Homemade Pizza

There are a million ways to make homemade pizza.   We’ve made many and through this enjoyable experimentation, we’ve landed on what works for our family.   Below is the outline of how we make our own pies, but feel free to change it up to work for your family.

Our farm is a wealth of pizza ingredients from our homegrown tomatoes, vegetables and herbs to the awesome Italian Sausage from our pastured pigs.  If you have your own garden and herbs, they’ll probably taste really delicious on a homemade pizza.  Homegrown makes the best pizza.

Give it a try!

Pizza Crust

2 t Active Dry Yeast

1 c warm water

2 1/2 c All Purpose Flour or substitute up to 1 c whole wheat

1 T Sugar

1 t salt

2 T Olive Oil

Combine yeast and water and allow to sit for 5 minutes.  In large bowl, combine flour, salt and sugar.   Add yeast/water mixture to dry ingredients plus the olive oil.   Stir until combined.   Knead dough just until smooth.   Cover and allow to rest while prepping sauce and toppings.

This recipe will make approximately 4 – 12″ pizzas.

Pizza Sauce

Adapted from the Crushed Tomato Sauce recipe in American Pie by Peter Reinhart.

1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes or 1 quart home canned tomatoes or 4 cups very ripe fresh tomatoes, roughly chopped

1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

4 T minced fresh basil

1 T fresh oregano, minced

4 cloves fresh garlic, smashed or finely minced

2 T vinegar or lemon juice

1 tsp salt or to taste

If you are using store bought canned crushed tomatoes, simply combine all ingredients in a bowl and you’re ready to go.   If you are using your own canned tomatoes or fresh tomatoes, use your fingers to crush the fruit into a rough sauce.   Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine.

Make the ‘Za!

Prep your favorite toppings.  Our favorite choices are lightly sauteed fresh peppers and onions, BBF Italian Sausage and McCluskey Brothers Mozzarella Cheese.  If there is a can of organic pineapple in the pantry, we love pineapple slices on our pizza.   The saltiness of the cheese and the sweetness of the fruit are really delicious.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Divide the pizza dough into 4 equal pieces and smooth each into a ball.   Leave 3 pieces on an oiled baking sheet and cover with kitchen towel.

On a lightly oiled baking sheet, press first piece of dough into an approximate 12″ shape.   Use your fingers to dimple and gentle expand the dough being careful to avoid making the dough to thin or it will tear.   The more pizza you make, the more you will learn what thickness works best for you.  This dough is flexible and can be made super thin or just a little thick.    Experiment – even mistakes are delicious.

Prebake the crust 5 minutes or until you just start to see some coloring on the crust.  You can obtain a crispier crust by baking just a minute longer after you see the browning.

Remove from oven and add approximately 3/4 cup sauce to the crust.   Dot with pieces of Italian Sausage (no need to precook, wet hands and sausage will not stick to your fingers).   Add peppers, onions, etc. and sprinkle with shredded mozzarella cheese.

Bake at 450 degrees approximately 12-14 minutes or until cheese begins to caramelize on top and crust is slightly turned up on the edges.  Rotate halfway through baking if your oven doesn’t cook evenly.

Remove from oven and slide/lift pizza to new baking sheet and allow to cool 5 minutes.  Slice and enjoy your homemade pie!