Making Pizza At Home

I really can't think of anyone who doesn't like pizza. Whether it's a simple pizza with just some sauce and cheese, or a large deep dish pizza with the works. Just about everyone loves pizza.

It isn't hard to make pizza at home, and there are several advantages. A homemade pizza costs much less than ordering a pizza. Also, when you make your own pizza, you have complete control over the ingredients. You can put on a little bit of sauce or slather it on. It's completely up to you what to put on your pizza. Learn to make your own pizza, it's easier than you think.

Pizza Dough

1 1/4 cups lukewarm water

1 package of yeast (or a little less than 1 Tbsp.)

 1 tsp salt

3-4 cups all purpose flour

In a medium bowl, add the water and the yeast. Stir or whisk to dissolve the yeast.

Add the salt, and 2 cups of the flour, and mix well.

At this point, you may not need to add any more flour, if you do need to add more flour, add about 1/4-1/2 cup at a time until the dough forms a ball. You may not need the entire 3-4 cups.

Lightly dust a work surface, a table or counter, with some flour, and place the ball of dough in the middle of the floured area. Knead the dough for 5-10 minutes. This helps to develop gluten, which is a protein in the flour that forms a net to capture the carbon dioxide released from the yeast.

After you have kneaded the dough, place it into a large, lightly greased bowl, cover it with a clean kitchen towel, and set it aside in a warm place to rise.

When the dough has doubled in size, about 30-45 minutes (it could take longer depending on the temperature), remove the towel, and gently punch down the dough.

Remove the dough from the bowl and it's ready to use.

Makes 1 large pizza (about 16 inches) or 2 medium (12 inches), or two deep dish pizzas (8-9 inches)

Pizza Sauce

This is the recipe I use for my pizza sauce, it's quick and simple, and tastes great. If you like a lot of sauce, it makes enough for a large 16 inch pizza. If you don't like so much, then it could be used for two 16 inch pizzas.

1 14oz. can of tomato sauce

 2 tsp dried oregano

 1 tsp worcestershire sauce

 1 tsp garlic powder

 1 tsp onion powder

Combine all of the ingredients in a small mixing bowl, then spread it over your pizza crust.

If you like, you can also add some other herbs, such as basil or marjoram.

Note: Except for the tomato sauce, all amounts are approximate. You can add a little more or a little less according to your tastes.

 Putting It Together

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

Lightly grease a 16 inch pizza pan. Place the dough in the middle of the pan, and gently flatten the dough, and stretch it out to the edges of the pan, forming a lip at the edge. If the dough gets a bit thin in places and tears, gently pinch the tear together, and work some of the dough from the thicker areas to the thinner areas.

Spread the sauce evenly over the dough. You don't need to use all of the sauce if you don't want to.

Distribute your toppings evenly over the sauce. You can use traditional pizza toppings, such as pepperoni, mushrooms, green peppers, or canadian bacon, or you can use other ingredients, like chicken, artichoke hearts, just use your imagination.

Sprinkle shredded cheese over the toppings. I usually use cheddar and mozzerella, but you can use whatever cheese you'd like.

Place the pizza in the oven, and bake for 10-15 minutes, until the cheese has melted, and the edge of the crust is golden brown.

Remove the pizza from the oven, and let it sit for 5 minutes before cutting.