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

  1. Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface
  2. 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
  3. 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
  4. Add sauce, cheese and your favorite toppings

Bake - Using a Pizza Stone

  1. If using a pizza stone, place the stone on the bottom of a cold oven and turn the oven to 500º
  2. Remove hot stone from oven (carefully!) and dust with semolina. Transfer formed and topped dough to stone, place back in oven on bottom rack
  3. 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

  1. Preheat oven to 400º if using sheet tray or pizza round
  2. Dust pan with semolina, and place formed and topped dough on top
  3. 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