How to make pizza at home

Question

I’m baby-sitting for my little cousins next week and they’ve asked if we can make homemade pizzas. I said “of course” to which they replied (with eyebrows raised in doubt) “you know how to make them from scratch?” I, full of bravado, said of course I can, which earned me lots of smiles of approval. Of course I don’t know how to make homemade pizzas from scratch! So I need some suggestions on how to make pizza at home (preferably from scratch, but without it being too difficult!) Any recipes, tips or tricks would be really appreciated!

Answer 1

I’m not sure whether or not this will please the connoisseurs, but my kids and I make individual pizzas at home using English muffins that you buy from the supermarket. You just cut the English muffins in half, spread with tomato paste, let the kids put their favourite toppings on (ham and pineapple are always big winners), top with cheese and then cook either in the oven or under the griller (need to keep a close eye on them because the cheese will brown and cook quickly under the griller).

Answer 2

I’ve got an idea for how to make pizza at home…buy pizza bases from the supermarket, unwrap them, put them in the oven to warm and then when the kids show up just pull the old “here’s some I prepared earlier” trick! Simple and easy.

Answer 3

If you’re looking for quick and easy pizza toppings you can’t go past the deli section at your local supermarket. You can get shredded ham, roast chicken, olives, sundried tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and feta. If the kids are coming over early why not take them down to the supermarket with you so that they can pick out their favourite toppings. Alternatively, try calling their parents a few days before and ask them for suggestions on what ingredients you should buy. A yummy variation on the traditional ham and pineapple is to put shredded roast chicken, basil pesto, capsicum and a sprinkling of mozzarella.

Answer 4

The Kidspot website is great for stuff like this – lots of suggestions that are quick and easy enough for the kids to help out with. I particularly like making this recipe with my kids; it’s quick, only has four ingredients and makes four separate pizza bases. You just mix 800gms of flour in a bowl with a sachet of dried yeast and a big pinch of salt, and then stir in 500mls of warm water to form a dough. Sprinkle some extra flour on a chopping board (can do this straight onto the bench but I found it easier to clean up afterwards if you use the board), put your dough on the floured section and knead it for 5-10 minutes (this basically just means push the outsides towards the middle with your knuckles, turn over and repeat).You’ll know when it’s been kneaded enough, the dough starts to look smooth. Smear some oil inside a bowl, put the ball of dough inside and then cover with plastic wrap and a tea towel and then leave it somewhere warm (my step-mothers trick is to fill a sink with warm water and then float the bowl in it). After about 2 hours the dough will be twice the size it was in the beginning (thanks to the yeast) and you can put it back on a floured surface and cut it into four equal portions. The recipe then recommends rolling each portion into a ball and covering with the tea towel for another 20 minutes, but I have found you can skip this step if you’re pressed for time. At this point you just roll each portion out into a pizza base size, top with whatever toppings you want and cook in a preheated oven (220°C) for about 20 minutes (crust will go golden when it is done).

Answer 5

If you’re looking for really quick and easy answer to how to make pizza at home then you can’t go past the “2 ingredient pizza dough” method. You just mix 1 cup of Greek yoghurt with 1 cup of self raising flour, knead on a floured surface until smooth, roll out into pizza base shapes and top with ingredients. So simple and surprisingly delicious!