One of the easiest and tastiest doughs that graces our home most Friday nights is homemade pizza. Not only is it very forgiving, but everyone can tailor it to their own preferences, making it the perfect experiment for kids and a great meal for families. You can go crazy with toppings, or keep it simple with cheese or pepperoni. If you’re like me, it’s a time to clean out my fridge and see what I have that would be yummy on top of a pizza. I also like adding unique ingredients. One of my favorites is a brie, ham and apple pizza drizzled with honey. Homemade pizza night has so many endless combinations that it is sure to be a crowd pleaser.
Make Homemade Pizza Dough Ahead of Time
One of the best parts about this pizza recipe is that you can make the dough ahead of time…as in two to three days ahead! Mix together the ingredients and then throw it in a covered bowl and let it sit in the fridge for a couple days before pulling it out for family pizza night. Retarding the dough for this length of time actually enhances the flavor of the dough. But don’t worry, if you decide on pizza last minute or just keep forgetting to make it ahead of time, it will still turn out great.
Looking for the best homemade deep dish pizza recipe?
Use a Pizza Stone for Homemade Pizza
I love using parchment paper and a pizza stone for homemade pizza. To get that beautiful crispy crust, a pizza stone makes a big difference. With that said, I used to make pizza all the time on a sheet pan. The crust never got super crispy, but it was still delicious. So, don’t let not having a pizza stone stop you from trying out this recipe. My kids absolutely love making their own mini pizzas. I like to set all my toppings out on the table and give each child their individual amount of cheese (we’ve got cheese hoarders around here). Everyone gets to work rolling out their own small piece of dough (it doesn’t have to be a complete circle) and topping it with whatever they want.
Homemade Pizza Tips
Another tip for delicious home-made pizza is cranking your oven up HOT! That will make for a crisp crust but a delicious middle. You want to bake your pizzas anywhere from 475-500 degrees and they will usually only take a few minutes. Make sure you preheat your pizza stone too. I usually make one large pizza for our family and then my four kids all make their own. As they finish topping their pizzas I’ll bake them quickly and then bake our family pizza. The whole process takes maybe half an hour…for five pizzas. I love pizza night for getting my hands doughy and because I never have complaints from the kids.
Ooni Pizza Oven Pizza
We love homemade pizza so much that we invested in an Ooni Pizza oven. It makes incredible pizza and you can check out my Ooni pizza recipes below:
Homemade Pizza
Ingredients
Homemade Pizza Dough
- 2 cups milk warmed, you can also substitute warm water
- 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon instant yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 Tablespoons neutral flavored oil
- 4-5 cups all purpose flour can also substitute half whole wheat/half all purpose
Pizza Sauce
- 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic pressed/diced
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon chili pepper increase this if you want more spice
- 28 oz crushed tomatoes nothing else in it but tomato
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 2-3 sprigs basil with stems/leave on
Toppings
- 2-3 cups mozzarella cheese
- unlimited toppings
Instructions
- Warm the milk (not too hot, you want it the temperature of a baby’s bathwater). Pour the milk into the bowl of a stand mixer (or a bowl to knead by hand). Add the sugar, instant yeast, salt, garlic powder and oil. Then, a cup at a time, add the flour. Use the dough hook to mix. Continue adding flour until the dough clears the sides of the bowl but is still a little sticky. Knead for about five minutes.
- For the most flavor, put the dough in a bowl and cover it. Leave in the fridge overnight or up to 3 days. When ready to use, divide the dough in two (or more depending on how many mini pizzas you are going to make). Let dough rest for 10 minutes.
- If you would rather use the dough immediately after mixing, divide the dough into two balls for two large pizzas, or make 1 large pizza and 4-5 mini kid-sized pizzas. Let dough rest for about 10 minutes before rolling out.
- Before rolling out the dough, place a pizza stone in your oven and preheat to 475-500 degrees.
- Place each ball of dough on a piece of parchment paper. Use a little flour if necessary to roll out, stretch with your hands and shape your pizza. Let the dough rest for a minute and then continue rolling or stretching dough to your desired thickness.
- Top with pizza sauce (recipe below), mozzarella cheese, favorite pizza toppings and bake. Large pizzas should bake in 8-10 minutes. Mini pizzas will take around 5-6 minutes. Enjoy!
Pizza Sauce
- To a small saucepan add the butter, olive and garlic over medium heat. Sautee garlic until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add the oregano, salt & pepper and sautee 1 more minute. Add the crushed tomatoes and stir.
- Slice the onion in half and add to the sauce. Add two sprigs of fresh basil to the sauce. Simmer on low heat for about an hour until the sauce is reduced and concentrated. Remove the basil and onion. Season with a teaspoon of sugar and more salt if desired.
- Remove to container and let cool before using on pizza dough. Sauce can be refrigerated for a week or two if desired.
Notes
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Amy
Hi! I’m Amy. Sourdough lover and Kentucky based mama, sharing my best recipes and tips, one bake at a time. So glad you’re here!
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