Braided Pizza...

Sunday afternoons beg for a quick and easy lunch. We come home ravenous from church at 2pm, having missed lunch and eaten breakfast hours before. This is a fun recipe that my girls shared with me several years ago. It's fast, economical and tasty! Below are two variations, but know that you could put anything into this braid that you would normally put on a pizza crust. Just plan on using smaller proportions, because you need to be able to pull the braid over the top of the pizza fillings. It takes less than a half hour to make and cook!

Braided Taco Pizza

• 1 - Pillsbury Refrigerated Pizza Crust
• 1/2 pound ground beef
• Monterrey Jack cheese
• Taco seasoning packet
• Optional: olives, onions, etc.

Cook ground beef and add 1/2 packet of taco seasoning. Shred cheese. Prepare any optional items -- diced onions, green peppers, olives, etc. Spray cookie sheet with Pam. Take pizza crust out of tube and place on cookie sheet. Roll out the pizza dough so it is about 1" from sides of pan. Using a pizza cutter slice the edges of pizza crust as shown in first photo below (1). Pile filling in the center of the crust as shown (2). Start at one end of the crust and braid the dough strips. Tuck last strip under (3). For a shiny crust, brush with one egg white beaten with one tablespoon water before baking. Bake for about 18-20 minutes at 425 degrees. (You may need to put a piece of foil over the braid for the last 5 minutes of baking.) Serve with a side salad or fruit for a fun twist on pizza night!

Braided Pepperoni Pizza

• 1 Pillsbury Refrigerated Pizza Crust
• 1 can pizza sauce
• Pepperoni slices
• Cheddar or Mozzarella cheese
• Optional: olives, onions, green pepper, etc.

Prepare your pizza crust as above. Spread pizza sauce on the middle of the dough then layer the pepperoni, cheese and optional toppings. Braid and cook the pizza same as above. Whaalaaa!

Here are some photos of the Pepperoni Braided Pizza I made today:

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