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The flavorful topping usually contains other ingredients such as onion, green pepper, mushrooms, sausage, ground beef, or anchovies.

This hearty food originated in Naples, Italy, where it was a specialty as long ago as the sixteenth century. At that time, King Ferdinand enjoyed pizza so much that he persuaded a renowned pizza chef to bake pizzas especially for him and his court. In fact, the kind was so enthusiastic about this main dish that he insisted on licking his fingers rather than using a napkin.

Although the popularity of pizza spread rapidly throughout Italy, most Americans were not familiar with this dish until after World War II when soldiers returning home from Italy brought recipes and a taste for pizza with them. Today, this tasty pie with its countless variations is an all American favorite.

An integral part of the American pizza is a thin, crispy crust, unlike the thick crust of the Italian pizzas. Most pizza crusts contain yeast and are made like other yeast breads. Often, however, many of the time consuming tasks associated with making yeast breads are eliminated by using packaged pizza mixes or convenience ingredients such as hot roll or biscuit mixes.

One of the attractions of many restaurants specializing in pizzas is watching the chef shape the dough by alternately shaping it with his hands and flipping it into the air. Although this method is spectacular, it takes a lot of practice to perfect. Therefore, most homemakers are better off rolling or patting the dough.

Preparing a topping for pizza is one area in which the creative cook excels. Starting with ingredients like tomatoes (fresh, canned, sauce or paste), onions, green peppers, ripe and pimiento stuffed olives, mushrooms, shrimp, Canadian bacon, sausage, ground beef, ham, anchovies, cheese or anything else that sounds good. You can come up with numerous combinations that will delight any guest.

Even the cheese you use can add variety to your pizzas. Favorite pizza cheeses include mozzarella, Parmesan, and Romano, but almost any cooking cheese is suitable. Since the stringiness of natural cheese is expected on pizza, make sure that you use a natural rather than a process cheese.

Jiffy Pizza Crust

Ingredients

• 1 – 13 ¾ ounce package hot roll mix
• Salad oil

Method

1. Using 1 cup of warm water (110 degrees) and no egg, prepare hot roll mix according to the package directions.
2. Do not let rise.
3. Cut in half.
4. With oiled hands, pat each half of the dough into 12 inch circles on greased baking sheet.
5. Clip edge at 1 inch intervals.
6. Press so edge stands up.
7. Brush with salad oil.
8. Fill with your favorite ingredients and bake at 450 degrees for about 15 to 20 minutes.

You can find more great pizza ideas at Making Homemade Pizza Crust