How to make your own pizza

Everyone loves pizza, and if you’re the one guy who doesn’t, nobody cares. Just kidding. Kind of. Since we all love pizza, shouldn’t we know how to make an amazing pizza that fills us up with deliciousness? We’re going to help you out with that and teach you how to make your own pizza. You’re welcome.

How to make pizza

We have three pizza recipes for you. The easiest one is a perfect bachelor meal. The middle one can feed a family or friends. The challenging one is what you use to impress a date or celebrate your love of pizza. Save the third one for a non-work day.

A simple starter recipe

Let’s start with the easiest means of making a pizza. You can get a premade pizza crust or dough. If the premade portion requires any preparations (hopefully not), follow the included instructions. When the crust is ready, add your favorite tomato sauce. You’re using premade pizza sauce here, so just spread it across the crust. Basically, a toddler can do this. On top of the sauce, add a layer of shredded cheese. Mozzarella is the classic, but you can use whatever cheese(s) you like. Feeling crazy? Use some spicy pepper jack. On top of the cheese, place your choice of toppings. Pepperoni, olives, even pineapple.  A little more cheese on top seals them in.

Bake at 450℉, or according to the instructions for your crust. You should bake until the cheese is fully melted and golden brown. The crust should also be golden brown. That’s it.

Getting more serious

If you want to be a little fancier, you can make your own sauce. This recipe is a guide for you. You can adjust it according to your preferences. Also, we’re recommending that you just get cans of tomato paste and/or crushed tomatoes. Pureeing them yourself is a pain.

So, you’re going to start by putting two tablespoons of olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add a clove of minced garlic (too much is better than too little—just ask any Italian). Hit it up until the garlic is fragrant and soft. Then, add your tomatoes.

Add a half-tablespoon of sugar, ¾ teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of dried basil and ½ teaspoon of oregano. Crack some fresh pepper into the mix (as much or little as you like) and add a pinch of red pepper flakes. Stir it all together.

Cover the pot and let it simmer. Then reduce the heat to low and simmer it for 15 to 30 minutes. It should be enough time to heat up the oven and prep your dough.

Being extra and making your own dough

This is a recipe to make pizza dough from scratch. You’re going to start by blooming 2 teaspoons of active dry yeast. Put it and 1 tsp of sugar in warm water. Let it all sit for 10 minutes. You will see bubbles form on the surface.

Put 7 cups of flour and 1.5 teaspoons of salt in a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the flour and add 6 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the bloomed yeast and mix with a spoon until it takes on a shaggy appearance.

Turn out the dough on a clean surface. Knead for 10-15 minutes.

Grease a clean large bowl with olive oil. Add the dough and coat it with the oil. Cover it with plastic wrap and let it rise for an hour. It can rise up to 24 hours, so you can plan this around your day.

Now, you’re going to lightly flour a clean work surface. Punch down the dough and knead it for one minute. Then, cut it into four equal portions (this recipe makes multiple pizzas). Lightly flour the dough and rest it for 30 minutes. Preheat your oven as high as it can go (at least 450℉). Place a pizza stone in the oven.

Make your pizza round and press it thinner than you think is right. It will puff up.

Add your ingredients and bake the pizza for about 15 minutes, or until the crust and cheese are golden brown. At this point, you may be considering leaving your job to open your own pizza joint. Don’t.

What to use for cooking

Any oven can make a pizza, but if you want the very best, wood ovens are the top option. There are two types of wood-fire ovens you can consider.

Wood-fire oven

If you have or are thinking of investing in a wood-fire oven, they’re amazing. Because they get so hot, they cook food quickly. This is great for retaining nutrients and improving flavor.

If you’re using real wood and not a gas alternative, you have to light the wood. It takes time for the oven to get hot, so plan around that.

If you haven’t used a wood-fire oven before, here’s a guide to help you.

Portable pizza oven

These outdoor portable pizza ovens are more than cool. They’ll have your neighbors having pizza parties in your backyard without your permission. Plus, they come in a number of styles and designs. Some can use gas or charcoal, but most are designed to burn wood pellets. That makes them easy to use, and you get the genuine quality of wood-fire cooking. Just keep in mind that these ovens are portable. Make your pizza an appropriate size. Giant pizza in a portable pizza oven is not a goal.