Pizza: From Dough to Dinner

Nothing says Friday night....  

Pizza is one of the first things I learned to make.  I've had a long term love affair with the stuff; I blame it on my obsession with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as a kid...haha.  When we were first in college, the Little Caesar's down the street saw a lot of us; lazy, broke students drove (and still drives) that location's business.

After dropping dairy, my pizza cravings were really bad.  I had to refine my pizza skills quite a bit to compensate!  There is ONE pizza place in Salt Lake with killer vegan pizza but it's expensive (amazing, but expensive).  My cheap side demands options.  My inner TMNT demands pizza.

The Dough

Let's start with the base.  Your dough is what holds your tasty toppings; you want it to be firm enough to hold but not tough.  There are quite a few good recipes out there!  My go-to is from All The Best Pizzas.  Joie Warner is a lot picker than I am when it comes to cooking, but he knows his crust!!  I will add when you let your dough rise, you can get the benefit of the oven preheating by putting the dough on the stove top; your dough will be happy and you aren't completely wasting the heat from the stove.  I haven't tried making it without the hour preheat for two reasons my old oven NEEDED an hour to reach temp or it was 25 degrees cold, and two, I raise bread on a preheated oven as a rule because the rise is stronger and the yeast is more active.  For a perfect crispy crust, a pizza stone is a must.  Preheat the stone, then put your shaped dough on it and add your toppings!

To shape your dough, use your hands.  You can use a rolling pin, but personally I've had better luck using my fingers and hands to shape and "roll" my dough.  My future pizza goal is to learn to toss!  In all honesty, use what works for you.  As long as your dough is uniform in thickness you should be just fine, regardless of how you got there!

The Sauce

Here's where I took a long time to learn the proper amount.  I finally paid attention to one of those chain pizza commercials and saw about how much sauce they actually put on...it was a fraction of what I was using.  When it comes to sauce, less is more...or you end up with pizza soup.

When it comes to the kind, it depends.  I've used jarred sauce without any issues, and I've used homemade. Season if you'd like.  Like most things in the kitchen, it's up to you.  The sauce in this picture is Prego.

The Toppings

I've put toppings here for a reason.  Most places put the toppings on top, and there is nothing wrong with this.  I have found that some toppings do better under the cheese than on top.  For example, mushrooms put under the cheese will stay softer than those baked on top.  It's a fun way to add mystery to your pizza...with enough cheese you can hide them anyway!

The Cheese

Like the sauce, less is more.  I go a little heavy handed when using the vegan cheese because it doesn't melt and spread like regular cheese.  However, when using real cheese, go light!!  It spreads a lot more than you think.  Cheese is awesome, but there is such a think as WAY too much.

The Toppings

Wait, haven't we done this?  Yes, but nothing says you have to do one way or the other.  In the pizza pictures I've posted here there is pepperoni under the cheese and on top.  Because I could!  If you are using fresh, minced garlic, it would be better on top.  Use your judgement and see what you can come up with!

The Baking

Now we bake!  Baking can be as versatile as the toppings.  The recipe I use the most calls for 5-8 minutes at 500 degrees.  If baking at a lower time, the time will be longer (common sense?).  Follow the recipe/directions and you should be ok.  I've found for thin crust, high heat and low temps are more likely to yield crispy crust without burning it.

The best part: Eating!

Slice and enjoy.  Yum!

That's it for tonight.  Eat Happy!