Veggie and Sausage Supreme Pizza

For the crust, prepare a 15-inch pizza pan or a 8 1/2 x 13-inch baking pan by greasing generously with olive oil and sprinkling with corn meal or semolina flour. Place half the flour and yeast in the bowl of your stand-type mixer. Add the warm water and beat with a dough hook until it is partially mixed—about 30 seconds. The purpose of this mixing is to hydrate the yeast. Add the rest of the flour to the bowl. Add the salt, sugar, and olive oil. Knead with the dough hook at medium speed for four minutes adding more flour to reach a soft but not sticky dough. Press the dough into the pizza pan or the baking pan and cover and let stand in a warm place for about 30 minutes or until it is puffy. Complete with the filling as directed.

For the filling, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cook the Italian sausage, drain the grease from the cooked sausage, and pat it free of grease. Set it aside. Spread the pizza sauce on the pizza dough. Sprinkle it with the optional oregano and basil and then the 2 C. mozzarella. Spread the cooked sausage over the cheese. Spread the mushrooms, onions, bell peppers, and olives over the mozzarella. Sprinkle the 1/2 tsp. of oregano and 1 tsp. basil over the vegetables. Spread the remaining cheese over the vegetables. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the crust is brown and the cheeses are bubbly. Serve hot.

Yield: one, 15-inch pizza