Bread machines should have been named “Pizza Dough Machines”

 

In just 1 hour and 40 minutes of waiting time and 5 minutes of working time, you can create the best pizza dough at home for pennies.

I don’t often hear my friends talking about using their bread machines any longer.  I think the fad is over.  I know we certainly try to reduce our intake of carbs and don’t often bake bread in our bread machine.  But what we do use our bread machine for is making pizza dough and focaccia.  Somehow  pizza and Italian breads did not grouped into the “bread” category from a carb standpoint.

If you didn’t buy your bread machine during the craze, you can easily pick one up at a thrift store for as little as $5 or as much as $25, a real bargain. (Especially compared to the cost of a Boboli crust, which I find outrageous!)

The following recipe will make one large focaccia, one thick crust pizza or two thin crust pizzas (resembling flat bread).

PIZZA DOUGH

1 1/8 cup water
3 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 ½ tablespoons dry milk
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Add all ingredients to bread machine.  Set on “dough” setting and press START.  When the dough is finished, remove from machine to counter sprinkled with bread flour.  Roll into a large round for focaccia or deep dish pizza.  Divide into two balls for thin crust pizza.

For focaccia, top with one teaspoon of your favorite dried herbs and bake at 425° until nicely browned, about 15 minutes.  For pizza, top with your favorite toppings and bake until browned (similar to focaccia.

For the thin crust pizza, top with your favorite toppings and bake in preheated 450° oven for approximately 10 minutes.