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A close-up view of a pepperoni pizza with a golden crust and melted cheese, topped with evenly spaced slices of pepperoni. The pizza is pre-sliced into eight pieces and served on a round metal pan.

Homemade Pizza

Homemade Pizza gets the whole family involved while making dinner. Make your favorites like cheese, pepperoni, or Hawaiian, or make something completely unique!
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Rising Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 25 minutes
Servings: 16 slices
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the Dough
  • 1 1/2 cups warm water
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast one ¼ ounce packet
  • 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon Kosher salt
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
For the Pizza
  • 1 1/2 cups pizza sauce
  • 7  ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
  • toppings of your choice

Method
 

For the Dough
  1. Step 1: Combine water, sugar and yeast in small bowl. Let sit 5 minutes. Add oil to yeast mixture. 
    A glass measuring cup filled with a beige liquid mixture, likely a batter or a frothy beverage. The cup has measurement markings in red along the side, and the liquid has small bubbles on its surface. The background is white.
  2. Step 2: Mix flour and salt together in the bowl of a heavy duty mixer fitted with dough hook.
    A large metal mixing bowl filled with finely milled white flour. The flour is spread evenly across the bottom of the bowl, creating a smooth, powdery surface. The edges of the bowl are slightly visible.
  3. Step 3: Pour yeast mixture into flour mixture and knead on low speed for 10 minutes. (If mixing by hand, knead dough for same amount of time.) Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turning to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour.
    A ball of uncooked dough rests in a transparent glass bowl on a white surface. The dough is light in color and has a slightly rough texture with visible creases.
  4. Step 4: Punch dough down and divide in half. Shape into 2 or 4 balls, depending on how big you want your pizzas. Lightly brush dough balls with olive oil and cover completely with plastic wrap. Let rise another 45 minutes.
    Two round balls of dough wrapped in transparent plastic wrap are placed on a white surface. The dough appears smooth and light beige in color.
For the Pizza
  1. Step 1: Preheat oven to 450. Place baking sheet or pizza stone in oven while it preheats. Remove dough from plastic wrap and place on a lightly floured surface. Roll each dough ball out into a circle using a rolling pin.
    A round piece of rolled-out dough lies on a lightly floured surface next to a wooden rolling pin. The setting suggests a baking or cooking activity, with the dough prepared for further processing.
  2. Step 2: Top with sauce, cheese, and your favorite toppings. Lightly dust pizza stone or baking sheet with cornmeal or flour. Transfer pizza to pizza stone or baking sheet.
    Four homemade pizzas with different toppings are shown. One pizza has pepperoni, another ham and pineapple, a third features mushrooms, olives, green peppers, and sausage, and the last one is just cheese. The pizzas are on a light-colored surface.
  3. Step 3: Bake 10-15 minutes until edges are golden brown. Serve immediately.
    A pepperoni pizza on a round metal baking tray is displayed on a white surface. The pizza has a golden crust, melted cheese, and evenly spaced pepperoni slices. To the right of the tray, there is a small clear dish containing dried herbs.

Notes

Recipe Tips:

Try dusting the surface of whatever you are baking your pizza on (whether it be a pizza stone or a metal pizza pan) with flour or cornmeal so that the pizza doesn’t get stuck. 
*Nutrition information is for 1 slice of pizza if you made 2 pizzas with this recipe. Sauce and cheese only, no toppings. 

Topping Ideas:

  • Pepperoni
  • Italian Sausage
  • Canadian Bacon
  • Chicken
  • Bacon
  • Prosciutto
  • Pancetta
  • Meatballs
  • Buffalo Chicken
  • Ham
  • Peppers
  • Black olives
  • Onions
  • Mushrooms
  • Tomatoes
  • Spinach
  • Artichoke Hearts
  • Fresh Basil
  • Broccoli
  • Butternut Squash
  • Corn
  • Zucchini
  • Roasted Garlic