It’s fun to eat pizza away from home, but it’s even more satisfying to create your own flavors. I’ve tried everything from BBQ chicken to alfredo and bacon. Today, though, I just want to share the very basics for the crust and sauce and give ideas for making Hawaiian, pepperoni, and supreme homemade pizza. I’ll leave the gourmet flavors for later.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Mine takes forever to reach this temperature!
Crust
We got this recipe with one of our wedding presents: a set of pizza pans. They have been super nice, because the holes in the bottom help the pizza cook faster and get crispy. My favorite thing about this recipe is the fact that is has cornmeal in it, which I think gives a great texture. It makes enough crust for 1 large (16″) pizza or 2 small (12″) pizzas. I’m going to write the directions for 1 large pizza.
Put everything into a mixing bowl in this order:
2 t. yeast
2 t. sugar
1 1/4 c. water
1 t. salt
Stir until just combined, then add and mix until the dough pulls away from the bowl and isn’t sticky:
2 3/4 c. flour + 1/4 c. cornmeal OR
3 c. flour
Let the dough sit for 10 minutes while you get everything else ready for your pizza.
Pepperoni Pizza
Do nothing. Open a package of pepperoni. Also, congratulate yourself on making a pizza your kids will (probably) eat without complaining.
Hawaiian Pizza
Chop 8 oz. of ham and drain 1 can of pineapple tidbits. Chunks work okay too.
Supreme Pizza
This one is the most work, but it’s also my favorite. Chop or thinly slice all of the following, when applicable:
1 1/2 oz. pepperoni
1/2 each red and green bell pepper
1/2 c. black olives
1/4 red onion
4 oz. mushrooms
8 oz. Italian sausage (raw weight), cooked and drained
2 oz. ham
Assembling and Cooking the Pizza
Spread the dough onto a greased pizza pan, then top with the following:
1 c. tomato sauce
3 c. mozzarella cheese
toppings of your choice
Bake the pizza for 20 minutes at 400 degrees, then slice and serve. Homemade pizza is the best!
Homemade Pizza: 3 Basic Flavors
Equipment
- 16" pizza pan or 2 12" pans
Ingredients
The Crust
- 2 teaspoons yeast
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 1/4 cups water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups flour
Pepperoni Pizza
- pepperoni
Hawaiian Pizza
- 8 ounces ham chopped
- 1 can pineapple tidbits
Supreme Pizza
- 1 1/2 ounces pepperoni
- 1/2 red bell pepper sliced
- 1/2 green bell pepper sliced
- 1/2 cup black olives sliced
- 1/4 red onion sliced
- 4 ounces mushrooms sliced
- 8 ounces Italian sausage cooked and drained
- 2 ounces ham chopped
Assembly
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 3 cups Mozzarella cheese shredded
Instructions
The Crust
- Add the dough ingredients (except flour) to the mixing bowl and stir until just combined.2 teaspoons yeast, 2 teaspoons sugar, 1 1/4 cups water, 1 teaspoon salt
- Add the flour and stir until the dough pulls away from the bowl and isn't sticky. Set the dough aside. Prepare toppings for your pizza of choice.3 cups flour
Pepperoni Pizza
- Grab a pack of pepperoni.pepperoni
Hawaiian Pizza
- Chop the ham and drain the pineapple.8 ounces ham, 1 can pineapple
Supreme Pizza
- Cook the sausage and chop the veggies and ham.1 1/2 ounces pepperoni, 1/2 red bell pepper, 1/2 green bell pepper, 1/2 cup black olives, 1/4 red onion, 4 ounces mushrooms, 8 ounces Italian sausage, 2 ounces ham
Assembly and Baking
- Preheat the oven to 400. Spread the dough onto a greased pizza pan. Add sauce and cheese, then the toppings of your choice.1 cup tomato sauce, 3 cups Mozzarella cheese
- Bake the pizza for 20 minutes at 400 degrees, then slice and serve.