Provencal Pizza

I forgot about this pizza. I am going through my recipes, cleaning things up and throwing magazines away. I decided this would be a good venue to put them on. This is unusual because of the pesto. Use any flavor pesto. This is great pizza when the garden is in full bloom. Needless to say it is not Clyde's favorite.

Pizza dough:
1 envelope active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 1/2 -3 cups flour
In a large bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water. Add the sugar, stir and set aside for about 10 minutes, until the mixture is bubbly (if it doesn't bubble - throw it out and start over with fresh yeast). Stir in salt and olive oil. Beat in 2 cups of the flour. Add as much flour as needed to make a dough that is not too sticky to knead. Knead on a floured surface until the dough is smooth and satiny or knead by machine for a minimum of 5 minutes. Place the dough in an oiled bowl, turning with the dough oiled side up. Cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel. Let rise in a warm place until double in bulk, about 1 hour.

Toppings and Pizza
1/2 cup pesto - either prepared or homemade
8 ounces tomato sauce or 12 ounces ripe tomatoes, sliced thin and seed pockets removed
3 1/2 ounces Chev re Cheese
4 ounces Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place the pizza stone in the oven if you have one. Oil a 10x15 inch pan. Punch the dough down and press it down into the bottom of the pan. Spread the pesto over the dough. Lay the tomatoes over the pesto or spread the sauce. Add any other vegetables you desire. Sprinkle with the Chev re Cheese and sprinkle shredded Mozzarella cheese over the entire surface. Bake for 15-25 minutes or until the Mozzarella is bubbly and the crust is cooked through.

Note: The reason the wide variance for time in the oven is that ovens heat differently. Some will cook faster than others. You might want to also turn the pizza around so the pizza evenly cooks all the way around. I have no problems with my oven at home but the one at the church - you have to flip the baked goods around or one side is raw and the other side is perfect.