It has been one crazy week and I am not fit for much today.  DH and I went for a drive looking at crops and land.  We're exploring our options before we hit crunch time.  We came back home, ate some popcorn, and I made pizza dough in my KitchenAid mixer and am now waiting for it to rise.  We're going to try some Mennonite farmer sausage on top and see how we like it - I think I'll cook it ahead to get some of the fat out and to firm it up for thinner slicing.

I overcooked the sausage but it concentrated the flavours well - it was a little drier than we liked.  The dough was too thick - I need to split it in two for the next try.


Pizza Dough: Makes enough dough for two 10-12 inch pizzas

• 1 1/2 cups warm water (105°F-115°F)
• 1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) of active dry yeast 
•  3 1/2 cups bread flour
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar

Place the water in the bowl of the mixer and sprinkle the yeast onto it - let sit about 5 minutes.  Mix on low if not dissolved after this time.  Add flour, oil, salt & sugar - mix on low speed about 1 minute.  Fit dough hook on and knead at speed 1 to 2 until dough is smooth and elastic, around 5 to 10 minutes.  Place in bowl with oil and coat dough ball with oil by turning it.  Let rise at least 1 hour.  Punch down and divide into 2 balls, flattening each into a round or rectangle on cookie sheet.  Add toppings and bake at 450 F for 10 to 15 minutes, until cheese is golden and crust is browned.