Sunny days and pizza

Today was a nice day - sunny and seasonably temperate - I should have taken advantage of it and gone out for a quick walk around the block. But sometimes when I'm at work, I don't want to go outside. I feel like if I walk out the door, I'm just going to want to keep walking until I get to the subway and then the bus station and then home. I like home. I don't get to spend enough time there....................

Quite a while back I bought some Bob's Red Mill G/F Pizza Crust mix. It's been sitting in my freezer - until recently it was too hot to turn on the oven. I was kind of nervous to make this mix, since it would be my first foray into baking with yeast. Plus, the directions aren't that specific. I wrote this to my friend Stephanie the other day while I was waiting for the dough to rise...

"My dough still doesn't look like it's rising and it's been more than 20 minutes. I'm wondering if I didn't proof the yeast long enough? The directions on the bag said "for a few minutes" what the fuck does that mean? I thought baking was a precise science?"

I probably should have photographed the rising dough and the whole first part of the baking process... you have to bake the crust first and then take it out and put on the toppings and then bake it again.



The first batch didn't puff up too too much, and I took a chance by putting it on my pizza stone and it turned out okay. It was a good color when I removed it from the oven although I should have smoothed it out a bit more... it was a thicker crust than what I really like... but I topped it with sauce from Vic's, chevre and fresh basil from Kate's garden.

When it came out of the oven the second time all nicely decorated, I couldn't wait to eat it. It has been months since I've had pizza! MONTHS! It's one of the few things I miss most about not eating gluten any more. And now I don't have to miss it any longer. I CAN MAKE MY OWN AND IT WILL BE DELICIOUS!!!



I am a happy girl.