Homemade Pizza Recipe

Pizza from a restaurant is always tasty, but when you make everything yourself at home from scratch, it’s not only tastier, but far healthier. You probably already have most of the ingredients in your home, and when all is said and done, your taste buds and your wallet will be much happier.

To start, you’re going to need the right ingredients to make an awesome crust. The following recipe is derived from this one, found at SimplyRecipes.com



The Dough

In addition to household staples such as salt, olive oil, and sugar, you will need the following items:

-Dry yeast, one package (equals about 2 ¼ teaspoons)
-Bread flour, 3 ½ cups

And that’s all. As an aside, you can all-purpose flour, but according to this recipe, bread flour will yield a crispier crust.

To start, all you have to do is take a large bowl, fill it with warm water, and add the yeast. Let the yeast sit for about five minutes or until dissolved. Once it’s dissolved, mix in two tablespoons of olive oil, two teaspoons of salt, and one teaspoon of sugar and mix using an electric mixer on low speed. This recipe replaces the olive oil and sugar with two tablespoons of shortening, though both recipes will work.  After about a minute, use a “dough hook” to knead the dough until it has a smooth consistency. To add a bit more classic flare to the dough, knead it by hand, preferably while listening to stereotypical Italian music and wearing a giant, floppy chef’s hat.

Once the dough is nice and soft, take that big ole’ ball and place it in an olive oil-coated bowl, ensuring that it gets completely coated. Cover with plastic wrap then stick it in a warm place for a couple of hours. This is called proofing, and causes the dough to rise so it can be baked.

And that’s all there is to it.



The Toppings

Well, this part is pretty obvious. Prepare the toppings you desire. You can go with old standard such as pepperoni, olives, onions, peppers, and the like, or you can mix it up and create a Hawaiian pizza using pineapple and ham. It’s completely up to you.



Prepare the Crust

Once the dough has proofed, take it out of the bowl and divide in two. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can make a super pizza and use the entire ball of dough, though the outcome might not be as tasty. Press and flatten the dough into your desired shape and thickness on a flat surface. If the surface is too sticky, simply coat it with a thin layer of flour to prevent it from sticking.

Once the dough has reached its desired shape, place it on a baking stone (this will yield a crispier crust) or a pizza pan lined with parchment paper. For added flavor, coat it in corn meal. This will also help prevent the dough from sticking to the pan or stone once it’s done cooking.

Add the Toppings

Let the dough sit out for a minutes to dry a bit, then add a light coating of olive oil. Toss on your pizza sauce (I recommend adding some additional garlic and red pepper for a spicy kick), your cheese, and your desired toppings, and bake for ten to fifteen minutes in an oven that has been preheated to 450 degrees.

Once the pizza has reached its desired crispiness, take it out, let it cool, slice, and enjoy!

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