Homemade Pizza

Our Homemade Pizza (Restaurant-Style) will be your new favorite way to make pizza at home. Not only is this a foolproof recipe, but this method also produces restaurant-quality flavor and texture without a wood-burning oven or any fancy equipment. This dough is similar to an Italian Neapolitan-style pizza: a pleasantly chewy thin crust, speckled in dark spots from baking in a hot oven.

What stands out

Once you try our Homemade Pizza (Restaurant-Style), you’re never going to look back. The final product of this recipe has a crispy yet tender crust. Combined with the simple and satisfying Italian flavors of tomato, cheese, and basil, it’s so much better than takeout. The best part is, that the dough can be made in advance and frozen, and the pizza only takes about 10 minutes to cook. Buon appetito!

How to Prepare

First activate the yeast bycombining yeast, sugar, and warm water (100-110°F or 40°C).

Whisk and allow to activate and foam for 5 to 10 minutes.

Ensure water temperature is within the specified range for successful activation.

Once the yeast is activated, you canmakethe pizza dough. Start by mixing flour and salt in a large bowl. Then, pour in the activated yeast mixture and stir.

Now, knead the dough on a clean counter until smooth, adding flour if sticky. Test readiness by pressing a finger into the dough; it should bounce back slowly.

Shape dough into a ball, oil it, andthen let it rise covered, for 1 1/2 hours. After rising, divide the dough into four equal pieces and roll into balls.

Roll out each ball into thin pizzas using hands or rolling pin, flouring as needed.

To bake the pizzas, preheat a skillet on the stovetop on medium-high heat and set the oven to broil.

Place one pizza dough in the hot skillet and then add toppings immediately.

Cook until charred on the bottom, then transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Broil until cheese is melted and charred, monitoring closely to prevent burning (about 5 minutes). Optionally, top your Homemade Pizza (Restaurant-Style) with basil, slice, and serve.

Kitchen tip

Activating the yeast is the most important part of this recipe. If the yeast does not activate start this step all over. If it does not activate it means that the water was too hot, too cold, or the yeast was old or bad. The water should be around 100-110 degrees Fahrenheit or 40 degrees Celsius.

Swaps

There are several variations and substitutions you can make to customize this Homemade Pizza (Restaurant-Style) recipe according to your taste preferences or dietary restrictions. We have not tried all of these options, so you may need to experiment and adjust quantities as necessary.

1. Experiment with different types of flour such as 00 flour, whole-wheat flour, bread flour, or 1-1 gluten-free flour, however, you will have to experiment and adjust the quantities.
2. For a thin-crust pizza, roll out the dough thinner or for a thicker crust leave the dough slightly thicker.
3. Choose toppings according to your preferences. Common choices include pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, onions, bell peppers, olives, and fresh tomatoes.
4. Include cooked proteins such as grilled chicken, shrimp, or tofu for added protein.
5. Feel free to use a homemade pizza sauce (like our Italian Tomato Sauce) or a store-bought sauce like Rao’s Homemade Pizza Sauce.
6. Use alternative sauces such as pesto, barbecue sauce, or Alfredo sauce instead of traditional pizza sauce.
7. Load up on vegetables for added nutrition and flavor, such as spinach, kale, artichokes, or roasted garlic.

Serve it with

• A fresh green salad
• Some warm garlic breadsticks or Cheesy Roasted Garlic Bread
• A glass of red wine

Questions

How do we Activate and test our yeast?

First, make sure the yeast is not em old or em expired. The water must be warm to activate the yeast — not hot, not cold. The water needs to be between 100 and 110 degrees Fahrenheit (37 to 43 degrees Celsius). If the water is too hot or too cold the yeast will not activate. In a bowl, add the yeast, sugar, and warm water. Give it a quick whisk and leave it to activate and foam up for 5 to 10 minutes.

why is it important to activate the yeast?

Activating the yeast is the most important part of making this Homemade Pizza (Restaurant-Style) recipe because your crust depends on it! If the yeast does not activate, start this step all over. If it does not activate it means that the water was too hot, too cold, or the yeast was old or bad.

How Can we use a stand mixer to make the dough?

If you’re using the stand mixer you can do everything in one bowl by activating the yeast in the mixer bowl, then adding the flour and salt and mixing the dough with the dough hook attachment on low speed until it’s kneaded and smooth. If the dough is sticky and not pulling away from the sides, add 1 tablespoon of flour at a time until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. The kneading should take 6 to 8 minutes at medium-low speed.

Can we use store Bought Dough?

Absolutely! To make this Homemade Pizza (Restaurant-Style), you can buy a nice pizza dough from an Italian bakery and make it the same way to save time.

How do we freeze the pizza dough?

After the dough has risen and punched back: divide the dough into your preferred portion sizes, wrap loosely in saran wrap, and seal each ball of dough tightly in a freezer bag. When you want to prepare a pizza, thaw the dough overnight in the fridge, or for 2 to 3 hours at room temperature, then roll it out and bake as per our instructions.

Can we make this pizza gluten-Free?

We have not tried this, but it should work with 1-to-1 all-purpose gluten-free flour. Our favorite flour is by mark Caputo and they have an pizza dough recipe on the back of their GF flour pack.

Can we use any kind of yeast?

Yes, you can but if you use instant yeast you do not need to activate it, as the grains are fine. add all the dough ingredients to a bowl all at once. If you use quick-rise yeast, it will cut down the rise time so keep an eye on it. You can also use em fresh yeast which would require 21 grams in total.

What do we need to look out for when we broil the pizza?

If you use parchment paper make sure you don’t place the tray too close to the top burners as the paper can start to burn. We always place the oven rack on the second highest level.

What type of pizza sauce do you use?

Our favorite store-bought pizza sauce is mark Rao’s Homemade Classic Pizza Sauce.

What type of flour do you recommend?

You CAN use 00 flour, whole-wheat flour, or bread flour for this recipe. 00 pizza dough flour is our favorite.

Ingredients

Makes 4 pizzas

The Yeast

• 1 packet active dry yeast, (2 1/4 teaspoons or 7 grams)
• 1 ¼ cups warm water, (300ml)
• 1 teaspoon sugar, (5 grams)

The Dough

• 3 cups 00 flour, whole-wheat flour, bread flour, or all-purpose flour (450 grams), plus more for dusting
• 1 teaspoon salt, (6 grams)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Additional Toppings

• pizza sauce, to taste
• provolone cheese, or any melty cheese you like
• grated Parmigiano Reggiano, to taste
• fresh basil leaves, to taste

Equipment

• Pizza Cutter
• Measuring Cups + Spoons
• Liquid Measuring Cup
• Mixing Bowls
• Stand Mixer
• Baking Sheet
• Parchment Paper

Method

Activate the Yeast

1. Note: Activating the yeast is the most important part of this recipe. If the yeast does not activate start this step all over. If it does not activate it means that the water was too hot, too cold, or the yeast was old or bad. The water should be around 100-110 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In a bowl, add the yeast, sugar and warm water. Give it a quick whisk and leave it to activate and foam up for 5 to 10 minutes.

The Pizza Dough

1. Note: You can use 00 flour, whole-wheat flour, all purpose, or bread flour for this recipe. 00 pizza dough flour is our favorite.
2. Add the flour and salt to a large bowl (stand mixer instructions in notes below) and mix together. Pour in the activated yeast mixture and stir with a spatula or wooden spoon.
3. Pour the dough out onto the clean counter and begin to knead it. If the dough is sticky, add 1 tablespoon of flour at a time (we used about 1/4 cup or less) and knead until you have a smooth dough.
4. You will know the dough is ready when you press down on it with a finger and the indent bounces back up slowly. We knead by hand for 8 to 10 minutes. If you don't know how to knead dough, watch this Youtube tutorial here: How to knead dough
5. Once the dough is kneaded, shape it into a ball and oil it up with olive oil. Place it in a big bowl and let it rest, covered with plastic wrap, in a warm dry place away from drafts. (This can be in a turned-off oven, microwave, or cupboard.) Let rest for about 1 1/2 hours, until the dough has tripled in size.
6. When the dough has risen, remove the plastic wrap and punch it down in the middle so it deflates. Place the dough on the counter and divide into four equal pieces.
7. Roll each piece into a ball and start to roll out the pizzas one by one. We take a dough ball, flatten it with our hands and begin to stretch out the dough gently with our fingers, rotating it around.
8. If you don't know how to gently stretch dough with your hands you can skip this step, grab a rolling pin, and roll it as thin as possible, making sure you rotate the rolling pin in all directions. Be sure to lightly flour the dough and rolling pin, if the dough gets sticky.
9. Roll out all four pizzas as thin as possible and set them aside. You can set them on a big baking dish or kitchen towel that is sprinkled with flour. You can also set them on parchment paper.

Baking Method

1. Note: before you start, make sure you have all the toppings of choice ready.
2. Preheat a skillet on the stove over medium-high heat (our skillet is 11 inches). Preheat the oven to broil. Place one pizza dough in the hot skillet and immediately (carefully) add the toppings. Spoon on your favorite pizza sauce, distributing it evenly with the back of a spoon, leaving a small border for the crust.
3. Add the grated cheeses. When the pizza is charred on the bottom (lift it up with a spatula and check), transfer it onto a baking dish or sheet lined with parchment paper and place it in the oven on BROIL (top burner only), until it's melty and charred.
4. We put the pizza on the second highest rack to prevent the parchment paper from burning. Watch the pizza the whole time as it can quickly burn. Mine takes about 5 minutes (sometimes less).
5. Note: If you have an oven-safe skillet, you do not need to transfer the pizza onto a baking sheet, you can put the skillet in the oven IF it's oven-safe and safe to put under the broiler.
6. Remove the pizza from the oven, top with basil, slice and enjoy!

Kitchen notes

Stand Mixer (Dough Hook) Instructions:

Combine flour, salt, and activated yeast mixture into a bowl. Mix on low (speed 1–2) for 1–2 minutes just until shaggy. (Optional: rest 10 min.) Knead on speed 2 for 6–8 minutes until the dough is smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky—it should clear the bowl sides and just cling to the bottom. If it puddles, add 1–2 tablespoons flour; if stiff, add 1–2 teaspoons water.