Pizza Making 101

Last night, I hosted the monthly spouses’ bunco group. I decided to serve homemade pizza. Apparently, it was a hit because I got lots of requests for the various recipes I used. Rather than send out a bunch of e-mails with all the required for information, I decided to post everything here. So, here you go ladies… Pizza Making 101!

The foundation of any great pizza is the crust. I use the Focaccia bread recipe out of my trusty Betty Crocker cookbook. Luckily for me, I found it online so I didn’t have to type it all out! For plain pizza crust, I make the dough as directed but leave out the rosemary and parmesan cheese. However, you can add anything you’d like to the crust. One of my favorites is rosemary, sun dried tomatoes, and garlic. You need at least 2 Tbs of herbs and about 1/4 cup of any other extras. And remember, you can never have too much garlic!

You can make the dough into any shape, but I usually make two 9”x12” (ish) pizzas in cookie sheets rather than two 10” rounds as it indicates in the directions. I do this because I only have one round stone but lots of cookie sheets. I also line the cookies sheets with parchment paper. This dough really sticks, even in a greased pan. I have found that the pizzas come out best if you pre-bake the crusts for 7 minutes before adding the toppings. You can skip this step, but you’ll need to cook the final pizza for longer and the edges tend to be a little on the crispy side.

Next up, sauce. I can take none of the credit for the pizza sauce. My wonderful friend Lindsey at Newlydependent.com gets all the kudos here. Here’s the link for her marinara sauce (check out her other recipes too; she’s a very talented cook!). One batch of marinara makes about 5 pizzas. It is also wonderful on just about any type of pasta, so make the whole batch even if you’re only making 2 pizzas. If you like a little extra kick in your pizza, go heavy on the red pepper flakes.

The type of cheese I use depends completely on the type of pizza I’m making, but a good place to start is with a mixture of mozzarella and Monterey jack cheeses. I use about half and half mozzarella and Monterey jack. When layering toppings and cheese, I put about half to three-quarters of the cheese directly on the sauce and the rest over the toppings, and then sprinkle a little grated parmesan on the top. As you’ll see in the recipes listed below, I also use cheddar and feta cheeses sometimes. One 10 oz block of cheese is usually enough to make two pizzas.

And now for the fun part – toppings! Here are the recipes for my 8 favorites, but be creative and add whatever toppings your family likes. Some of the recipes are a little vague, but that’s because everything is really to your taste (and because I’ve never measured).

Cheese: I use a flavored crust for this one, then layer on marinara sauce and a healthy dose of mozzarella, jack, cheddar, and parmesan cheeses. For extra flavor, sprinkle on some Italian seasoning and garlic as you layer the cheese.

Pepperoni: Start with crust and marinara sauce. Alternate layers of mozzarella and jack cheeses with the pepperoni. Finish with a cheese layer and sprinkle with parmesan.

BBQ Chicken: No marinara sauce on this one. For one pizza, I use one chicken breast and a half recipe of the BBQ sauce mixture. I also use about 3/4 of a red onion.

Chicken Ranch: Again, no marinara. One chicken breast per pizza. I use about one green onion and half a can of diced Italian-style tomatoes, very well drained (you want the liquid squeezed out of the tomatoes or you’ll get soggy pizza); you could use fresh tomatoes too (Romas will work best as they are light on seeds and liquid).

Pad Thai: Substitute your homemade crust for the refrigerated dough, follow the rest of the directions, and enjoy!

Rustica: This one is adapted from my favorite pizza restaurant – Il Vicino. Check out their menu for some great topping ideas. I use about 10 kalamata olives, halved; 2 tbs of capers, 4 artichoke hearts, sliced; and 3 cloves of garlic (I don’t roast mine because I’m lazy, but it really is better with roasted garlic). I also add some feta cheese in with the toppings. Top with the usual 3-cheese blend.

Veggie: This one is great with flavored crust. My favorite toppings are sliced red peppers, mushrooms, and red onions. Sauté them a little before you put them on the pizza for extra flavor. Top with the usual 3-cheese blend.

Tomato-Basil: Another one that’s great with flavored crust. Slice Roma tomatoes (if you use another kind, make sure to take out the seeds) and whole leaves of fresh basil. This one really requires fresh ingredients – you won’t be happy with the taste of canned tomatoes and dried basil. Top with the usual 3-cheese blend or slices of fresh mozzarella (the kind that comes in a squishy little round).

Once your pizzas are topped, bake them in a 400 F oven for 15 minutes (20-25 if you didn’t pre-bake the crust). The crust should be golden brown for the pre-baked crust and dark golden brown if the crust isn’t pre-baked. Each pizza will slice into 12 small slices. Two pizzas will feed about 4 people.

I hope this gives everyone the information they need to become pizza chefs in their own homes. Have fun; try new things until you find your favorite!