Making pizza seems like a daunting task, until you find out it’s pretty darn easy. With a few good ingredients, you too can make them at home. Here I was, thinking what to do for my husband’s 50th birthday? I was going to invite people over for a small party, however his idea of turning 50 is low key. Simple homemade food, something fun and yummy, and just the two of us. Aweee…. so sweet, I know :-). “Kind of like that one year we made homemade sushi. “, he said. We made California Roll on one of his birthdays and it was so fun. Trust me, I’m all for dressing up, putting my face on to dine out at a fancy place. But staying home in a messy bun, hanging out in the kitchen with a really good glass of wine, having awesome homemade food is my kind of night, too.
For those of you who have a fancy pizza oven, like an outdoor one in the backyard (hello, I want to be your friend!) or a portable one, you know who you are. All are so great, but regular oven in your home kitchen can produce awesome pizzas, too. If you have a pizza stone, definitely use it. You can bake it in an oven at 500 °F. Or on a baking sheet for 475 °F. Use the best ingredients you can find, good cheeses, meat, olive oil, etc. You can make them with whatever toppings you want, the possibilities are endless. Mine was the white pizza with English truffle Cheddar, fresh Mozzarella, goat cheese and arugula lemon Dijon vinaigrette. I was totally inspired by Ina Garten’s white pizzas with arugula. My husband loves pepperoni, so he made one with three cheese tomato sauce, Gruyère cheese, sharp cheddar, Mozzarella and uncured pepperoni. Another not so secret ingredient we used was the garlic oil, it added so much flavor to the pizza crusts.
Let’s cook some food!
But first, pour yourself a glass of wine. LOL
Combine 3/4 cup of warm water, 1 package of instant dry yeast, 1 1/2 tablespoons of regular olive oil, 1/2 tablespoon of honey in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. When the yeast is dissolved, slowly add 1 1/2 cups of flour. Mix on medium-low for a minute, then add 1 teaspoon of salt, keep mixing. Add 1/2 cup of flour, a little at a time, or just enough to make a soft dough. Let the machine knead it for about 10 minutes until smooth. Add a little warm water or more flour as needed.
Take the dough out and knead it by hand a dozen times on a floured board or clean counter top. It should be smooth and elastic.
Place the dough in a well-oiled bowl and cover it slightly with regular olive oil. Cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel and allow it to rise at room temperature for 30 minutes.
While waiting, make garlic oil. Add 1/4 cup of regular olive oil, sliced garlic, a pinch of red pepper flakes in a small sauce pan and bring it to a simmer over low heat. Make sure the garlic does not burn. Turn off the heat, let it cool. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 475 °F. Make sure your oven is clean.
Place the dough onto a board and divide into 2 equal pieces. Place them on the parchment pepper or directly on a baking sheet if it is a non-stick. We used 2 Le Creuset non-stick cookie sheets. Cover with a damp towel. Allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes.
Stretch each dough into a circle or square. Stretch them until you get the thickness you like. Brush them with the garlic oil. Sprinkle with some salt and pepper.
For the white pizza, sprinkle with some English truffle Cheddar, fresh Mozzarella, and goat cheese. For the pepperoni, spread the tomato sauce, top with Gruyère, sharp cheddar, Mozzarella and uncured pepperoni.
Bake for 10-15 minutes, until the crusts are crisp and cheese begin to brown.
For the white pizza, make the dressing for arugula. Whisk together 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, a pinch of salt and pepper.
When the pizza is done, mix arugula in with the dressing. Place on top of the white pizza. Slice your pizzas and serve immediately.
Enjoy! I hope you love these homemade pizzas as much as we did. 🙂
- For the dough:
- ¾ cup warm water
- 1 package instant dry yeast
- ½ tablespoon honey
- 1½ regular olive oil for the dough, plus extra to drizzle the bowl
- 2 cups all purpose flour, plus extra for kneading
- 1 teaspoon salt
- For the garlic oil:
- ¼ cup regular olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, sliced
- red pepper flakes
- For the white pizza toppings:
- 1 cup grated English truffle Cheddar cheese
- ½ cup grated fresh Mozzarella
- 4 oz. goat cheese, crumbled
- For the the white pizza arugula vinaigrette:
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 4 oz. baby arugula
- salt
- fresh ground black pepper
- For the pepperoni pizza toppings:
- ½ cup three cheese pasta sauce
- ¼ cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup grated Gruyère cheese
- ½ cup grated Mozzarella cheese
- 16 slices uncured pepperoni
- Combine ¾ cup of warm water, 1 package of instant dry yeast, 1½ tablespoons of regular olive oil, ½ tablespoon of honey in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. When the yeast is dissolved, slowly add 1½ cups of flour. Mix on medium-low for a minute, then add 1 teaspoon of salt, keep mixing. Add ½ cup of flour, a little at a time, or just enough to make a soft dough. Let the machine knead it for about 10 minutes until smooth. Add a little warm water or more flour as needed.
- Take the dough out and knead it by hand on a floured board or clean counter top a dozen times. It should be smooth and elastic.
- Place the dough in a well-oiled bowl and cover it slightly with regular olive oil. Cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel and allow it to rise at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- While waiting, make garlic oil. Add ¼ cup of regular olive oil, sliced garlic, a pinch of red pepper flakes in a small sauce pan and bring it to a simmer over low heat. Make sure the garlic does not burn. Turn off the heat, let it cool. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 475 °F. Make sure your oven is clean!
- Place the dough onto a board and divide into 2 equal pieces. Place them on the parchment pepper or directly on a baking sheet if it is a non-stick. You can also use Le Creuset non-stick cookie sheets. Cover with a damp towel. Allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes.
- Stretch each dough into a circle or square. Stretch them until you get the thickness you like. Brush them with the garlic oil. Sprinkle with some salt and pepper.
- For the white pizza, sprinkle with some English truffle Cheddar, fresh Mozzarella, and goat cheese. For the pepperoni, spread the tomato sauce, top with Gruyère, sharp cheddar, Mozzarella and uncured pepperoni.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes, until the crusts are crisp and cheeses begin to brown.
- For the white pizza, make the dressing for arugula. Whisk together 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, a pinch of salt and pepper.
- When the pizzas are done, mix arugula in with the dressing. Place on top of the white pizza. Slice your pizzas and serve immediately. Enjoy!
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