The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie turned 30 this year! I was sad to hear this as it seems like just last week I was sneaking downstairs with a bowl of Cap’n Crunch to watch it for the 100th time. (Maybe I was) So, in an attempt to force my kids to live my childhood, I decided to have a Ninja Turtles Party! We started out with this super fun craft, followed by some delicious homemade pizza to enjoy with the movie!
When it comes to homemade pizza, I feel it is important to be as creative as you like! I do, however, have two basic rules that I always follow. One, never use store bought pizza dough. Two, always cut your own pepperoni! Buy it in a log and slice it yourself. It is surprisingly easy to find. These two things will make your pizza 100 times more fantastic!
Cowabunga Pizza Recipe:
(For the Dough)
– 1 ½ cups warm water (110 degrees F)
– 2 teaspoons sugar
– 2 ¼ teaspoons (1 package) active dry yeast
– 3 ½ to 4 cups flour
– 2 tablespoons olive oil
– 2 teaspoons salt
(For the rest)
– 1 jar of pizza sauce
– 2 cups of Mozzarella cheese
– 1 pepperoni stick (sliced)
– Italian Seasoning
– Garlic Salt
Instructions:
1. Combine warm water, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl. Let it proof for 5 minutes until foamy.
2. Add flour, olive oil, and salt and stir well with a wooden spoon.
3. Knead for 6-7 minutes until smooth and elastic. Get the kids involved with this part because it seriously feels like it takes forever, but it is super important that the dough is kneaded long enough. It should be tacky and slightly sticky but still be manageable to work with.
4. Drizzle a clean bowl with a little olive oil, then place the ball of dough in the bowl and turn it to coat in the oil. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean cloth and let rise for 30-60 minutes until doubled in size.
5. While your dough rises, shred 2 cups of mozzarella cheese if you aren’t using pre-shredded. Also, slice pepperoni to desired thickness.
6. Roll, pat, or stretch the dough out on a pizza stone until it is roughly ¼” thick.
7. Fold and pinch along the circumference of the dough to form a crust.
8. Top with pizza sauce, cheese, pepperoni, and whatever other toppings you want!
9. I like to finish mine off by grinding Italian Herb Seasoning over the entire pizza and sprinkling garlic salt over the crust.
Bake your pizza at 400 for 25 minutes or until cheese is melty and crust is golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes, slice and Enjoy!
We only put peperoni on top because my kids are picky and typical, but you can top your pizza with whatever you like! Let us know how this recipe went for you and post your pictures in the comments below!
