How to Make Homemade Pizza

How to Make Homemade Pizza – Pizza dough is the foundation and every great pizza begins with a great pizza crust. Some like thin and crisp pizza crust, while others prefer thick and soft pizza crust. This homemade pizza crust has it all: soft & chewy with a delicious crisp and AWESOME flavor.

Table of Contents

Ingredients

for 16 servings

2 ½ cups warm water(600 mL)
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
7 cups all-purpose flour(875 g), plus more for dusting
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
¼ cup semolina flour(30 g)

OPTIONAL TOPPINGS

TOMATO SAUCE

28 oz canned whole tomatoes(795 g)
1 tablespoon kosher salt

MARGHERITA

tomato sauce
fresh mozzarella cheese, torn into small pieces
fresh basil leaf

TASTY’S BIANCA

extra virgin olive oil
fresh mozzarella cheese, torn into small pieces
ricotta cheese
fresh basil pesto
dried oregano

PEPPERONI

tomato sauce
fresh mozzarella cheese, torn into small pieces
spicy pepperoni slice
freshly grated parmesan cheese

Nutrition Info

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Preparation

“Bloom” the yeast by sprinkling the sugar and yeast in the warm water. Let sit for 10 minutes, until bubbles form on the surface.
In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Make a well in the middle and add the olive oil and bloomed yeast mixture. Using a spoon, mix until a shaggy dough begins to form.
Once the flour is mostly hydrated, turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and knead for 10-15 minutes. The dough should be soft, smooth, and bouncy. Form the dough into a taut round.
Grease a clean, large bowl with olive oil and place the dough inside, turning to coat with the oil. Cover with plastic wrap. Let rise for at least an hour, or up to 24 hours.
Punch down the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead for another minute or so, then cut into 4 equal portions and shape into rounds.
Lightly flour the dough, then cover with a kitchen towel and let rest for another 30 minutes to an hour while you prepare the sauce and any other ingredients.
Preheat the oven as high as your oven will allow, between 450-500˚F (230-260˚C). Place a pizza stone, heavy baking sheet (turn upside down so the surface is flat), or cast iron skillet in the oven.
Meanwhile, make the tomato sauce: Add the salt to the can of tomatoes and puree with an immersion blender, or transfer to a blender or food processor, and puree until smooth.
Once the dough has rested, take a portion and start by poking the surface with your fingertips, until bubbles form and do not deflate.
Then, stretch and press the dough into a thin round. Make it thinner than you think it should be, as it will slightly shrink and puff up during baking.
Sprinkle semolina onto an upside down baking sheet and place the stretched crust onto it. Add the sauce and ingredients of your choice.
Slide the pizza onto the preheated pizza stone or pan. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the crust and cheese are golden brown.
Add any garnish of your preference.
Nutrition Calories: 1691 Fat: 65 grams Carbs: 211 grams Fiber: 12 grams Sugars: 60 grams Protein: 65 grams
Enjoy!

The Best Flour for Homemade Pizza Dough

Bread flour is the best flour for homemade pizza dough. You can use all-purpose flour instead of the bread flour called for in the recipe, but bread flour is higher in gluten than all-purpose flour and will make a crispier crust for your pizza.

Homemade pizza on a pizza board. — Sally Vargas

How to Make Sure Your Yeast Is Active

Pizza dough is a yeasted dough that requires active dry yeast. Make sure the check the expiration date on the yeast package! Yeast that is too old may be dead and won’t work.

Also, if the yeast does not begin to foam or bloom within 10 minutes of being added to the water in Step 1 of Making the Pizza Dough, it is probably dead. You’ll need to start over with new, active yeast.

How to Measure Flour for This Pizza Dough Recipe

Cup measurements can vary depending on how you are scooping the flour (we fluff the flour, lightly scoop it, and level with a knife). So I recommend using a kitchen scale to measure out the flour amounts by weight. This is the only way you’ll get a consistently accurate measurement.

Is It Better to Let the Dough Rise Overnight?

You don’t have to let your pizza dough rise overnight – or up to 48 hours – in the refrigerator, but if you do, it will develop more flavor and air bubbles that will puff up when the pizza is cooked. (Some people fight over the slices with air bubbles.) Make sure to take the dough out of the refrigerator an hour before using it to bring it to room temperature.

Tips for Shaping the Pizza Dough Into Rounds

Pizza parlors make it look easy to shape dough into rounds, but it can take some practice in your kitchen to get it right at home. Try these tips.

Working with pizza dough is easiest if it’s at room temperature. If the dough is frozen, defrost it in the refrigerator before bringing it to room temperature.
Prepare a large floured surface for the dough but start shaping the dough with your hands. Moving around in a circle, pull from the center out until the dough gets too large to manage by hand.
Place the dough on the floured surface and – using the palm of your hand – continue to widen the circle until you can’t stretch it any further.
Let the dough rest for five minutes.
Continue to stretch with your hand. If you can’t get the dough to the diameter you want with just the palm of your hand, use a well-floured rolling pin to continue to flatten it, working from the center out.
If your dough doesn’t end up perfectly pizza parlor round, the pizza will be just as good. Keep making homemade pizzas, and you’ll get better at it.

Best Cheeses for Homemade Pizza

Mozzarella cheese is the most commonly used cheese on pizza, but it’s certainly not the only one you can use. You can use any cheese that melts well. For better meltability, use freshly grated cheese. Store-bought, pre-shredded cheese is coated with a substance that keeps it from clumping, but it also makes it harder to melt.

Try These Other Cheeses to Switch Up the Flavor of Your Pie

These cheeses have good meltability, but feel free to switch it up with whatever cheese you want.

Cheddar
Gouda
Blue
Swiss
Provolone
Munster
Parmesan – Parmesan is best mixed with other cheeses and not used as the only cheese on a pizza

Pizzas with Raw Ingredients

There are some toppings that should be cooked first before topping a pizza because they won’t cook fully in the oven during the pizza’s cooking time. Any raw meat should be fully cooked before adding it as a topping. Also, any vegetables that you don’t want to be raw on the cooked pizza such as onions, peppers, broccoli, or mushrooms should be sautéed first.

The Best Order for Topping Your Pizza

Traditionally, the pizza sauce goes on top of the dough. If you’re using shredded cheese, put the cheese on next and then the toppings. If you’re using fresh chunks of mozzarella, they should go on after the toppings. If you’re using some Parmesan cheese along with other shredded cheese, the Parmesan can be sprinkled on top of the toppings. But, don’t be afraid to mix up the order of the cheese and toppings to see what happens.

Conclusion

Pizza crust, like homemade bagels, artisan bread, and focaccia, requires a lean dough. A lean dough doesn’t use eggs or butter. Without the extra fat to make the dough soft, you’re promised a crusty pizza crust. (However, I recommend using some olive oil for flavor and to keep the interior on the softer side.) Recipes like dinner rolls and overnight cinnamon rolls require fat to yield a “rich dough,” which creates a softer and more dessert-like bread.

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