Pizza Dough recipe and tricks for delicious homemade pizza in 30 minutes.

I am no stranger to a good pizza delivered to my door, but I also love to make homemade pizza. I can use local honey and whole wheat pastry flour to make my dough a little healthier without the housemates being any the wiser. Little leftover bits of protein and cooked veggies can also be used up in a deliciously fun way.

I’ve been making homemade pizza since I was a little kid. My mom even had little mini pizza pans for this purpose. (Thanks Mom! Those are some fun memories!) Being one of 4 kids, it was pretty darn exciting to make my own pizza the way I wanted it. Now that I’m a mom; I still think it’s pretty darn exciting to make a pizza the way I want it. Spinach and caramelized onions? Yes, please.

My children also love to make their own pizzas. I think it has to be as much about the choices as it is about the feeling of accomplishment when eating food they prepared themselves. It’s also a fantastic play date or sleepover meal/activity. Making personal pizza is serious fun! We do this team style at my house: while I work on the dough prep, the kids grate the mozzarella and pull out the ingredients for their toppings.

Finding a good homemade dough is key. My mom’s dough recipe is good, but it wasn’t the whole package. Then a friend recommended Mel’s Kitchen Cafe for some random recipe and after looking at her blog, I stumbled across her quick and easy foolproof pizza dough recipe. I made a few minor adjustments; doubling it, using some whole wheat pastry flour, and then I have added some technical notes.

One of the most important tips for success in my opinion is par-baking (partially baking) the dough. Once the dough is par-baked, it’s easy to top, transfer and finish baking in the oven or even on the grill. Par-baked dough also freezes excellently. Crusts can be taken out in the quantity you desire and used right away without having to make a fresh batch of pizza dough every time your or your kids want a little pizza.

I do use a pizza stone for par-baking and finishing my pizzas. I find it’s easy to use and gives me a nice crispy crust. I think a pizza pan or cookie sheet would work fine too. Just make sure to oil your sheet and toss a little cornmeal over it before you put the pizza dough on. You can also top par-baked dough and finish it on the grill. (Yes! Pre-make your crusts for a fun make your own pizza summer get together.)

When my kids were little, I made the pizzas 6 inches and they froze beautifully in a large freezer bag. Now my kids say those 6 inch pizzas are too small and they prefer a 10 inch pizza. These won’t fit in freezer bags, so I wrap them in foil with a piece of parchment between each crust.

This dough recipe can be used to make appetizer pizza, regular pizza, or dessert pizza.

Appetizer pizza ideas: Fig jam (sauce), prosciutto, arugula, and crumbled goat cheese topping. Cream cheese (sauce), raspberry jalapeno jelly/preserves, chopped pecans and arugula. Herbed goat cheese (sauce), roasted red peppers minced, basil pesto, toasted pine nuts.

Regular pizza: Whatever you like! Taco? Barbeque? Traditional?

Dessert pizza: S’mores- chocolate ganache or fudge sauce (sauce), mini marmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate chips for topping. Rocky Road- marshmallow creme for sauce, chocolate chips, nuts, and crumbled shortbread cookies for topping. Fruit- Any pie filling, crumble topping, Frosting to drizzle after cooking.

Let’s take this step-by-step:

Preheat your oven, with pizza stone inside it, to 450° F.

Start with your warm water (I let the faucet run hot for a few minutes and usually that gets me some water right around 110°), yeast, salt, olive oil, and honey.

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Get your bread hook going if you’re using a Kitchen Aid mixer, or just your white attachment if you’re an Ankarsrum user like me. Then slowly add 2 cups unbleached all purpose flour, and two cups whole wheat pastry flour while the mixer runs on low speed. You will likely need to add 1 additional cup of either flour, possibly even two. Use your judgement. The goal is to have the dough pull away from the sides of the bowl without being too sticky.

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To shape your dough, begin by cutting the dough into the number of pizza crusts you intend to make. We generally go for a thinner crust, so if you are doing a pan pizza or you like thicker crust, you’ll get fewer crusts out of this recipe. This recipe will make 8-10 inch pizza crusts, or 10/11- 6 inch pizza crusts. A 10-inch pizza crust usually requires about a 4 inch ball of dough.

• On a floured surface, lightly cover your hands and the dough ball with flour.
• Make a circle with your thumb and forefinger of one hand and pinch and push the dough through that circle to make a nice ball.
• Flatten the ball with your fingers or on the lightly floured surface.
• Use your fingers to hold the edge of the dough and move in in a circular fashion while using other fingers to gently pull the dough from the center, outward.
• When your dough is the thickness you desire, finish shaping it on the floured surface.
• If you plan to par-bake, use a fork to poke holes in the dough. This will prevent big bubbles from forming during baking.

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Sprinkle a small handful of corn meal onto your pizza stone, then set the dough onto the preheated stone. Bake for 3 minutes and 30 seconds to par bake. Remove to a cooling rack to cool before topping or freezing. Repeat the process until you’ve par-baked all your dough.

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To make the best pizza:

• Keep the pizza stone in the heated oven.
• Brush the par-baked crust with olive oil. This prevents the sauce from making your crust soggy. DON’T SKIP THIS STEP!
• Spread your desired sauce over the oiled dough.
• Top with cheese, veggies, meats, whatever!
• Return the topped pizza to the heated pizza stone and bake 5-10 minutes. I like to keep an eye on the edge of the crust and the melted state of the toppings. I’m always looking for a slightly browned edge and bubbling cheese.
• Allow to cool 2-3 minutes before slicing.

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Kid pizza & Mom Pizza

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