All About Making Homemade Pizza

Why buy take out when you make your own healthier and better tasting pizzas at home?

You can even make your own sausages!

About Seasonings and Seasoning Blends

Homemade Pepperoni (Beef & Vegan) Sausages

If you don’t have a pizza pan or stone or don’t know how to toss a pizza crust … that’s okay! You can bake pizza on a baking sheet or on a sheet of heavy duty foil and it doesn’t even have to be tossed. It is actually faster and easier to just press it out by hand (but do NOT use a rolling pin) — I’ll discuss this in more detail later.

This dough recipe makes either four small, two medium, or one large pizza crust. You will want to make it the day before so it can rest in the refrigerator for 14 hours (although it will keep in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours).

I will later discuss how to make and freeze (partially baked) crusts ahead of time so you can quickly make a pizza at the spur of the moment.

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Note:

Semolina flour is far better than cornmeal to prevent crust from sticking.

Many mistakenly think that cornmeal is the grainy bits on the bottom of pizza bought at restaurants or pizza parlors.

However, they are using semolina flour, because cornmeal can easily burn and blacken — or develop a nasty scorched flavor even if it doesn’t look burned — when used at the higher heat setting needed for baking pizzas.

Exception:

You might be able to get by with it if it is a thinly topped and thin crust pizza and doesn’t have to bake for very long.

Just be very cautious about the amount used since it can cause the dough to taste like cornbread if too much is used. Use too little, however, and the pizza crust will still stick.

If using cornmeal instead of semolina then you’ll need to use a bit more — about 1/2 to 1 tsp more — and only use it on the bottom — for a total of 1-1/2 to 2 teaspoons.

Semolina flour can be purchased in four pound bags in the same isle as the flour and cornmeal of the grocery store — or purchased in bulk 50 lb bags. There are also many online sources in which to purchase it.

It is also the best flour to use when making most types of homemade pasta.

I purchase mine now in any quantity desired in the bulk section at Winco instead of the four pound bags at the grocery because it is a much better price.

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In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast and honey in 1/4 cup warm water. Set aside for 5 minutes.

In a food processor, or electric stand mixer with a dough hook, combine the all purpose and wheat flour and the salt.

Add the oil, the yeast mixture, and the remaining 3/4 cup of water.

Process until the mixture forms a ball in the food processor — or if using stand mixer, mix on low speed until the mixture comes cleanly away from the sides of the bowl and starts to climb up the dough hook.

Do not over work it and stop as soon as the ball forms in the food processor or the dough starts to climb dough hook in the stand mixer.

Turn the dough out onto a clean (un-floured) work surface and knead by hand 2 or 3 minutes longer. The dough should be smooth and firm. Cover the dough with a clean, damp, lint free towel and let it rise for about 2 hours. When ready, the dough will stretch as it is lightly pulled.

Divide the dough into 4 balls. Work each ball by pulling down the sides and tucking under the bottom of the ball. Repeat 4 or 5 times.

Then depending upon whether you want 4 small, 2 medium, or one large pizza, either:

A) Leave as 4 balls for making 4 small pizzas.

B) Press 2 balls together to make a medium crust. Repeat with the remaining two balls to make the second medium crust.

or, C) Press all four together into one ball for a single large pizza crust.

Then on a smooth, un-floured surface, roll the ball(s) under the palm of your hand until the top of the dough is smooth and firm, about 1 minute.

Cover the dough with a damp towel and let rest 1 hour.

Place in a large (and lightly olive oil coated) airtight container and refrigerate for up to 2 days. It will slowly increase in size so the container should be large enough to accommodate up to double.

Refrigerate for no less than 14 hours before using to allow the yeast to do its job so the dough is easier to work with and a better texture.

Remove from refrigerator and allow to warm up to room temperature still sealed or cover with damp lint free towel to prevent it from drying out.

If you know how to hand toss pizza dough then by all means go for it. If not, no worries.

Grease pizza pan or wooden paddle (used to transfer crust to a hot pizza stone) lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with a teaspoon of semolina flour.

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TIP:

Most don’t bother oiling the wooden paddle but I find that it not only helps keep the semolina from rolling off but also keeps the paddle conditioned and free of splinters or splits in very dry, low humidity climates. I actually rub all my wooden spoons and utensils lightly with oil after washing and fully drying so they last longer because I live in a high plains dessert region that has very little humidity and otherwise would have to frequently replace them.

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Place hand tossed crust onto prepared pizza pan — or place dough ball onto pan and simply press and gently stretch it to the desired thickness by hand (it is really easy to do and quicker than hand tossing) — leaving enough dough over hanging the edges which are then to be rolled inward to form a nice outer crust — which can be stuffed first if desired for a stuff crust pizza! Yum!

You can roll up the outer crust edges as thin or as thick as you’d like — or depending upon the quantity of toppings you intend to use. Simply trim away any access crust prior to rolling up if needed for a thinner rolled edge.

If needed, pinch and press the very base of the roll closest to the inside of the crust to keep it from unrolling — which only rarely occurs but is possible — especially if dough is a bit too dry or has been slightly over worked. Sometimes simply dampening fingers with a bit of water and rubbing it underneath the troublesome area until a sticky film (glue) forms then holding the roll in place briefly will do the trick.

Do not try to use a rolling pin to roll out the crust! It will result in a tough chewy crust — because the dough tends to keep shrinking back thus requires too far too much rolling and ends up over working it resulting in tough, chewy crust. It needs to be gently pulled and stretched by hand instead while pressing it onto the prepared pizza pan if not being hand tossed. If plan on using a stone, then prepare it on waxed paper, a pizza pan, or directly on the wooden paddle after sprinkling with semolina flour.

Brush the finished crust all over lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle just the center (not the outer edges) with about a teaspoon of semolina and rub it all around very gently with pads of finger tips until incorporated into the olive oil and dough surface. Allow crust to rest.

Preheat oven to 425 F degrees — with stone already placed inside if using.

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About Pizza Stones:

If using a pizza stone, make sure it has been properly prepared according to manufacturers directions before ever using it.

It depends upon type of stone it is as to what type — if any –preparation is needed.

Some are ceramic (the most easily fractured without proper attention and care) and these don’t require “seasoning”. They do need to be washed or damp wiped and dried — and left out to air dry for at least a day before using. I’ll talk about this more later.

There are many different man-made types of stones and there are those that call themselves stones that really aren’t stones. Do your research, know what you are getting, and how to care for it properly.

Some are natural stone or marble and may or may not need to be seasoned before use depending upon the type of natural stone.

Quality, solid marble stones usually require seasoning. Most will include detailed instructions for care. Follow those instructions carefully.

Otherwise, you may find the first several pizzas tend to stick to it and tear into pieces instead of sliding off easily or end up with a shattered stone.

You usually only need to season once and never again.

Depending upon type it is often helpful to lightly oil with olive oil. This is especially true of many porous types.

If for some reason, however, you later develop issues with sticking then thoroughly wash, dry, allow to sit out in the open overnight, and season the next day to see if this solves the problem.

If not, try brushing bottom of crust with olive oil by lifting and folding one side over to brush then put it back down and repeat on the other side. Also, try increasing the amount of semolina flour.

Otherwise, you may need a new stone (especially if ceramic) due to normal wear and increased porousness over time which leads to increased sticking.

NEVER use a stone if a crack has appeared no matter how tiny or thin or insignificant it may seem.

You should always clean any stone when first purchased, to remove manufacturing debris, dust, and the germs from many hands (making, packaging, and otherwise handling). Rinse and very thoroughly dry with lint free towel, then allow it to sit out in the open over night with good air circulation so all liquid evaporates completely especially more porous stones.

Again, never heat up a damp or recently washed or damp wiped stone of any kind. It may not crack or shatter the first time or for the next several times, but the risk increases each time you do so.

If you are instructed to “season” the stone then follow the instructions given for doing so. If it says to season but does not state how then do the following:

Very lightly rub the center (just the part the largest possible pizza is likely to cover) with hydrogenated vegetable oil.

Place it in a a cold oven, and preheat oven with stone inside it to 375 F degrees.

Bake it for 1 hour at 375 F degrees then increase the heat to 400 F degrees and bake for an additional three to four hours.

Leave it in the oven until both are completely cooled to avoid any sudden temperature changes that can cause it to shatter.

Once fully cooled, remove it and wipe away any remaining grease with a dry lint free cloth.

Store according to manufacturer’s directions or you can leave it in the oven if it isn’t in the way. Just make sure that nothing ever gets spilled or drips onto it. It is best to remove it before baking other things in the oven.

My solid marble pizza (and candy maker’s) stone came with a storage container as well as complete seasoning instructions. It is rather large and has to be stored flat so it has its very own special shelf.

To properly use a pizza stone to bake pizza, start by placing it in a cold conventional oven. Make sure to preheat the oven with the pizza stone inside to keep it from shattering. Depending upon the thickness and type of stone you may need to pre-heat the stone for up to an hour before actually baking your pizza.

When you are ready to cook, cover a pizza paddle with semolina flour to prevent sticking, then lay the pizza crust on top of the paddle.

Transfer your pizza from the paddle to the stone, then let it bake.

Once you are finished, remove the pizza using the paddle, but leave the pizza stone in the oven and only remove it once everything has completely cooled.

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Poke very tiny holes in the crust with a dinner fork to prevent air pockets from forming large bubbled up mounds before placing on the stone or after placing on a pizza pan.

Pre-bake crust for about 8 to 10 minutes just until it becomes very dry to the touch — but not yet browned.

This ensures a crispy crust, not soggy, no matter how much sauce or what toppings are used — but you do not want to brown it at this time — because then it will burn when the toppings are being baked.

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NOTES:

If accidentally end up with a browned crust — then you’ll want to use a very light hand on the toppings keeping it very thin so they will cook very quickly and carefully foil around the outer edges of the crust — without letting the foil touch the toppings so it doesn’t get stuck and baked in. Otherwise, it will pull most of the toppings off when removed and/or tear leaving bits of foil cooked inside.

Otherwise, I suggest starting over with a fresh crust. If new to making homemade pizza crust, it pays to make a double batch of pizza dough the first time just in case.

You can always do the partial pre-bake of any left over dough, wrap it well, and freeze it for later. In fact, this is a great way to have ready to go crusts made ahead of time. They don’t take long to thaw and for deep dish pizzas it is recommended you bake with a still fully frozen crust to avoid the crust from over browning or burning before the filling has fully heated through.

Don’t toss any pre-maturely browned crusts, however, because they can still be used as indicated above or used as a dessert pizza.

For dessert pizza:

Butter and lightly sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon then heat in the oven uncovered just until sugar bubbles keeping a close eye on it because it takes only a few moments. Remove from oven and, if desired, sprinkle with a few mini-chocolate chips while still hot, and once chips have softened drizzle with chocolate syrup and/or caramel sauce. You can also drizzle with a simple powdered (confectioner sugar) glaze.

Pizza bread sticks:

Also, you can butter or brush with olive oil and season with Italian seasonings, heat in the oven for few moments, then slice and serve with a side of marinara, pizza, ranch, or spaghetti dipping sauce.

Alternately, you can pre-bake your crust and add toppings (using a pre-heated sauce then cheese first before adding the pre-cooked remaining toppings) that are already hot such as browned ground sausage and top with more cheese and let it rest until the cheeses have melted. There is really no need to bake the toppings unless using uncooked items.

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Remove from oven and allow to rest and to dry out until the crust and the pan fully cools.

If using stone, remove sliding carefully off the stone with the wooden paddle which has been lightly olive oiled and sprinkled with a teaspoon of semolina flour and set aside to cool and dry right there on the paddle.

Spread with sauce and sprinkle with cheese. Add other toppings as desired and sprinkle a bit more cheese on top.

You could use purchased spaghetti or pizza sauce — but why do that when it is so very simple and quick to mix up a small batch for one pizza — without any unwanted additives and preservatives nor excessive amounts of sugar and salt. In fact, you don’t have to even use salt or sugar at all if preferred. Plus, you won’t be stuck with a large quantity of left over sauces which will only keep a short time refrigerated once the jars have been opened. Plus, you can adjust the seasonings to taste. There are lots of pluses to making your own pizza sauce and it is really easy. I’ve included the recipe below.

For a variety of homemade vegan and gluten free cheese options I highly recommend the following website:

These 25 Vegan Cheeses Will Make You Quit Dairy Forever

Return to oven and bake until toppings are bubbly, hot, and the crust edges are golden brown.

The amount of time needed varies as it is dependent upon the quantity or thickness of the toppings used.

If doing a deep dish pizza it is best to use a fully frozen crust as mentioned previously.

For a calzone pizza, top the crust as you would a normal pizza leaving 3/4 inch space around the edges free — then you simply fold the pizza in half — leaving the top flap 1/4 inch space from the edge of the bottom, folding the bottom 1/4 inch up and over the edge of the top crust, and crimping to seal, then fold or roll the crimped edge up and over once or twice. Then slice some ventilation openings decoratively on the top.

When topping a pizza distribute a thin amount across the whole pizza but form a slightly larger mound in the center because it will spread out as the cheeses melt — especially if using lots of cheese or making deep dish.