Kandace Kanzler's Tuscan Crust Pizza

Pizza is always a fun recipe to make.  It's fun to eat on family movie nights, but it's also a great way to get your kids involved in the kitchen.  So when I found this Blue Ribbon Recipe from the Kentucky State Fair, I just had to share it with you.  Kandace has been entering her amazing recipes in the fair for 25 years and has won many competitions.  She came up with this particular recipe at the last minute, but sometimes that's all a truly remarkable epiphany requires.

“My fiance and I were baking bread until after midnight Sunday night. We decided to make pizzas for dinner, so we put in the fair pizzas what we had for dinner that night,” says Kandace.  She “fell in love” with a Tuscan seasoning blend she found at Costco, and has used it in lima beans and on pork chops, and to flavor homemade pretzels and focaccia. And, of course, in her pizza crust.

Ingredients:
• 1 package active dry yeast 
• 1 teaspoon sugar 
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt 
• 2 tablespoons olive oil 
• 3 cups flour 
• 2 tablespoons Italian or Tuscan seasoning blend 
• 1 cup warm water

Directions:  Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Combine dry ingredients in a mixer bowl. Fit stand mixer with dough hook and, starting slowly, mix the ingredients and then start adding the water. Knead with mixer about three minutes, turn out onto floured board and knead briefly, forming dough into a ball. Place in an oiled bowl, cover with a towel and let rise in warm spot for 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk. Punch down, let rise another 20 to 30 minutes, then roll or stretch to fit a 15-inch pizza pan.

Top with tomato sauce, cooked Italian sausage, onions and sliced Canadian bacon and mozzarella cheese. Bake on rack or on pizza stone 15 to 20 minutes, until crust is crisped and browned and cheese is melted and browned in spots. Serves 6 to 8.