Pizza Cups

In the past year, I've learned to make all sorts of amazing things. Hands down, made from scratch pizza is everyone's favorite in this house. Last week I decided to spice it up a little and make mini pizzas in my muffin pans. AWESOME and FUN! My firstborn named them Pizza Cups. I wanted to call them Muffizzas or Pizzaffins but the vote one out for Pizza Cups.
So.......if you have the extra time, just lack "convenient" ingredients, or just want to eat pizza that will make your tongue slap your brains out, then here's the recipe. If you like this recipe, let me know and I'll try to post more on here. Enjoy!   :) 

THE SAUCE:
1 kilo (about 2 lbs) tomatoes
1 large green pepper
1/2 medium onion
1 1/2 tablespoon Italian seasoning
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 can tomato paste (that's about 200 grams or 7 ounces)
water (if tomatoes aren't juicy)

Chop the tomatoes, pepper and onion and put them in a medium sized pot. If you like your sauce chunky, then chop your veggies coarsely. If you like your sauce not so chunky, then chop them finely. Add Italian seasoning, salt and sugar. Stir and let sit for about 5 minutes. If the tomatoes are juicy then you don't need to add any water. If they're not, then add about 1/4 - 1/2 cup. Cook over medium heat for about 30 minutes, stirring and adding water if necessary. Just be careful not to add too much water. Once all the veggies are cooked and they look similar to the picture below, stir in the tomato paste. Simmer for about 10 more minutes.

I use this sauce for EVERYTHING! It's great for spaghetti, pizza, stromboli and casseroles. It also keeps well in the fridge or freezer.

THE TOPPINGS:
1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup crumbled fresh white cheese (the kind we have here is sort of like feta, you could also try cottage cheese, ricotta or farmer's cheese or leave it out altogether)
2 medium sized tomatoes chopped
1/2 large green pepper chopped
1/4 cup sliced olives
1/4 cup onion chopped
8 ounces pepperoni slices chopped
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
2 tablespoons corn oil
dash of salt
dash of pepper

Mix everything together and let stand in the fridge for at least 1 hour before putting it on the pizza. You can add, change quantities or omit any ingredients according to your personal taste. Veggies can be chopped fine or coarse and you can experiment with different cheeses. The secret to this is the oil and letting it sit. If you have any leftover, you can put it in a pasta salad, put it in a spaghetti or just eat it on bread :)

THE DOUGH:
1 tablespoon molasses
1 1/4 cup warm water
1 tablespoon instant yeast
3 1/2 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons corn oil


In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and molasses in the warm water and let stand for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile mix the flour, salt and oil together in a large bowl.

Once the yeast is bubbly, pour into the flour mixture and stir with a fork until it is just starting to mix together.
 

Ditch the fork and use your hands to continue to mix it. Add a sprinkle or 2 of flour if it is too sticky. Form into a ball and knead for about 5 minutes. Place it in a greased bowl and flip it over so the greased part is on top.

Cover and let rise in a warm spot for about 1 hour (at least until it has doubled). 

At this point your have several options...
This batch can make 2 medium sized pizzas or 36 pizza cups. You can also use this same recipe to make 1 large stromboli, 16 personal sized pizzas or bread sticks! For now, we'll stick to medium pizza and pizza cups.
For the medium sized pizzas:
Divide the dough in half. Roll out the dough onto your pizza pan (grease it if it's not stoneware) and bake at 425 for about 6 minutes. Remove from oven. Top with sauce, shredded cheese, toppings and more cheese :) Return to oven for about 15-20 minutes until crust is starting to brown and the cheese is melted.
For the pizza cups:
Divide dough into 36 pieces. Grease muffin pans! Place 1 piece in each muffin slot and press it down on the bottom and sides. Bake at 375 for 6 minutes. Remove from oven. 

If the dough rose a lot during baking, press it down a little in the middle with your fingers...just enough so you have a spot for the sauce. Put 1 teaspoon of sauce into each cup, top with a sprinkle of freshly grated cheese (mozzarella or Parmesan). Add desired toppings and return to oven for about 15 minutes until crust is starting to brown and cheese is melted.

Toppings and Sauce Recipe are original recipes by me. The dough recipe is from Paula Deen with a few slight alterations.