Anyone Know How To Make Homemade Pizza?

[Afra]

Hey everyone, I am in search of recipes with which you can make your own pizza at home without having to buy it from the store every time; I do enjoy eating pizzas from the pizza restaraunts around here but I have constantly thought of the idea to make my own pizza at home. So does anyone have any good pizza recipes I can try? Thanks so much in advance to all who respond to this topic!

[blueribboncakes]

Rustic Dough
2 1/2 t. Yeast
1/4 t. sugar
3/4 c. warm water
1 3/4 c. flour
1/2 t. salt

Activate yeast with sugar and warm water. Set for 10 minutes. Add flour a little at a time, knead and let rise 1 hour. Makes enough dough for 1 fourteen inch pizza.

I got this recipe at a friend of my brother in laws, in Wisconsin. It was from a cookbook only about pizza. Shamefully it looked brand new. It works beautifully. The crust is light and crunchy, and if you use a bit of corn meal, it won't stick to your pan. Enjoy!

[mudbug]

Afra,

Really all you need is dough, store bought, home made, frozen, phyllo.... whatever and then you put what ever you want on top.

Basic Pizza Dough

This is an authentic Italian thin crust pizza recipe. It is a recipe for two medium pizzas.


Ingredients:
4 1/3 cups all purpose flour
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. sugar
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
1 pack. 7 gr. dry active yeast

1. In a big bowl combine all the dry ingredients, the oil and then add the water slowly mixing well with a fork. Don't use all the water if it's not necessary.

2. Knead the dough with your hands for about 10 minutes and then shape into a ball, put it in the bowl and cover it with a kitchen towel.

3. Let it stand in a dry place for 3 hours or until the dough has doubled in bulk.

4. Work it a little bit more and if it's too sticky add a little bit of flour.

This is the real Italian pizza that it is very different from the one that you may have eaten in a pizza parlor outside of Italy. Its origin is very antique but the introduction of tomatoes in our country brought by Cristoforo Colombo (Christopher Columbus) contributed to making pizza a famous dish. There's a pizza for every taste. When you learn how to make it then you can create your own favorite one.

The pizza dough recipe above I divide into two pizzas 15 " X 11" each. That is the equivalent of two 14" pizzas. The toppings below are for one pizza (half this dough). Divide your dough in two parts and make a topping for each one.

For a topping we LOVE, just addslices of Mozzerela, and slices of tomatoes, put in the oven at 350 for 15 minutes or until golden, top with fresh basil, salt and pepper. (Yes, no sauce.) It's the BEST!

[Pooh]

Authentic pizza dough NEVER contains oil!!!

Here it is:

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon dry yeast
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup warm water (110 to 115 degrees)

1. Drop the yeast and sugar in the cup of water and stir to dissolve. Let stand about 5 minutes.

2. In a big bowl combine all the dry ingredients except the salt, then add the water/yeast mixture, slowly mixing well with a fork. If it's too dry, add a few more drops of water.

3. Knead the dough with your hands for about 10 minutes and then shape into a ball, put it in the bowl and cover it with a kitchen towel.

4. Let it stand in a warm place for 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in bulk.

5. Deflate it and knead again (about 5 quarter turns) and place in the bowl again for a second rise, about 1 hour again, until the dough has doubled in bulk.

Deflate again and divide in two balls. Shape your pizza and put your preferred toppings.

Bake in a preheated oven (500/550 degrees) for 10 minutes. If you have a pizza stone, that's the best.




[ April 11, 2001: Message edited by: pooh ]

[ April 11, 2001: Message edited by: pooh ]

[Pooh]

I didn't tell you when to add the salt!!!

You add the salt once your dough comes together, just before kneading.

[Svadhisthana]

Afra,
Do you like thin or thick crust? Some recipes are better suited for each one. check the good eats recipe for pizza dough on www.foodtv.com.

Svadhisthana

[Svadhisthana]

I forgot!


You can also use pita bread as a crust or even tortillas and vary your toppings to each. You can also prepare a basic dough and cook it on a grill out doors or in a cast iron grill pan on the stove top. And, of course, phyllo dough is wonderful to use topped with feta, calamata olives, spinach, and artichoke hearts.


Svadhisthana

[Afra]

A thick crust on a pizza is tastier and better for me than a thin one. A thin crust is rather stale and tasteless for me. That's why I don't really like some of Pizza Hut's pizzas; their crusts are so thin and stale! I would like to thank everyone before I close for their responses to this topic and the many helps and various recipes I have gotten to my various topics scattered throughout cheftalk!