Homemade Pizza Weekend

Today is April Fools’ Day. I am not good at playing pranks, so better just treat today as another normal day and do something productive.

Six months have already passed and I still have 10 kg more to lose to be back to my pre-baby weight. It’s so difficult to lose everything that was gained for 9 months. Maybe I should give myself more time, but I definitely should not be too relaxed. I should start working on it NOW! MY GOAL: Lose 15 kg and feel better (and lighter!) on Alexa’s first birthday.

This thought have dawned on me after I finished baking and pigging out on my first homemade pizza during the weekend. I suddenly realized that my jeans still cannot fit and my flabby belly are screaming out of my shirt’s fabric. No wonder why my colleagues are telling me to bring my running shoes to work so we can go for a long fast walk afterwards. And the worst thing, they are calling me “fei-fei” (Chinese/Mandarin for “fat-fat” or “fatty”) *sigh*

Tonight will be my 3rd night of working out. I try to spend at least 30 minutes running around our block and another 30 minutes at the outdoor “free gym” which is actually meant for seniors. I also plan to do some yoga at home and be more conscious with what I am eating. Crossing my fingers and toes that I can do it, even after I have reached my goal, for maintenance.

Now, let’s get back to what I really wanted to share with you in this post. Like I mentioned, I made pizza last weekend. Dough was made from scratch. I never thought it was that simple. Maybe next time I can try the healthier version, though.

Freezer-friendly Pizza Dough

Recipe from Money Saving Mom

Ingredients:

• 2 cups warm water (105 to 115 degrees F.)
• 2 Tablespoons active dry yeast
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 4 Tablespoons oil (vegetable, Canola, or olive oil)
• 5 cups flour (can use all whole-wheat, half white/half whole-wheat, or all white)

Procedure:

• Pour the warm water into a bowl and sprinkle the yeast over it. Stir to dissolve. (Since I used instant dry yeast, I mixed the yeast directly to the flour/dry ingredients, and mixed the water in separately.)
• Add the remaining ingredients and mix.
• Dump onto a floured surface and knead dough for two to five minutes until smooth and no longer sticky.
• To freeze: Cut lump of dough in half and place each half in an airtight freezer bag. Freeze for up to 4-6 weeks.
• To bake: Place frozen dough in a greased bowl and thaw at room temperature for at least 3-4 hours. Roll out and shape onto a greased pizza pan.
• Add pizza toppings of your choice. Bake at 240 deg C for around 20 minutes (until the crust looks crispy and lightly browned).
• If you don’t want to mess with freezing the dough, take the kneaded dough and roll out and shape onto a greased pizza pan. Add pizza toppings and bake as directed above. (I took this option!)

I wanted to try spinning the dough just how the pizza pro does it, but I was too scared that it will fall flat on the floor and all the efforts will go to waste.

This recipe was able to produce 2 9×13″ pan pizzas, each cut into 16 square slices — (1) tomato-based ham & mushroom and (2) alfredo spinach & mushroom. Both are topped with grated mozzarella and red cheddar cheeses. YUM!

We’re all pizza lovers at home, of course it was a hit!

Enjoy and thanks a lot for dropping by!