My Favorite Custom Make-Your Own Pizza Recipe
Here is a recipe for Homemade Pizza Dough. I have also purchased pre-made pizza crusts from HEB, which were pretty good! If you are using pre-made pizza crusts, skip to step #8)
Ingredients (Makes four personal-size pizzas)
1 1/3 Cups Warm Water
2 1/4 teaspoons Instant Yeast
1 Tablespoon Granulated Sugar
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil (plus extra for pan and brushing on dough)
1 teaspoon Salt
3 1/2 Cups Flour (plus extra for dusting hands and surface)
Sprinkle of Cornmeal for dusting the pan
Add-on ingredients for custom make-your-own pizzas
pepperoni slices, marinara sauce, sliced olives, jalapenos, onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, pineapple, mozzarella cheese, cooked Italian sausage, bacon, diced fresh spinach...get creative!
Instructions
- Whisk the warm water, yeast, and granulated sugar together in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook or paddle attachment. Cover and allow to rest for 5 minutes. *If you don’t have a stand mixer, simply use a large mixing bowl and mix the dough with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula in the next step.
- Add the olive oil, salt, and flour. Beat on low speed for 2 minutes.
- Knead the dough: Keep the dough in the mixer and beat for an additional 5 full minutes, or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 5 full minutes. If the dough becomes too sticky during the kneading process, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of flour at a time on the dough or on the work surface/in the bowl to make a soft, slightly tacky dough. Do not add more flour than you need because you do not want a dry dough. After kneading, the dough should still feel a little soft. Poke it with your finger—if it slowly bounces back, your dough is ready to rise.
- Rise: Lightly grease a large bowl with oil or nonstick spray—just use the same bowl you used for the dough. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat all sides in the oil. Cover the bowl with aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or a clean kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 60-90 minutes or until double in size.
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Shape the dough: When the dough is ready, punch it down to release any air bubbles. Divide the dough in fourths to create four personal pizzas. On a lightly floured work surface using lightly floured hands or rolling pin, gently flatten the dough into a disc. Place on prepared pan and, using lightly floured hands, stretch and flatten the disc into a 6-inch circle, about 1/2-inch thick. If the dough keeps shrinking back as you try to stretch it, stop what you’re doing, cover it lightly for 5-10 minutes, then try again. Once shaped into a 6-inch circle, lift the edge of the dough up to create a lip around the edges. I simply pinch the edges up to create the rim. If using a pizza stone, place the dough directly on stone dusted with cornmeal.7. Cover dough lightly with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and allow to rest for a few minutes as you prepare your pizza toppings. I suggest pepperoni slices, marinara sauce, sliced olives, jalapenos, onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, pineapple, mozzarella cheese, cooked Italian sausage, bacon, diced fresh spinach...get creative!8. Preheat pizza oven with pizza stone in place. I place each individual pizza crust on a paper plate so that each guest can create their own custom pizza. Then I transfer the pizza masterpiece to the pizza stone and cook each pizza individually. (use oven mitts!)9. Top & bake the pizza: Using your fingers, push dents into the surface of the dough to prevent bubbling. To prevent the filling from making your pizza crust soggy, brush the top lightly with olive oil. Top with your favorite toppings and bake for 13-15 minutes or until the crust is golden brown (watch closely- the pizza oven cooks the pizzas quickly!). I allow each guest to create their own pizza masterpiece- the kids love this!