The Wonders of Homemade Pizza

Every now and then I like to write about cooking ideas outside my normal realm of baking. Today, I am going to focus on homemade pizza, a classic dinner item that we all love. The key to a successful homemade pizza lies within the dough and the quality of ingredients you use.  The dough recipe I use has been successful every time I’ve made it.  Just make sure the oven is up to temperature. Otherwise the pizza may not come out as crunchy as you would like it.

Pizza Dough Recipe

4-½ cups unbleached flour (I use 50 percent all-purpose flour and 50 percent bread flour.)

1 ¾ teaspoons salt

1-teaspoon instant yeast

¼ cup olive oil

1-¾ cups ice cold water

You need a mixer to assist you in preparing the pizza dough. Stir flour, salt and yeast in a bowl. Stir in olive oil and cold water on low speed until smooth. Mix on medium for five to seven minutes. You do not have to let the dough rise. Stick it in the fridge to enjoy it that night or in the freezer to enjoy at a later date. The dough freezes well. 

Preparing to roll out and start decorating the pizza

Homemade pizza allows you to dress your pizza anyway you like it without the extra cost. A favorite in my house is vegetable pizza containing mushrooms, black olives, pimento olives, roasted red peppers and red onions. I try and buy the vegetables pre-sliced like the mushrooms and black olives, making it easier to prepare and place on the pizza. I don’t mind cutting up a few of the ingredients, but it can be time consuming to prepare and chop so many vegetables.

Another benefit to homemade pizza is using whatever kind of cheese you like. We’ve used the basic mozzarella and Parmesan cheese, as well as Swiss cheese, three cheddar cheese blends and six cheese blends. Cheese blends usually contain a mix of cheddar, mozzarella, Parmesan, Swiss cheese and a variety of other cheeses depending on the brand you buy.

Spices are an essential part of any pizza. I love pizzas that have a variety of spices on them. Whenever I ordered pizza, I am always adding garlic powder, onion powder and oregano or Mrs. Dash, which has a combination of spices in one bottle.  However, when I am making homemade pizza I can take all these spices and bake them right into the pizza that makes the pizza taste even better. 

The final product, yummy cheese pizza.  

Everyone has a favorite pizza topping, what’s yours?