I thought it would be good to take a break from my current series of Chrome photos and share something completely different. I love baking home-made pizza. Here’s how I do it:

My secret to great home pizza is the crust which I make from Pillsbury Hot Roll mix. The instructions for pizza dough are right on the box. Go easy on the last 1/4 cup of water. I use just a tad less. This dough is super sticky, so be forewarned. After the dough is mixed, I cover the mixing bowl with a towel and set it aside to raise. Start preheating the oven now with a rack in the next-to-bottommost position.

I also start warming up my sauce on low heat at this time. I like Contadina brand pizza sauce. Use your favorite brand or be daring and prepare your own.

I use this opportunity to prepare my toppings. I grate anywhere from 8 to 12 ounces of mozzarella cheese, depending on how much I’ve got in the house. Sometimes I’ll add a little cheddar for variety. My personal favorite toppings are pepperoni, bacon bits, black olive, green pepper, and onion. I had some leftover hot Italian sausage, tonight so I substituted that for the bacon. I forgot to pick up an onion at the grocery store. Oh well.

Now, back to the dough. Use some cooking oil to grease your baking sheet. I prefer a 10 x 15-inch baking sheet which, in my opinion, yields the perfect thickness of crust. Oil up your hands while you’re at it. Remember this dough is sticky and it’s very elastic. It will take some work to get it to the edges of the pan. Once it is spread out, I prick it all over with a fork to help prevent massive air bubbles from forming.

I bake the crust without toppings for about 6 or 7 minutes, until it just begins to brown. Keep an eye on it and jab any large bubbles with a fork. It should look like the photo at the top left (notice the fork holes). Sauce comes next, then the toppings as seen in the top right photo. I like putting my cheese on top of the meat and veggies. I think it helps keep the toppings juicier, but maybe you like your pepperoni on top so the edges get just a little crispy. It’s up to you. The last thing I add is a sprinkling of garlic salt and oregano as you can see in the lower left photo.

Finally, the pizza goes back in the oven until the crust finishes browning as you can see in the lower right photo. That should take an addition 8 or 9 minutes. Baking times will vary, of course, depending on your oven. Take the pizza out, let it cool for a minute or two, slice and enjoy.