Growing up my family regularly made pizza at home...I thought this was something everyone did but after many times seeing friends and acquaintances wowed by our homemade pizza, I realized a lot of people only eat pizza from take out or from the frozen section at the grocery stores.
Pizza is my favorite food and a comfort food of mine... it is really easy to make and can be so fun to do as a family! I hope some of you that have never tried homemade pizza will be inspired by this and become skilled pizza makers!!
Pizza dough recipe good for about a 10-12 inch pizza dough! If you like it thin this can make a large as well!
Capital 'T' is for tablespoon and 'tsp' is for teaspoon.
The water needs to be warm to activate the yeast, about 110*F. You can mix the water, yeast and sugar in a small bowl or measuring cup and let it activate for about 10 minutes or longer before you mix together the dry ingredients. It is not required that you do this for pizza dough but many people prefer to do this to ensure the yeast is alive.
You will want to mix together the flour and salt then add the yeast mixture and oil at the same time. Alternatively mix the flour, salt, sugar and yeast in the bowl and then add the warm water and oil. I use olive oil for pizza dough but other oils will work.
I usually start out stirring with a fork until it is too doughy and switch to my hands to start kneading the dough. To knead is to sort of fold the dough in half and smash it down. You may have to add more flour during the kneading and you should knead for a few minutes, ten minutes is usually what is recommended for pizza dough. Fold and smash, fold and smash.
When you are done kneading you should oil your bowl that the dough is in and cover it so the dough stays moist.
Now you will want to let your dough sit for at least an hour to rise... (if you are in a hurry you can skip the rising and make your pizza but the dough will not be as chewy or full.) It helps to let it rise in a warm place, it takes less time. If you are letting it rise for a longer time you will need to check on it because it can rise right up out of the bowl you put it in. You can simply release the edges of the dough from the sides of the bowl and it will sink back down.
Sometimes I let the dough rise for several hours and it can even be kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
When you are ready to make your pizza, use a well greased pizza sheet or baking sheet. Preheat your oven to about 420*F. Use your hands to spread the dough out on the pan. Use the palms of your hands and tips of your fingers to smash down and stretch the dough outwards towards the edge of the pan. You can also use your fists and stretch the dough in the air, skilled dough makers can even throw the dough up in the air and catch it on their fist while it is spinning! Go ahead and try that, but beware it might make a mess!!
It does not have to look perfect, this is your own unique pizza. A relatively even thickness will do just fine.
Using a fork, stab a bunch of holes into the dough! This helps the dough from bubbling up and becoming too thick in the oven.
Use your favorite tomato or other type of sauce to smother the holy dough... then throw some cheese(I use mozzarella) on that sauce and add your favorite toppings. My pizza has onions, green peppers, pepperoni and sausage!
When you are done topping your pizza and you oven is preheated, put the pizza in the oven on the middle rack(or the rack closest to the middle of the oven.) Bake for about 15 minutes.
Remove the pizza from the oven and using a spatula, carefully slide the pizza onto a cutting board. If this is not easy and the bottom of the pizza is not lightly browned then it may need more time baking. When the pizza is fully cooked and the pan was properly greased it should slid right off the pan once edges are loosened.
I know it will be hard, but wait about 10 minutes BEFORE cutting your pizza! This helps the pizza stay together better and not burn the roof of your mouth so bad!! Enjoy your well earned pizza!
If you do not have a pizza cutter, it is well worth the purchase.
