Food & Spirits
Sponsored by

Homemade Pizza for beginners

3,589 Views | 28 Replies | Last: 6 yr ago by aggiespartan
FabricatorAg
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Wanting to try to make pizza tonight, I'm not going to attempt to make my own dough so I wanted to see what y'all recommended for pre made crust I'll be going to heb. I planned to use a pre made sauce and doctor it up. I'll also saut onion and garlic with a butter baste for the crust and a layer before sauce.

Pre made crust and sauce suggestions...and go.
I like mullets, and bourbon whiskey..
HTownAg98
How long do you want to ignore this user?
With what you're planning to do, I'd order out instead.

Find a local pizza shop and get a fresh dough ball from them. Short of that, you're going to want a frozen dough that you can thaw out.
Make a simple pizza sauce. Make this one. http://slice.seriouseats.com/archives/2010/10/the-pizza-lab-homemade-pizza-sauce-new-york-style-recipe.html
Do not butter the crust. You want the sauce to cook into the dough. If you butter it, everything will slide around when you bite into it.
schmendeler
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Just get a hot n ready
aggiespartan
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
make your own dough and sauce tonight and have pizza tomorrow.
GtownRAB
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
I have a simple recipe that works for good pizza or deep dish. It's not gourmet, but it is simple and quick:

Dough - takes about 5 minutes to prepare

3 cups flour
T olive oil
8 oz warm water
Packet yeast

Mix yeast in warm water to activate it
Put flour and olive oil in food processor
Turn on food processor and slowly pour in water/yeast
Let it run until it forms a sticky dough ball

Spray pam on bowl and put dough in bowl,
cover with cup towel
Let it sit out on counter for 3-5 hours to rise

Regular pizza - makes about 4 medium/personal pizza

Roll out dough about 12" diameter
pierce with fork
coat lightly with olive oil
Use crushed tomorrows as the sauce
Sprinkle with Italian seasonings and garlic powder
Proceed with cheese and toppings
Bake in oven at 450 or hotter, preferably on baking stone, (I use BGE at 600-700F)
Bake about 7-9 minutes depending on amount of toppings

Deep dish - makes 2 pies

Spray pan and spread dough in 2 - 9" pie pans
Pierce with fork and coat light with olive oil
Layer cheese and toppings
Cover entire top with crushed tomatoes
Sprinkle Italian seasoning and garlic powder
Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes

Useing a pizza steel with a light dusting of cornmeal works best to make the regular pizzas on to slide then on and off your baking stone. I have used cookie sheets also.


GtownRAB
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
I forgot it in my original post, but don't have any recommendations for store bought crust. I have tried pre-packaged ones, frozen ones, and the biscuit tube pizza dough. None of them were good, I would rather make my own with the recipe above or go to papa murphys.

As far as sauce, you could use the crushed tomatoes with seasonings added I mentioned above for store bought sauce. I was skeptical at first, but it is actually really good.
wessimo
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
HEB Central Market crusts are great if you have to go store bought. 2 / $5 in the freezer section.
Potcake
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Tread lightly with this one people.
RangerRick9211
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
aggiespartan said:

make your own dough and sauce tonight and have pizza tomorrow.
I use my sourdough starter for pizza every few weeks. Mix Saturday night, bulk in the fridge overnight, split/shape around 11A Sunday - proof and 'zza at 7P. Strain the liquid from a can of Bianco DiNapoli - whole tomatoes, salt, olive oil and oregano blended until desired consistency for sauce. Baking steel 6" from the top element and 550 F oven: load the pizza, broil for a minute to desired char, back to baking at 550 and rotating every few minutes for even cooking.
SACR
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG

If you don't want to take the time to make a yeast-based dough, you can always make a 15 minute beer pizza dough.

3 cups of all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 12 oz beer, preferably a pilsner or a light beer

Put dry ingredients in a bowl, whisk together to sift through them. Pour in beer, mix with a spoon (or put in stand mixer and mix it on low for 5 minutes). It will form a sticky ball that pulls away from the sides.

There is enough dough for two medium pizzas, so cut ball in two, and set one aside in a container in the fridge, or make both into pizzas. Add a little olive oil to the container so it doesn't stick and lightly coat the ball with olive oil.

Flour your work surface, hand-shape ball into a flat disk, slowly flattening and stretching, letting gravity do most of the work as you stretch from the middle.

Preheat oven to 550 degrees or as hot as it will go.

For sauce, take a can of San Marzano tomatoes. Hand crush, or put into a blender. Mince a clove or two of garlic, and add in. Add salt and pepper to taste. Blend, and then spoon onto pizza dough. You will have more than enough for 4-5 pizzas, or 2 Chicago style deep dish. Put extra sauce in a container in the fridge, it keeps for several days.

Put corn meal or flour on your pizza pan so the dough doesn't stick while baking.

After sauce, put on shredded mozzarella, and any toppings you may want.

Bake in oven for 8 minutes.

Remove, slice, and serve.
SACR
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
RangerRick9211 said:

aggiespartan said:

make your own dough and sauce tonight and have pizza tomorrow.
I use my sourdough starter for pizza every few weeks. Mix Saturday night, bulk in the fridge overnight, split/shape around 11A Sunday - proof and 'zza at 7P. Strain the liquid from a can of Bianco DiNapoli - whole tomatoes, salt, olive oil and oregano blended until desired consistency for sauce. Baking steel 6" from the top element and 550 F oven: load the pizza, broil for a minute to desired char, back to baking at 550 and rotating every few minutes for even cooking.

How long have you been feeding your starter?
Ag_07
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
I've realized that homemade pizza is too much work and way more expensive than ordering out or just throwing a Screamin Sicilian into the oven.

aggiespartan
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Ag_07 said:

I've realized that homemade pizza is too much work and way more expensive than ordering out or just throwing a Screamin Sicilian into the oven.


Really? What kind of crazy toppings are you getting to put on your pizza?
ORAggieFan
How long do you want to ignore this user?
I agree on price, but quality and fun factor make it worth it on occasion. My kids love it.
RangerRick9211
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Ag_07 said:

I've realized that homemade pizza is too much work and way more expensive than ordering out or just throwing a Screamin Sicilian into the oven.
I don't agree that it's "way more expensive" or "too much work".

I get eight 12" pizzas from a 6# bag of 00 flour.

My cost for eight:
  • Sauce: $0.67 (1 can of Bianco DiNapoli)
  • Flour: $14.75 (Antimo Caputo 00, 6#)
  • Mozz: $6 (2 x TJ's 8 oz. tub)
  • Pepperoni: $3 (TJs)
  • Mix. Veggies/Herbs: $5

/pizza cost of $3.68. YMMV by toppings. I'll prep in rounds of eight, bake four; assemble and freeze the other four. Taste is wholly subjective, but I'll take mine over any frozen pizza or Domino's. I also prefer wood-fired'esque crust that no frozen or delivery pizza provides.

Effort is 5-10 min. of weighing and mixer time, 3-4 stretch and folds every 30 minutes, nothing for the remainder of the bulk and then it's into the fridge overnight. Next day, 5 minutes of divide and shaping, passive proofing for 5-6 hours, 2-3 minutes of stretch and assemble and finally bake. Total hands on, 20-25 minutes, or 3 minutes per pizza.
RangerRick9211
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
SACR said:

RangerRick9211 said:

aggiespartan said:

make your own dough and sauce tonight and have pizza tomorrow.
I use my sourdough starter for pizza every few weeks. Mix Saturday night, bulk in the fridge overnight, split/shape around 11A Sunday - proof and 'zza at 7P. Strain the liquid from a can of Bianco DiNapoli - whole tomatoes, salt, olive oil and oregano blended until desired consistency for sauce. Baking steel 6" from the top element and 550 F oven: load the pizza, broil for a minute to desired char, back to baking at 550 and rotating every few minutes for even cooking.

How long have you been feeding your starter?
It's over two years old. Stupid simple to start and maintain:

  • 20 g. Rye flour
  • 20 g. AP flour
  • 40 g. Water

Feed twice a day: discard most of the starter reserving 10-20 g of the old, refresh with the above ingredients. Give it 4-7 days and you'll start to see activity. Once it's going, bulk it up by discarding all but 10g of old, and refreshing w/ the above at 2x the amount and refrigerating it. It will go a few weeks w/o the need to be fed. When you want to use it, pull it out the day before, discard and refresh as normal 2x per day.
Ag_07
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Yeah I see now. You're going simple budget friendly pizza.

When I do DIY pizza I typically like to do specialty toppings I can't get when ordering out. I typically go with more than just cheese and pepperoni. I usually do fresh cheeses and quality meats from the deli counter.

By the end of it I'd say I'm spending close to $10 per pizza.

And for time I will say it's not a lot of work, but when compared to popping in a frozen pizza where I spend 30 sec of hand on time and don't have to clean a kitchen, wash dishes, etc.

Yeah the pizza isn't as high quality but I've found that the benefits don't usually outweigh the extra money and effort. Homemade pizza is good every once in a while for us to do while we drink a bottle wine and watch a movie on a weekend, but it's not something I do every time I want pizza.
SACR
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Ag_07 said:

I've realized that homemade pizza is too much work and way more expensive than ordering out or just throwing a Screamin Sicilian into the oven.


3 cups of Gold Medal flour = $.52

1 tablespoon of baking powder = $.06

1/2 teaspoon of salt = $.01

1 cheap lite beer = $1

4 spoonfuls of crushed San Marzano tomatoes = $.36

1/4 bag of shredded mozzarella = $.75

Total: $2.70 for 1 pizza, $3.79 for 2 pizzas

Roughly half the cost of a Screamin' Sicilian


Duncan Idaho
How long do you want to ignore this user?
SACR said:

Ag_07 said:

I've realized that homemade pizza is too much work and way more expensive than ordering out or just throwing a Screamin Sicilian into the oven.


3 cups of Gold Medal flour = $.52

1 tablespoon of baking powder = $.06

1/2 teaspoon of salt = $.01

1 cheap lite beer = $1

4 spoonfuls of crushed San Marzano tomatoes = $.36

1/4 bag of shredded mozzarella = $.75

Total: $2.70 for 1 pizza, $3.79 for 2 pizzas

Roughly half the cost of a Screamin' Sicilian




You forgot the cup and a half of sugar that is in the screaming scilian pizza
HTownAg98
How long do you want to ignore this user?
SACR said:

Ag_07 said:

I've realized that homemade pizza is too much work and way more expensive than ordering out or just throwing a Screamin Sicilian into the oven.


3 cups of Gold Medal flour = $.52

1 tablespoon of baking powder = $.06

1/2 teaspoon of salt = $.01

1 cheap lite beer = $1

4 spoonfuls of crushed San Marzano tomatoes = $.36

1/4 bag of shredded mozzarella = $.75

Total: $2.70 for 1 pizza, $3.79 for 2 pizzas

Roughly half the cost of a Screamin' Sicilian




Going through all that trouble and using preshredded cheese? For shame.
Bruce Almighty
How long do you want to ignore this user?
TennAg
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Op, for what you're wanting, i'd go with a par-baked thin crust. Home ovens don't do a good job with homemade dough anyhow unless you really know your stuff.

Believe it or not, Target has an excellent tasting "fire-baked" crust (the square one). I brush with olive oil, throw on some sauce cheese, tomatoes and basil and it's excellent.

Btw, it's fine to coat your crust, not sure if I'd use butter though. The key to not having the toppings slide around as mentioned is having the cheese layer touch the outer ring of crust, if you can see sauce then things will float.
SACR
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
TennAg said:

Home ovens don't do a good job with homemade dough anyhow unless you really know your stuff.



What is your basis for this statement?
TennAg
How long do you want to ignore this user?
SACR said:

TennAg said:

Home ovens don't do a good job with homemade dough anyhow unless you really know your stuff.



What is your basis for this statement?


Owned a group of pizza places where I learned a lot. For good pizza you need very high temperature or pretty high temperature with a lot of air movement (impingement). In a home oven, you have to crank it all the way up and preheat as long as possible. You are also hamstrung on your toppings because not enough water will cook off and you'll get a soupy result. That's why grilling pizza is so popular these days, you can get into the 600s and the vapor can escape.
RangerRick9211
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
TennAg said:

SACR said:

TennAg said:

Home ovens don't do a good job with homemade dough anyhow unless you really know your stuff.
What is your basis for this statement?
Owned a group of pizza places where I learned a lot. For good pizza you need very high temperature or pretty high temperature with a lot of air movement (impingement). In a home oven, you have to crank it all the way up and preheat as long as possible. You are also hamstrung on your toppings because not enough water will cook off and you'll get a soupy result. That's why grilling pizza is so popular these days, you can get into the 600s and the vapor can escape.
It's been the opposite for my electric oven. Moisture loss outpaces the cooked pizza; it's just not hot enough. I mist the dough with water as soon as I put it in the oven to cope.

With a 1/4" steel slab at 6" from the top element my bakes are 1.5 min. w/ broiler and an additional 4-5 min. at 550. Pre-heat for an hour and let it rebound 10 min. after every pizza.

With this method, I've had great, repeatable results with my sourdough pizza!
Bluecat_Aggie94
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
I gave up on homemade pizza until I get a pizza oven installed. Conventional ovens just don't get hot enough.

You aren't going to save money, in fact, you'll probably find that you spend more than delivery, and it won't probably be as good.

The only thing that recommends home made pizza (until you have a real pizza oven, then go for it) is if you have widely disparate tastes and everyone wants to make their own toppings.
flown-the-coop
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
We use a lavash flatbread (believe its from California Lavash) and make a thin crust pizza of your choosing. Its pretty damn good and super easy.
Ag MD 84
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
My Wolf range's oven has a "Stone" setting which is supposed to simulate a pizza oven---I use the stone from my BGE and the oven will go up to 550 degrees with two convection fans and an intermittent broiler function. It takes awhile to come up to temp and it will definitely warm up the kitchen, but the pizza is outstanding.
luke7203
How long do you want to ignore this user?
We cook quick personal pizzas on naan bread. They come out pretty dang good
aggiespartan
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Ag MD 84 said:

My Wolf range's oven has a "Stone" setting which is supposed to simulate a pizza oven---I use the stone from my BGE and the oven will go up to 550 degrees with two convection fans and an intermittent broiler function. It takes awhile to come up to temp and it will definitely warm up the kitchen, but the pizza is outstanding.
I never thought to do it on convection. I'll have to give that a try next time.
Refresh
Page 1 of 1
 
×
subscribe Verify your student status
See Subscription Benefits
Trial only available to users who have never subscribed or participated in a previous trial.