Paula Deens Mexican Pizza Recipes

Steps:

• Position the oven rack at the lowest level. If you have a pizza stone, place it in the oven on the rack. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
• Heat the oil in a small saucepan and cook the green pepper and mushrooms over medium heat until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Cut the crusts into biscuit sized pieces using a biscuit cutter. Distribute the vegetables evenly over the crusts. Reserve 1 cup of the salsa and spoon the remaining salsa evenly over the pizzas. If you don't have a pizza stone, place the pizzas on a baking sheet. They won't be as crisp this way, but this is a lot less messy than placing them directly on the rack.
• Bake the pizzas for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, then sprinkle with the cheese. Bake 7 minutes more. Serve the pizza slices topped with the reserved salsa, olives, cooked ham, shredded lettuce and sour cream.
• Note: For variety, you can make a Greek style pizza, using olives, tapenade, spinach and feta cheese. An Italian style pizza uses tomato sauce and provolone cheese. A vegetarian style pizza simply omits the meat.

Steps:

• Preheat oven at 450 degrees F.
• Measure out 1 3/4 cups warm water (it should be pleasantly warm on your wrist). Sprinkle the yeast on top of the water and allow it to activate, about 10 minutes.
• Put the salt and 2 cups of the flour into a food processor. Pulse 5 times to blend. Pour in the yeast and water and pulse 5 times. Add the olive oil. Add the remaining flour 1 cup at a time, pulsing and scraping the sides of the bowl until well blended. As soon as the mixture is combined, dump it out onto a well-floured board and knead for 15 turns, until the dough is smooth and elastic.
• Place the dough in a greased bowl and turn to coat all sides. Cover with plastic wrap or a tea towel. Allow the dough to rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes, until doubled in size, then punch it down. Divide it in half; each half will make 1 (12-inch) pizza.
• Place on a cornmeal-dusted pizza stone, pizza pan, or cookie sheet. Roll up edge slightly to create a ridge around the pizza. Bake for 16 to 18 minutes, or until crust is light brown.
• Cook's Note: If using only half dough, freeze the other half. Place the dough in a resealable freezer bag. To thaw, remove the bag from the freezer and place in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Roll the dough out while cold then allow it to come to room temperature before adding toppings.