For anyone who loves pizza, learning to make their own at home is a major step forward. While restaurant pizza may be good, homemade pizza can be great! Moreover, despite what you may believe, making your own pizza is easy.
Not only can you create the gourmet pizza of your dreams at home, it will save you a lot of money. Think of the cost of getting takeout pizza over the course of a year... most pizza restaurants charge around for a hot, fresh pizza. If you had pizza twice a month for a year (assuming you only need one pizza each time), you would still be spending 4 per year on pizza alone. Double that if you have kids and need a minimum of two pizzas each time. Why not make them at home and save money?
Recipe for Homemade Pizza
What You Need
1-1/2 cups warm water (105 to 115 degrees F)
1 package active dry yeast
3-1/2 cups bread flour
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon sugar
Olive oil
Cornmeal
Tomato sauce
Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese, shredded
Mushrooms, thinly sliced
Bell peppers, seeded and sliced
Pepperoni, thinly sliced
How to Make It
To make the dough, put the warm water in the bowl of an electric mixer. Sprinkle the yeast into the water and let it sit for a few minutes so the yeast dissolves. Stir if needed.
Mix in the olive oil, salt, sugar, and flour on low for about a minute. Knead the dough by hand or with a dough hook on the mixer until the dough is elastic and smooth. This takes about 10 minutes. Add more flour if the dough is too wet.
Place your dough into a lightly oiled bowl, turning the dough so it gets coated in oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit in a warm place until it doubles in size. This may take about 1 to 1-1/2 hours. After rising, you can use the dough or freeze it for future use.
If you have a pizza stone, warm it in the oven as it preheats to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
Remove the plastic cover from the pizza dough and punch it down so it deflates. Divide the dough ball in half, forming two round balls. Place each ball in its own oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let them sit for 10 minutes.
Get your toppings ready. Try not to overdo your toppings or your crust will end up soft.
Take one ball of dough and flatten it with your hands on a floured surface. Begin in the center and work out towards the edges. You want the dough to end up about 1/2 inch thick. Turn the dough and stretch it until it will not stretch any more. Let the dough relax for 5 minutes, then continue until your pizza dough is the size you want. Pinch the edges if you want a lip to form on the crust.
Brush the top with olive oil. Make dents with your fingers along the surface to prevent bubbling during cooking. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes. Repeat dough preparation with the second dough ball.
Sprinkle cornmeal on your pizza stone. Lay out your pizza dough and quickly cover the pizza with a little tomato sauce. Add your toppings and bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Let the pizza rest for a couple of minutes after baking before you slice it. Enjoy!
