the crust. This is so it doesn’t stick, and it adds a nice crunchy texture.

Add sauce, cheese, toppings. I used shredded cheddar and shredded mozzarella. I also use turkey pepperoni instead of regular. Less fat, and much more flavor.

Cook at 500 degrees for 15-20 min.

Frugal notes:

• I often put bacon, hamburger, onions, green and red peppers on my side of the pizza. Whenever I use these items in a recipe, I save a bit for my pizza toppings and freeze them.  I don’t miss the small amounts in the recipe I’m making.
• On pizza night, I just pull out my container, take the frozen veggies and/or meat and add them to my side of the top before cooking.
• I enjoy the frugality of not having to purchase a variety of toppings just for my side of the pizza, and the convenience of having choices all prepared and ready to use.
• Since we make this every week, I buy my shredded cheeses in bulk.  Those small bags of pizza cheese cost a fortune!  I just buy a huge bag of mozzarella cheese, and a large bag of white American cheese.  I just grab some cheese from each bag and toss it on the pizza.
• Some day, I am going to buy the cheese in large blocks, which is even more affordable, and shred it myself.
• Cheese keeps a long time in the refrigerator, I’ve never had it go bad on me.  I’ve also successfully frozen the cheese if you are worried about it.

Let me know if you try it and how it turns out!!