Homemade Pizza

I think homemade always tastes better than store bought. Awhile back, an ex's parents gave me a recipe for an I guess, semi-homemade pizza. I thought I'd give it a shot and I haven't made pizza any other way since. I'm not a big fan of tomatoes so I much rather have white sauce or a pesto or even bbq sauce on my pizza than just typical tomato sauce. That's probably why I like making my own pizza so much. That and the fact that when you go to Pizza Hut or Dominos, they don't put many toppings nor do they put a lot of cheese that I like. This is a pretty easy way to make pizza at home and the topping possibilities are endless. I've made this recipe many times and have tried different sauces and different toppings and it has always turned out great.


I was originally taught to use this pizza kit. It comes in a box and is pretty cheap, but I only needed the dry ingredients in it to make the crust. I didn't use the cheese or the sauce or anything so it got to the point where I just started buying the cheap packs of pizza crust mix that usually cost under $1 and bought everything separate. If you are making your pizza with tomato sauce and you want pepperoni on it, then your better off buying this box and just buying some more toppings and some cheese to go with it.

To make the crust, follow the directions on whatever packet of dry ingredients you end up buying. I like to add garlic powder to mine to make it taste more like a breadstick. When the dough is mixed, drop about a tsp of canola oil on top the ball of dough, cover it with saran wrap and let it rest for 20 minutes.

While it's resting, prepare your toppings. Make sure if you're putting any kind of meat on your pizza that it is precooked. Don't put raw because the pizza doesn't cook long enough to thoroughly cook it. A few combinations that I've tried and really liked are:

• bbq sauce, shredded chicken, olives, pineapple
• white sauce, olives, ricotta cheese, spinach, ground turkey
• basil pesto, shredded chicken, ricotta cheese, olives, cilantro
• white sauce, ham, pineapple, olives
• white sauce, ricotta cheese, crumbled bacon, olives
• tomato sauce, pepperoni, turkey sausage, ham

 Preheat the oven to 400. Roll out or stretch the dough on a floured surface until it's about 12" round or will fit your pizza pan. Spray the pan with nonstick cooking spray and lay the dough out, folding up the edges to make a crust. You can also add cheese to the inside of the crust if you'd like. Use a fork and poke holes throughout the dough so air can circulate and your dough won't bubble up. Spread a layer of sauce evenly over the dough. Cover with you toppings. I like a lot of toppings so my pizzas are always pretty thick where you can't see much of the sauce anymore. Put it in the oven for 10-15 minutes. Take it out and cover your pizza with cheese. I usually buy a 2 cup bag of shredded mozzarella or pizza cheese and use the whole bag because I like a lot of cheese. Put it back in the oven and cook for another 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is lightly golden. Take out and let it set for 10 minutes. If you cut it right away, it'll fall apart, especially if you have a lot of stuff in it. I've learned from experience. Plus, it'll be too hot to eat anyway. Use a pizza cutter and cut the pizza into 6 pieces. That's usually the best size where it won't fall apart.

*Reheating leftovers: it tastes best if you put it on a baking sheet and pop it in the oven at 400 for about 10 minutes, but the microwave will do too, it just won't be crispy like it's straight out of the oven.