Italian Sausage Pizza

I love pizza (doesn't everyone?) and this is one of my favorites.  The Mr likes deep-dish pizza and I prefer thin crust.  I think this recipe is a good compromise - tasty crust, crispy but not too thin, and a flavorful assortment of toppings.  I've never had a complaint with this!

Italian Sausage Pizza

Ingredients:

For the dough:
1 cup warm water (105° to 115°F)
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 tsp. salt
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 Tbs. active dry yeast

For the Topping:
1/2 cup pizza sauce
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced
3 links Italian sausage (either sweet or hot, depending on your taste)
1 cup part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup low-fat Italian blend shredded cheese


Directions:
In the bread pan of an electric bread machine, combine (in the manufacturer's recommended order) the warm water, olive oil, salt, flour and yeast. Set the machine for dough cycle according to the manufacturer's instructions and process through the cycle.

When the cycle is finished, remove the dough from the bread machine bowl.  Divide the dough in half, and form two balls.  (This recipe makes enough for two 12 inch round pizzas.  If you don't want two pizzas, you can freeze one of the balls at this point.)  Lightly oil your pizza pan.  Carefully stretch the dough into a round and place on the pizza round.  Stretch the edges to the edge of the pan and let rest on the counter while you prepare the toppings.

Spray a non-stick pan with cooking spray, and saute the onions and peppers for 2 -3 minutes.  Add the sausage links and cook for another 5 minutes or so, or until the onions and peppers are soft.  Remove the onions and peppers from the pan and set aside.  Continue to cook the sausage until it is cooked throughout.  Remove the sausage and slice into 1/4 inch round slices.

Spread the pizza sauce over the crust.  Add the onions, peppers and sausage.  Sprinkle the cheeses evenly over the pizza. 

Bake at 425 for about 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and golden.  Remove from the oven, slice (the U.S.S. Enterprise pizza cutter is optional) and serve!

I love this pizza - easy to make and always a hit!

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