Biting into a chewy, saucy, and cheesy slice of
pizza is one of life’s greatest pleasures. Lucky for us, it’s also one that’s easily achieved at home—no delivery fees required! With simple ingredients and a little bit of patience (hot tip: make your components ahead of time), you’ll be on your way to homemade pizza that might be even better than your local pie shop. Best part? Just like with baking bread or making your own pasta dough, the more you do it, the better and more creative you can get. Here’s what you need to know.
Let’s talk ingredients:
We’re big fans of homemade everything, but we also understand that not everyone has time to make their pizza dough AND sauce AND toppings from scratch. For those times, we recommend doing a combo—make your sauce and shred your own cheese, but buy your dough, or vice versa.
The dough:
We experimented with a variety of proof times before ultimately landing on 12 to 18 hours. We think that lengthy proof time results in the best-tasting pizza, but we also understand that, sometimes, it’s just not going to happen. As a shortcut, you can proof your dough in the fridge for 2 hours, then at room temperature for 2 hours. It won’t be as delicious, but will still be very tasty.
The sauce:
We love our homemade pizza sauce for a few specific reasons. One, we use whole peeled tomatoes and then cook them down so we can control the texture and concentrate the flavor of our sauce. Secondly, and speaking of flavor, we only use salt in our sauce if we aren’t using additional salty ingredients on our pizza. Topping yours with prosciutto or olives? You might want to use a light hand with the salt too.
Not making your sauce from scratch? We’ve found that many store-bought pizza sauces have a tendency to be too sweet, so to avoid that, opt for a sauce labeled marinara instead. Our favorite brand is Rao’s, but try different brands to discover which you like best.
Storage:
This recipe makes enough for 2 (14″) crusts, and the sauce is easily doubled or tripled to use for the future. Both are a great option to make ahead and store. Store them in airtight containers (flour the one for the dough) and refrigerate up to 5 days. Bring to room temperature when ready to use. The sauce will also keep in the freezer for up to 6 months, and the dough for up to 1 month. Thaw it on the counter, and bring to room temperature before baking.
Made this? Let us know how it went (and your favorite pizza toppings!) in the comments below.
Biting into a chewy, saucy, and cheesy slice of
pizza is one of life’s greatest pleasures. Lucky for us, it’s also one that’s easily achieved at home—no delivery fees required! With simple ingredients and a little bit of patience (hot tip: make your components ahead of time), you’ll be on your way to homemade pizza that might be even better than your local pie shop. Best part? Just like with baking bread or making your own pasta dough, the more you do it, the better and more creative you can get. Here’s what you need to know.
Let’s talk ingredients:
We’re big fans of homemade everything, but we also understand that not everyone has time to make their pizza dough AND sauce AND toppings from scratch. For those times, we recommend doing a combo—make your sauce and shred your own cheese, but buy your dough, or vice versa.
The dough:
We experimented with a variety of proof times before ultimately landing on 12 to 18 hours. We think that lengthy proof time results in the best-tasting pizza, but we also understand that, sometimes, it’s just not going to happen. As a shortcut, you can proof your dough in the fridge for 2 hours, then at room temperature for 2 hours. It won’t be as delicious, but will still be very tasty.
The sauce:
We love our homemade pizza sauce for a few specific reasons. One, we use whole peeled tomatoes and then cook them down so we can control the texture and concentrate the flavor of our sauce. Secondly, and speaking of flavor, we only use salt in our sauce if we aren’t using additional salty ingredients on our pizza. Topping yours with prosciutto or olives? You might want to use a light hand with the salt too.
Not making your sauce from scratch? We’ve found that many store-bought pizza sauces have a tendency to be too sweet, so to avoid that, opt for a sauce labeled marinara instead. Our favorite brand is Rao’s, but try different brands to discover which you like best.
Storage:
This recipe makes enough for 2 (14″) crusts, and the sauce is easily doubled or tripled to use for the future. Both are a great option to make ahead and store. Store them in airtight containers (flour the one for the dough) and refrigerate up to 5 days. Bring to room temperature when ready to use. The sauce will also keep in the freezer for up to 6 months, and the dough for up to 1 month. Thaw it on the counter, and bring to room temperature before baking.
Made this? Let us know how it went (and your favorite pizza toppings!) in the comments below.
- Yields:
-
1 – 2
- Prep Time:
-
20 mins
- Total Time:
- 2 hrs 15 mins
Ingredients
Pizza Dough
- 1 tbsp.
kosher salt
- 3 1/3 c.
(400 g.) plus 1/4 c. bread flour, divided
- 4 tsp.
honey
- 1
(1/4-oz.) packet active dry yeast
Pizza Sauce
- 1
(28-oz.) can whole peeled tomatoes
- 2
cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp.
extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp.
dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp.
freshly ground black pepper
-
Kosher salt (optional)
Assembly
- 3 c.
mozzarella, divided
- 1/2 c.
grated Parmesan, divided
-
Desired toppings, such as pesto, pepperoni, chopped vegetables, red pepper flakes, and/or dried or fresh herbs
Directions
-
Pizza Dough
- Step 1
In a large, deep bowl, whisk salt and 3 1/3 cups flour. In a medium bowl, mix honey, yeast, and 1 1/3 cups lukewarm water (about 100°) until yeast just about dissolves. Pour honey mixture into dry ingredients. Using a wooden spoon or your hands, push mixture together to form a cohesive dough. Turn out onto a clean surface and knead with 3 to 4 tablespoons flour until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Step 2Press down on dough to deflate. Turn out onto a clean work surface. Form into a loose ball, then fold dough in on itself from beneath, about 8 times. The dough should be in a tight ball at this point. Let rest 10 to 15 minutes.
- Step 3Meanwhile, place a rack in lowest third of oven; preheat to 550° (or as high as your oven goes). Place a round or large rectangular sheet tray on rack during the last few minutes of preheating. Time to make the sauce.
- Step 1
-
Pizza Sauce
- Step 1In a food processor or blender, pulse tomatoes and garlic until broken down and slightly chunky, 10 to 15 times. If you prefer a smoother texture, continue to process until smooth.
- Step 2In a large wide pot or saucepan over medium-low heat, cook oil, oregano, and pepper, stirring frequently, until oregano begins to sizzle, about 1 minute.
- Step 3Carefully pour tomato mixture into pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated and sauce is reduced to about 2 cups, 10 to 15 minutes; season with salt, if needed. Let cool.
-
Assembly
- Step 1Divide dough into 2 pieces. At this point, you can freeze one, or make two pizzas. On a pizza peel or lightly floured surface, stretch dough to a 14″ round. Carefully transfer round to preheated sheet tray. Top with 3/4 cup sauce, 1 1/2 cups mozzarella, 1/4 cup Parmesan, and any additional desired toppings (see gallery below for ideas).
- Step 2Bake pizza until crust is golden brown, 13 to 15 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough and toppings, if desired.
75 Homemade Pizza Recipes That Ended Our Love Affair With Takeout
