Pizza 101
Serves 4
Ingredients
- pizza dough (watch "Easy Pizza Dough" for a recipe that makes two 12" pizzas)
- semolina, all-purpose flour, or a combination for dusting work surface, pizza peel and/or baking pans
- pizza sauce (watch "Pizza Sauce" for a quick & delicious sauce recipe)
- shredded cheese (Parmesan or Romano suggested)
- vegetable and/or meat toppings of choice
How-to
Shape Dough & Add Toppings
- Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface
- Using your hands, form a lip or “crust” around the edges of the pizza dough. Stretch the dough into a round disc, rotating after each stretch
- Toss the dough in the air (it makes the pizza taste better). Place dough on floured peel, or a flat, un-lipped vessel (such as a flat baking sheet). Shake the pizza on the peel to make sure it does not stick and will slide off onto your stone or pizza round
- Add sauce, cheese and your favorite toppings
Bake - Using a Pizza Stone
- If using a pizza stone, place the stone on the bottom of a cold oven and turn the oven to 500º
- Remove hot stone from oven (carefully!) and dust with semolina. Transfer formed and topped dough to stone, place back in oven on bottom rack
- Bake anywhere from 7-10-15 minutes, until crust is golden brown. Oven temperatures vary, so keep an eye on the pizza to prevent burning
Bake - Using a Baking Sheet or Pizza Round
- Preheat oven to 400º if using sheet tray or pizza round
- Dust pan with semolina, and place formed and topped dough on top
- Bake on bottom rack for about 12-15-20 minutes, until crust is golden brown. Again, oven temperatures vary, so keep an eye on the pizza to prevent burning