For the crust:

1 pkg. yeast (or 2 1/4 tsp.)
1 cup warm water
1 tsp. sugar
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
2 1/2 cups bread flour (you can use all-purpose, but bread flour makes a fluffier crust)

For the filling:

1 lb. Italian sausage
1 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced or crushed
2-3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 jar pizza sauce

For top of crust:

2 Tbs. melted butter
dried oregano and basil

Make the dough first. Dissolve the yeast in the water. Mix in the other ingredients until they are well blended. I use a stand mixer with a dough hook, but you can also do this by hand. Let the dough rest while you cook the sausage.

Brown the sausage with the onion and garlic. Drain and rinse under hot water to remove the extra fat.

Heavily grease a 9×13 casserole dish. Layer the mozzarella and then the sausage over the top. Pour the sauce over the sausage, using a spoon the spread it out.

On a floured surface, roll out the pizza dough with a rolling pin. It should be about the shape and size of the casserole dish. Carefully lift the dough and place it on the casserole dish. Trim any dough that is hanging over the sides. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with oregano and basil, if desired. Bake at 425 degrees for about 25 minutes.

I flipped the pieces upside down to serve them, which is how the original individual pies get served. The cheese ends up on top. It’s not pretty, but it’s oh-so-good!

Stacy's Notes: Made this July 2010 and we both liked it! I made a couple of modifications, based on what I had on hand. I used one packet of instant yeast and did use my stand mixer. I had to add a bit more flour as the dough seemed a little wet. I did use bread flour and not all purpose. For the sausage, I used a package of turkey italian sausage (I think it was roasted garlic and tomato flavored). I slit the casings and squeezed the meat out and browned it with garlic (minced, jarred) and onion. I probably used more than 2 cups of cheese, probably 3-4 (mozzarella that I shredded from a large block). I also sprinkled a lot of Italian seasoning over the meat, before spreading the pizza sauce on top. And, instead of melting butter for the crust, I just used some Parkay spray butter before sprinkling on dried Italian seasoning.

This was good, a lot of crust, maybe next time I should roll it thinner or only use half, but it was really good. The leftovers heated up well too. We just ate with a salad :)