I had a look at the pizza personality survey Greg posted and when asked where I got my pizza they had no option for homemade. I guess not that many people make their own pizza and I have to wonder why, because homemade pizza puts the crap you buy at the chains to shame (exception noted for those of you who live in New York City...).

I make pizzas once a week, three at a time, three different kinds. Not only do you get dinner, but you've got snacks for days. Adolescents are always complaining that the pantry doesn't have Big Macs stacked up ready-to-eat, but pizza slices in the fridge are the next best thing, and a damn-sight healthier.

I've tried a variety of recipes for the crust and can recommend the following, which is more about technique than ingredients (all pizza dough is basically made of the same ingredients...).

Combine 3 tsp of yeast (or one packet), 1 tsp of sugar, a 1/4 c.hot tap water (about 110 degrees) in a bowl. If you have a good mixer (I own a Kitchenaid, the best mixer I've ever used...), combine these ingredients in the work bowl, stir well to dissolve and let sit 5-10 minutes to "proof".

When the mixture is foamy and the volume is about double, add a tbsp of olive oil 2 tsp salt and one cup of flour. The oil is largely functional, so it doesn't have to be a flavorful extra virgin, or even olive oil (Canola will do just fine). The flour is important, but all-purpose flour generally does the trick. The main thing is that you use a flour made from hard wheat with a high gluten content. Stir this until its a smooth paste.

Add more flour gradually until the mixture become dry enough to come off the sides of the bowl, usually 2 more cups (for 3 total). If the dough is still too wet, add another tbsp of flour.

You have to knead the dough to develop the gluten, and while you can do this by hand, I use the kneading hook with the Kitchenaid. I find ten minutes does the job.

Remove the dough and smooth into a ball. There is a specific method for doing this, but its hard to verbalize. It amounts to drawing the dough to a single spot on the underside to create a membrane. Its not terribly important, but helps for shaping the dough later. Place the dough in an oiled bowl and roll it around to coat it on all surfaces. Place a piece of plastic wrap over the dough ball so that it clings to the top half of the ball and then just press the edges to the sides of the bowl. This will prevent the dough from drying on the surface. Let the dough rise for 90 minutes or so.

When the dough has doubled in size, you can start making pizzas. The recipe is generally enough for three thin-crust pizzas, or two thick crust pizzas, according to your preference. Cut the dough in thirds or halves and roll into smaller dough balls. Place the balls you aren't using back into the oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap again to keep hydrated. Smash the ball with the palm of your hand to form a disk. At this point there are a number of ways to get a round flat bread. I just take the disk and start pulling and stretching along the perimeter, then lay it on the unfloured counter and pull the edge out a little and then "stick it" to the counter. When you are about half way, let the dough rest a bit to allow the elasticity to relax, then keep pulling the edge out until you are at the desired diameter. At this point, I transfer the dough to a edgeless cookie sheet (you can buy a "peel" for this, but they are pricey...) that has been sprayed with a little cooking spray and dusted with cornmeal.

Now that the dough is ready, time to build a pizza. The permutations are endless, but the classics are always good. I like to use Marinara sauce (I haven't been able to make one better than Newman's Own) and then layer pepperoni, red onion, Spanish olives, roasted sweet peppers slivers, mushrooms and mozzarella cheese.

Pizzas should be cooked at high heat. I have a dual oven where one of the ovens is rather shallow and perfect for making pizzas. Additionally, I use a ceramic sheet (a really big tile will do) as a crisper. It draws out the moisture from the bottom of the pizza giving it a nice crust. Preheat the oven as hot as it will go, usually 500 degrees. You can do this on a grill as well, which if you have a good one can get to 600-700 degrees quite easily. Place the cookie sheet right on top of the crisper and let cook for four minutes or so at which point the dough should have cooked enough to let you slide it off directly onto the crisping tile. Cook an additional 8 minutes or so.>/li>

Another one I like to make is a pesto pizza with shrimp. Pesto is easy to make, but you can buy it as well. Making it is better though because you are using fresh basil, or alternatively cilantro. Put a bunch of basil leaves into a food processor, add a handful of pine nuts, a quarter cup of shredded parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and some olive oil. Pulse a few times, adding olive oil until its a nice smooth paste. Grill about a half pound of uncooked shrimp, remove the shells and slice them lengthwise. Season with garlic salt, olive oil and lemon juice. Cover the pizza dough with the pesto and then distribute the shrimp evenly. Cook as described above.

Bon appetite.