How to make pizza at home in the oven. From homemade pizza dough and sauce to other tips you’ll want to know.
Pizza. The dinner you call out for on a Saturday night or pick up at the grocery store in the frozen section. But that frozen kind just doesn’t cut it, and delivery once a week gets a bit pricy.
So you turn to google for the answers. Luckily you found us. A complete guide to making pizza at home with easy follow along directions.
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Here I’ll guide you through how to make pizza dough, easy pizza sauce from scratch, and other tips to make the best pizza right in your own oven.
When you first start making your own pizza at home, it can be a bit intimidating. But after a time or two it gets easier and the kids love it!
PIZZA AT HOME
You need to start with a good dough. We started making pizza at home in 2017 as new homeowners finding a family routine. At first we started simple with those round pizza crusts from the store, but I never found a pizza crust that I liked! They were tasteless and had me ordering real pizza the next day.
If you’re in a pinch you can buy pizza dough in the refrigerator section. Or make your own pizza dough at home like we do. If your about to back out at the thought of doing anything with dough, don’t! You got this.
PIZZA DOUGH INGREDIENTS
- Pizza dough-Makes 3 pizzas
- 4 ½ cups flour
- 2 ½ tsp. yeast
- 1 TBS sugar
- 1 ½ tsp. salt
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 1 ½ cups water
Using warm water, add 2 ½ tsp. of yeast with 1 TBS sugar. Set aside until it foams. About 5 minutes.
In a large bowl add flour and remaining ingredients. Once combined add the water mixture.
Mix until dough forms.
On a lightly floured surface, knead dough an additional 6-8 minutes until it becomes smooth and stretchy.
Place in bowl and cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest in warm area 60-90 minutes, until doubled in size. (I like to set mine in the microwave)
If that takes too much time, you can make it the day before. After kneading, cover with plastic wrap and set in the refrigerator overnight for a slow rise. Take out 1 hour before use and allow it to come to room temperature.
PIZZA SAUCE RECIPE
You can either buy pizza sauce from the store or make your own homemade pizza sauce.
- Homemade Pizza Sauce- enough for 3 pizzas
- 1-28oz can whole peeled tomatoes in juices
- 6 oz tomato paste
- ½ onion
- 3-4 fresh garlic cloves
- 1 TBS olive oil
- 1-2 TBS pure maple syrup or honey
- ½ tsp. basil
- ½ tsp. salt and pepper to taste
- pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
For a smooth sauce– Heat saucepan over medium high heat. Add olive oil and ½ onion. Once onion becomes translucent add garlic. Stir until you can small the aroma of garlic and add one 28 oz. can of whole peeled tomatoes in their juices. Simmer several minutes.
Place all ingredients in blender until smooth (be sure to allow steam to escape). Simmer on stove 20 minutes.
For a chunky sauce– Use the same ingredients and heat oil over medium heat. Add onions to soften and 3-4 garlic cloves. Add remaining ingredients and crush the whole tomatoes with fork or potato masher. Simmer 20 minutes.
Equipment to make your life easier
Using a pizza peel makes transferring the pizza dough from the counter to the oven so much easier.
Since we’ll be cooking this pizza in the oven you’ll want a pizza stone. A pizza stone is a round stone surface that is preheated in the oven and a must for getting a crispy underside to the pizza. And the pizza cutter is just a bonus for making pizza night that much easier.
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PREHEAT OVEN- STRETCH YOUR DOUGH
Preheat oven to 450°with pizza stone inside. Lightly flour your surface and stretch the dough. Slide onto pizza peel and lightly coat dough with olive oil.
We are going to slightly cook our pizza dough before adding any toppings. That way we get a nice crispy crust and we can get the hang of using the pizza peel without the added weight of toppings.
Cook for 4-5 minutes.
Remove from oven with tongs and place on pizza peel. Add sauce, cheese and toppings.
Place back in oven and cook and additional 8-10 minutes or until crust is golden and cheese is melted.
Remove from oven and slice with pizza cutter.
Note- Some might argue that you should place the sauce and cheese on the dough and cook everything all at once. However, as a pizza beginner it’s easier to get the hang of using the pizza peel without all the extra toppings weighing it down.
Once you’ve made this recipe a few times you might like adding everything at once, but to start it’s nice to not have the ingredients fling off the front of the peel onto the stone during transfer.
PIZZA TOPPINGS
- Mozzarella cheese
- Pepperoni
- Onions and peppers
- Buffalo chicken/turkey
- Mushrooms
- Olives
- Mozzarella with basil
- Ground beef
- Pineapple
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Homemade Pizza
Equipment
- Pizza Peel
- Pizza stone
- Pizza Cutter
Ingredients
Pizza Dough
- 4 ½ cups Flour
- 2 ½ tsp. yeast
- 1 TBS sugar
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 1 ½ cups water
- 1 ½ tsp. salt
Pizza Sauce
- 1 28oz can whole peeled tomatoes with juices
- 6oz tomato paste
- ½ onion
- 3-4 fresh garlic cloves
- 1 TBS olive oil
- 1-2 TBS pure maple syrup or honey
- ½ tsp. basil
- ½ tsp. salt or to taste
- pepper
- pinch red pepper flakes
Toppings
- mozzarella
Instructions
Prepare your dough
- Using warm water at 2 ½ tsp. yeast and 1 TBS sugar. Set aside until it foams. About 5 minutes.
- Mix the remainder ingredients together and then add the water mixture. Mix until dough forms.
- On a lightly floured surface, knead dough an additional 6-8 minutes until it becomes smooth and stretchy.
- Place in bowl and cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest in warm area 60-90 minutes, until doubled in size.
Prepare your sauce
- For a smooth sauce- Heat saucepan over medium high heat. Add olive oil and ½ onion. Once onion becomes translucent add garlic. Stir until you can small the aroma of garlic and add one 28 oz. can of whole peeled tomatoes in their juices. Simmer several minutes.
- Place all ingredients in blender until smooth (be sure to allow steam to escape). Simmer on stove 20 minutes.
- For a chunky sauce, use the same ingredients and heat oil over medium heat. Add onions to soften and 3-4 garlic cloves. Add remaining ingredients and crush the whole tomatoes with fork or potato masher. Simmer 20 minutes.
Prepare the pizza
- Preheat oven to 450°with pizza stone inside. Lightly flour your surface and stretch the dough. Slide onto pizza peel and lightly coat with olive oil.
- Slightly cook the pizza dough before adding any toppings. Cook for 4-5 minutes.
- Remove from oven with tongs and place on pizza peel. Add sauce, cheese and toppings.
- Place back in oven and cook and additional 8-10 minutes or until crust is golden and cheese is melted.
- Remove from oven and slice with pizza cutter.
Notes
- The nutrition information provided is an estimate and will very based on different brands of ingredients that are used along with cooking methods.
Nutrition
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