Pizza is one of the cheapest meals you can make on your own and every year people fork over hundreds of dollars on it from their local pizza chains. You can easily make comparable, if not better pizza than the stuff you buy in the stores. It’s easy to do and with a little bit of planning, you too can make your own pizza dough that you can either freeze or make a pizza out of. The following recipe will make approximately one large pizza, or two smaller personal size pizzas. The dough is the most important part and sauce and cheese can be purchased for cheap at your local grocer.
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups of water
- Olive Oil
- 4 cups of flour
- 4 teaspoons of dry yeast
Preparation
Sift the flour as much as possible so that you have 4 cups of sifted flour and not just flour out of the bag. Sifted flour is important as you don’t want the flour to stick together.
Warm the Water: If at all possible, warm up the water before you start the process. Don’t bring it to a boil, but luke warm to hot water is preferred when making pizza dough.
The yeast is the most important part and you should make sure that you purchase dry yeast. 4 teaspoons is about 2 standard packages of the stuff.
The Process
- Start by adding your water and yeast into a bowl and mixing until the yeast completely dissolves. You should make sure that the water is still warm at this point as it will help the yeast dissolve faster. Mix the yeast until it’s all mixed in and you don’t have any powder left. The mixed in yeast will help accelerate the baking process.
- Next, add about half of the flour that you have into the bowl and mix thoroughly. This too should mix completely, if not dissolve. Don’t add all of your flower until this flower dissolves. Once the first half of the flour has been added, you can then add the final half and mix it in.
- By this point in time you should have a substance that resembles pizza dough. Take the dough out of the bowl and plop it down onto a counter-top somewhere. The larger the counter-top the better, as you’re going to want to spread the dough out.
- This part is the tricky part of the whole process. You’ll want to knead the dough as much as possible at this point until it’s stringy and smooth. It should take about 20 minutes of kneading and pressing to get the dough into a smooth state, but keep at it until you’re finished. Putting unkneaded dough into the oven will result in unappetizing pizza and no one wants that.
- Once your dough is kneaded, put some olive oil in a clean bowl and grease the edges. Place your dough into the bowl and cover both sides of it with dough so that it’s a little slippery. Then, grab some plastic wrap and cover your bowl. Place the bowl in a hot place, perhaps on your front porch, and let it rise for about 40 minutes or until the dough has risen to twice its original size.
- Once the dough has risen, place it back onto the counter top you used earlier and spread it out into a circle shape. With your pizza dough in shape, add all of your sauces, cheeses, and topping and throw it into the oven on a baking sheet for about 20 minutes at 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Start checking on the pizza after 15 minutes to see that it isn’t burning, but 20 minutes is usually a good cooking time.
So next time you’re craving a cheesy slice, ditch the delivery menu and skip the takeout line. Making your own pizza at home is surprisingly easy and incredibly rewarding. This recipe offers a simple base to get you started, but the beauty of homemade pizza lies in its customization. Pile on your favorite toppings, experiment with different sauces and cheeses, or even get creative with a whole-wheat crust for a healthier option. With a little practice, you’ll be a pizza-making pro in no time, whipping up delicious pies that rival anything you’d get from a pizzeria. Beyond the cost savings, there’s a unique satisfaction that comes from creating a meal from scratch. Imagine the pride you’ll feel serving up a steaming hot pizza you made yourself, knowing exactly what ingredients went into it. So grab your flour, activate your yeast, and get ready to knead – a world of pizza possibilities awaits!
Pizza is one of the cheapest meals you can make on your own and every year people fork over hundreds of dollars on it from their local pizza chains. You can easily make comparable, if not better pizza than the stuff you buy in the stores. It’s easy to do and with a little bit of planning, you too can make your own pizza dough that you can either freeze or make a pizza out of. The following recipe will make approximately one large pizza, or two smaller personal size pizzas. The dough is the most important part and sauce and cheese can be purchased for cheap at your local grocer.
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups of water
- Olive Oil
- 4 cups of flour
- 4 teaspoons of dry yeast
Preparation
Sift the flour as much as possible so that you have 4 cups of sifted flour and not just flour out of the bag. Sifted flour is important as you don’t want the flour to stick together.
Warm the Water: If at all possible, warm up the water before you start the process. Don’t bring it to a boil, but luke warm to hot water is preferred when making pizza dough.
The yeast is the most important part and you should make sure that you purchase dry yeast. 4 teaspoons is about 2 standard packages of the stuff.
The Process
- Start by adding your water and yeast into a bowl and mixing until the yeast completely dissolves. You should make sure that the water is still warm at this point as it will help the yeast dissolve faster. Mix the yeast until it’s all mixed in and you don’t have any powder left. The mixed in yeast will help accelerate the baking process.
- Next, add about half of the flour that you have into the bowl and mix thoroughly. This too should mix completely, if not dissolve. Don’t add all of your flower until this flower dissolves. Once the first half of the flour has been added, you can then add the final half and mix it in.
- By this point in time you should have a substance that resembles pizza dough. Take the dough out of the bowl and plop it down onto a counter-top somewhere. The larger the counter-top the better, as you’re going to want to spread the dough out.
- This part is the tricky part of the whole process. You’ll want to knead the dough as much as possible at this point until it’s stringy and smooth. It should take about 20 minutes of kneading and pressing to get the dough into a smooth state, but keep at it until you’re finished. Putting unkneaded dough into the oven will result in unappetizing pizza and no one wants that.
- Once your dough is kneaded, put some olive oil in a clean bowl and grease the edges. Place your dough into the bowl and cover both sides of it with dough so that it’s a little slippery. Then, grab some plastic wrap and cover your bowl. Place the bowl in a hot place, perhaps on your front porch, and let it rise for about 40 minutes or until the dough has risen to twice its original size.
- Once the dough has risen, place it back onto the counter top you used earlier and spread it out into a circle shape. With your pizza dough in shape, add all of your sauces, cheeses, and topping and throw it into the oven on a baking sheet for about 20 minutes at 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Start checking on the pizza after 15 minutes to see that it isn’t burning, but 20 minutes is usually a good cooking time.
So next time you’re craving a cheesy slice, ditch the delivery menu and skip the takeout line. Making your own pizza at home is surprisingly easy and incredibly rewarding. This recipe offers a simple base to get you started, but the beauty of homemade pizza lies in its customization. Pile on your favorite toppings, experiment with different sauces and cheeses, or even get creative with a whole-wheat crust for a healthier option. With a little practice, you’ll be a pizza-making pro in no time, whipping up delicious pies that rival anything you’d get from a pizzeria. Beyond the cost savings, there’s a unique satisfaction that comes from creating a meal from scratch. Imagine the pride you’ll feel serving up a steaming hot pizza you made yourself, knowing exactly what ingredients went into it. So grab your flour, activate your yeast, and get ready to knead – a world of pizza possibilities awaits!
