Written by: Declan Murphy
Edited by: Rayna Almas
Designed by: Kiritika Rana
Published by: Maryam Khan
When you ask people what their favourite food is, you have at least a 50/50 chance of hearing the answer, “pizza!” Today, let’s learn how to make your own pizza at home.
One weekend a month, my family and I make homemade pizza together from scratch. It has become a favourite family activity, and some of my tastiest memories. And it’s a lot easier than you might think!
Making homemade pizza does require a bit of pre-planning, however, as the dough will need a few hours (at least) to rise. If you decide to use homemade sauce, that can also take some time, but it can be made well beforehand and refrigerated or even frozen, if you wish. You will also need pizza pans, though cookie sheets can probably work in a pinch.
To make two pizzas (ca. 12”), you will need:
- 1 & ⅓ cup of warm water
- 1 7g packet of yeast (ca. 2 & ¼ Tablespoons)
- 1 tablespoon of sugar
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 3 & ½ cups of flour
- Optional: cornmeal
- Optional: seasoning, such as garlic powder and Italian seasoning
To make the dough, you must first proof the yeast by mixing it with the sugar and water, and let this mixture sit in a warm place for 5 minutes. In a separate bowl, mix the salt and flour, and then the olive oil. When the yeast is ready, mix this into your flour mixture. Optional: If you’d like, you can add a little Italian seasoning and garlic powder to the flour, if you want a more savoury dough.
After mixing, knead the dough for about 5 minutes. We recently got a stand mixer, which works great for this on low with its dough paddle, but the mixing and kneading process can also be done by hand on a floured surface.
After the dough has been kneaded, it should be cohesive and soft. (Poke the dough with a finger; if it slowly bounces back, it is ready to use! If not, keep kneading a bit longer.) Put some oil in a large bowl. Place the dough ball into the bowl and turn it so that the ball gets lightly coated in the oil. Cover the bowl and let it rise until it is doubled in size, ca. 1 or 2 hours.
When your dough has risen, preheat the oven to 475 F, and let it heat for 15-20 minutes.
Portion the dough and shape into balls. Flatten the dough balls into your pizza pans (which should be sprinkled with cornmeal or very lightly greased to prevent sticking) to a thickness of about a half inch. Be sure to pinch up a “crust” around the edge. If your pizza dough keeps shrinking on you, let it relax another 5 or 10 minutes, and try smoothing it out again. After it is flattened into shape, poke liberally with a fork evenly over the bottom, as this will prevent it from bubbling up during baking, and brush it over lightly with olive oil, which will prevent sogginess.
Once your dough is in appropriate pizza shapes, you can cover it over lightly and let it rest a few minutes while you prepare your toppings. The toppings will vary from person to person, depending on your personal preferences. Onions, mushrooms, peppers, meat or vegetarian substitutes… The world is your oyster! (Let us know your favourites in the comments!)
Each pizza will need about a half cup of sauce (which you should definitely make beforehand) and about 2 cups of shredded cheese or a vegan equivalent.
To make a basic sauce, you can mix a cup of seedless tomato puree with ⅓ cup of olive oil and about a cup and a half of water in a saucepan over low heat. You should season it to taste, but we recommend 2 or 3 cloves of minced garlic, and a dash of onion powder with a half tablespoon of dried oregano and half a tablespoon of dried basil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Once everything has been whisked together, you can let it simmer (uncovered) for about 5 or 10 minutes, stirring often, to let everything merge. (If the sauce is not thick enough, let it simmer until it has reached the right consistency.) Let the sauce sit for a few hours to cool and mellow before using. Don’t use warm sauce when you make your pizzas!
After your pizzas have been built, including your sauce, cheese and toppings, you should bake each pizza for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown. Slice and serve the pizza.
This is the way my family makes pizza at home, and I hope you enjoy it!
Learning to cook is essential to increasing food knowledge, which is crucial to cultivating food sovereignty and awareness in young people, which decreases food waste and increases use of healthy foods. Making pizza together is a great way for families to encourage creative cooking skills for kids, as well as developing confidence and safe practices in the kitchen. In selecting/preparing my toppings, helping to make the dough and sauce, building my pizza, and learning how to safely bake my pizza, pizza night hasn’t just been fun for me, but has been an important part of my domestic skills education.
We encourage you to try your own pizza night, soon.
Note: Kids should be supervised in the kitchen. The oven will be extremely hot, as will the pans. Remember to remind kids to tie back their hair, keep their hands washed, keep their work area clean and tidy, and to be safe around hot and sharp implements in the kitchen!
(My thanks to my Mum, who helped me with this post!)
Source for Images:
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/48727/mikes-homemade-pizza/
https://www.thursdaynightpizza.com/how-to-make-pizza-with-kids/