Crispy Pepperoni Pizza

Pizza, anyone? As a type 1 diabetic, this can be like a Fear Factor level food. A series of thoughts race through my head. Do I need to do a temp rate? Will my Control IQ be able to handle it? Will I regret this in four hours?

Maybe it’s just me, but I find that making pizza at home does not increase my blood sugars in the way going out or ordering pizza in does. Plus, now that I have a toddler (who is OBSESSED with pepperoni), pizza is a weekly staple in our house. So, you could also say this recipe is toddler approved… Anyways, onto the pizza!

Ingredients:

For the Pizza Dough:

• 2-2 1/4 cups of flour

• 1/2 tablespoon seasoning, optional (I like garlic powder or the Trader Joe’s Soffrito)

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 3/4 cup warm water

• 1 package rapid rise yeast

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1/2 teaspoon sugar

For the Pizza:

• 4 oz pizza sauce

• 1 bag of shredded mozzarella cheese

• 1 pint roasted tomatoes with garlic, recipe can be found here*

• As much pepperoni as you want

Directions:

For the Pizza Dough:

1. Combine water, sugar and yeast in a bowl and let sit for 5 minutes.

2. In a large bowl, add 1 cup of flour, seasoning and salt, then mix.

3. After the yeast mixture has sat untouched, add tablespoon of olive oil.

4. Add half of yeast mixture to large bowl and knead by hand or use a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment.

5. Add another cup of flour and rest of yeast mixture and mix.

6. Once all of this is mixed together, stop mixing. If the dough does not feel sticky or dry and it bounces back when you poke it, you are done. If it is dry, add a little more water (add tablespoon by tablespoon). If it is sticky, add the remaining 1/4 cup of flour.

7. Rub down another bowl with olive oil.

8. Put dough in bowl and cover with a damp paper towel.

9. Put bowl in a warm place and let rise for about an hour or until you are ready to make your pizza.

For the Pizza:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.

2. Take a sheet pan and line it with aluminum foil.

3. Put oil on aluminum foil and then place the foil on the counter, so that you can roll out the pizza. (I do this because I hate dough getting stuck on my counter)

4. Once you roll out the dough and it is the size of the sheet pan, carefully transfer the aluminum foil with dough on top back to the sheet pan.

5. Begin adding your toppings. Start with tomato sauce, then cheese and finally pepperoni. If the tomatoes were made ahead of time, put them on pizza now. But, if the tomatoes are warm, feel free to keep off pizza and add once pizza is out of oven.

6. Bake pizza for about 15-20 minutes, until the edges are a nice golden brown. Rotate the pizza halfway through.

7. Let pizza cool for 5 minutes when done, then cut and enjoy! Remember to add your roasted tomatoes if you haven’t already.

Enjoy!

* Remember those tomatoes you roasted with garlic? Take some melted butter and mash the garlic into it, and you have your own Papa John’s garlic butter!