How to make pizza from scratch

Even though it has Italian roots, pizza is an American and worldwide favorite. Making your own pizza from scratch at home is not difficult and can be done with ingredients that you probably have available or are easy to find. It takes a little time to make the perfect pizza from scratch, but the result is worth it.

Things You'll Need

• 1/2 Cup of warm water
• 2 tsps of active dry yeast
• 2 Cups of flour
• 3 tbsps. of olive oil plus extra to coat the dough
• 1 tsp. of salt
• 1 tsp. of sugar
• ½ Cup of chopped onion
• 2 tbsps. of minced garlic
• 1 Cup of chopped tomatoes
• 8 ozs. of tomato sauce
• 6 ozs. of tomato paste
• Olive oil
• Oregano, basil, Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper, salt, pepper and any other spices to taste
• Homemade pizza dough
• Homemade pizza sauce
• 1 to 2 Cups of shredded mozzarella cheese
• Pizza toppings (pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, etc.)

Instructions

Making the Dough

• 1
  Dissolve the yeast in a small bowl with the warm water. Let the yeast sit in the bowl for about five minutes and stir to finish dissolving if it does not dissolve completely.
• 2 
• Combine the flour, olive oil, salt and sugar in a large mixing bowl.
• 3
• Add water and yeast mixture to other ingredients in the mixing bowl. Use an electric mixer or a flat spoon to mix the ingredients. Mix until the dough begins to become thick. Add water if needed, but do it sparingly.
• 4
  Knead the dough. Either use a kneading hook or other attachment with an electric mixer or place the dough on a floured work surface and knead by hand until dough is smooth and elastic.
• 5
  Coat another bowl with olive oil and place the dough into the bowl to coat it with olive oil. Cover the bowl and set aside to let the dough rise, which will take an hour or two. It should double in size. Let it set in a warm but not overly hot place.
  

  Making the Sauce

  • 6
    Sauté the onion and garlic in olive oil in a large skillet or saucepan until tender.
  • 7
    Blend in tomatoes, tomato sauce and tomato paste and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.
  • 8
    Sprinkle in salt, pepper and other spices to add flavor. There are no strict rules about how much to use, just add enough so that it tastes good to you. This is what will cause people to compliment your culinary skills.

  
  

  • 9
    Preheat oven to 400 to 450 degrees.
  • 10
    Remove the pizza dough from the bowl and place it on a floured work surface. Roll the dough in to a ball and begin to work it into a flat circle by pressing down on the middle and working the dough outward. Keep pressing it until it is ½ inch thick or to the desired diameter.
  • 11
    Brush the dough with olive oil and spoon on your pizza sauce. Use only as much sauce as you want for the pizza and save the rest. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over the sauce and add your toppings. Sprinkle some more cheese on top for an extra cheesy pizza.
  • 12
    Place pizza on a lightly greased baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and the crust is crisp and golden. Check the pizza often to make sure it doesn't overcook or burn.