If you’re looking for a fun weekend dinner, make your own homemade pizza! Check out some tips for making dough and pizza from scratch.
Making your own pizzas is a lot of fun, and it’s actually much easier than you might think! We’ve really been enjoying having pizza night on the weekends because everyone gets to make exactly what they want. You don’t need any fancy ingredients or equipment, and you can have a fresh homemade pizza in about 2 hours start to finish! First let’s talk about the dough.
Make Your Own Crust
I’ve been using this King Arthur pizza dough recipe that comes out great every time! I also love that it’s allergen free (when you sub GF flour) and vegan, so everyone can use the dough to build the pizza to their liking. Let’s break down the ingredients and why they’re important.
Dough Ingredients
Pizza dough is a yeasted dough, so the first step is to activate the yeast. Dry active yeast is sold in packets, and it’s alive! You just have to activate it with warm water. You want your water to be around 100 degrees F which is warm to the touch but not hot (if you don’t have a thermometer).
There is also sugar in the recipe that feeds the yeast. As you mix the water and yeast, they may start to bubble. When you add in the sugar, the yeast will ferment the sugar into carbon dioxide. When those bubbles get caught in the dough, you get rise!
I’ve subbed in my favorite gluten-free four Cup4Cup into this recipe and it’s worked great! Remember to weigh out your flour measurements if you have a kitchen scale at home because it’s much more accurate. I’ve used the low end of the flour amount (660g) which has worked out best for me. Read more about gluten free flour here.
The optional pizza seasoning is not necessary but highly recommended if you can get your hands on some! It really adds great flavor to the dough. I’ve been using this one which contains onion, bell peppers, fennel seed, oregano, garlic, basil, chili peppers, parsley, thyme, marjoram, and celery. You could sub in an Italian seasoning blend, or make your own blend from the spices you have in your cabinet.
Tips and Tricks
If you have a stand mixer, it’s really easy to mix the yeast and water in the bowl, and add the other ingredients. Then mix with the dough hook until combined. If you don’t have a mixer, don’t worry! This dough can be mixed by hand especially because it doesn’t require a lot of kneading. You can begin by incorporating the ingredients with a fork, and then move to your hands as it becomes shaggier. Kneed until just combined into a smooth dough.
Have a greased bowl ready for your dough. Grab a mixing bowl and wipe the inside with some olive oil to prevent your dough from drying out and sticking to the bowl. Cover with cling wrap and put in a warm spot to proof. The dough needs about 1-2 hours to sit so that the yeast can do it’s thing and the dough can rise. Good warm spots include on top of a dryer or dishwasher or in an oven with the light on. If you’re house is colder, it just might take more time for the dough to rise.
Cooking Homemade Pizza
You can cook your pizza on a baking sheet or a pizza stone depending on what you have. A baking sheet is probably the easiest. Just build your pizza right on the sheet, and pop it in the oven when your done! You can also build it on a silicone mat for a baking sheet or parchment paper.
If you have a pizza stone, the best way to cook on a stone it to preheat the stone with the oven. So to build your pizza, roll out the dough on a piece of parchment paper (NOT wax paper) and assemble your pizza. Transfer the paper and pizza to the stone. Once the crust has cooked for a couple of minutes, the dough should pull away from the parchment paper, and you can pull the paper out. Then cook the pizza directly on the stone for the remaining time!
If you have corn meal around, you can sprinkle a little bit on the surface before you roll out your dough which can help prevent sticking.
450 is pretty hot, but if your crust is done and your cheese isn’t brown and bubbly, broil the pizza for 1-2 minutes (watch it carefully) to get that awesome brown cheese!
TOPPINGS
When it comes to building your homemade pizza the options are infinite, and I really believe anything goes when it comes to pizza toppings! Some of my favorites are listed below.
Pesto base with mozzarella, olives, mushrooms, artichoke hears, and (beyond) sausage
White pie with alfredo base ricotta, mozzarella, mushrooms, and olives
BBQ pizza with marinara base, mozzarella, (beyond) sausage, and a BBQ swirl on top
BONUS RECIPE
Or, if you don’t want to make pizza, about breadsticks and Pizza dip!
Using the same dough recipe, divide into 12 equal pieces and roll out into bread sticks and cook at 450 for about 16 minutes or golden brown.
To make the pizza dip, mix equal parts marinara sauce and ricotta in a oven safe dish and top with mozzarella cheese. Bake at 400 degrees F for about 15 minutes or until the cheese is brown and bubbly!
As someone who’s not the best baker, making dough that have to rest and rise sounds intimidating. But trust me, making pizza is a great intro into working with yeast and doughs! It’s hard to mess up, and pizzas don’t have to look perfect to taste amazing! Once you’ve got the dough figured out, the rest is up to your imagination of what kind of pizza you want to male. Let me know what you would put on your handmade pizza below! Have fun building your own pizzas at home!