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First, a little matter of timing: if you're making a homemade dough from scratch, start making the dough an hour and a half or so before you want to eat so the dough can rise in a warm, draft free place. That said, you don't need to make fresh dough. Walk into almost any pizza parlor and ask for the dough for a small pie.
They'll sell you one for a few bucks. Or use store- bought dough at the supermarket, often available near the fresh pasta or in the dairy case. These doughs vary in taste and quality. Some are fat free, made only with flour, yeast, and water; others have oil or hydrogenated shortening in the mix. Read the labels carefully to get the kind you want; but remember that these pizza recipes call for 1 pound of dough. Store bought dough should be left at room temperature for 1 hour before using. If the dough is cold, it may tear when shaped.
Fresh doughs can also be frozen, and so, of course, are available in the freezer case at your supermarket. These must be thawed before they can be shaped and formed. Leave the dough in the refrigerator for 24 hours, then set it out at room temperature for 1 hour before shaping. Once the dough is in your hands, it must be shaped for the pie. Here, you must make a decision: will you be using a peel and a pizza stone or will you be using a pizza tray or its substitute, a large baking sheet? So here are our favorites, a good selection of what our neighbors and friends have come to love, just about every pizza imaginable from the Italian-American classics to modern pies, from appetizer pizzas to full on, well stocked deep dish belly busters.
Cooks put almost anything on pizza. Here is the list of best homemade pizza recipes that you might like to try. On the right site of this page (about pizza) are some tips. Check them out. Be creative and add your own favorites ingredients to the pizza recipe. Very little can go wrong here...
Add the yeast mixture. If using food processor, continue running until dough forms a ball, 10 to 20 seconds. By hand, mix with a sturdy spoon until ready to knead. On a floured surface turn out dough. Knead dough for 2 minutes or so. If dough is a little sticky, dust your fingers and counter with flour, (but as little as possible). Roll out by hand for a 12" pizza. Place in lightly oiled pizza pan using your fingertips to press up to the edge and forming a shallow lip. Sauce, cheese, and top with desired ingredients. Bake at 500˚F in preheated oven for 8 to 12 minutes, the edges will turn a nice golden brown when done. Dough will be firm and crispy, not soggy and soft like many other doughs.
Use scissors to cut pizza easily into wedge shaped slices if you don't have a straight edge pastry wheel.
Technically, pre baked crusts are pre baked that is, partially baked. They're like an English muffin: gummy out of the bag but crisp once toasted. A pre baked crust will work on a pizza peel and a hot stone, a pizza tray, or a baking sheet. In general, a pre baked crust will not stick to the peel or the tray, so there is no need to grease or oil any of the equipment. You may need to shave a minute or two off the cooking time, so watch carefully and don't let the crust burn. Many pre baked crusts come with some cheese already baked onto the crust; a little more won't hurt anything. However, do not buy already flavored crusts (rosemary and garlic crust, for example); those flavorings will compete with others in the toppings.
