Classic Pizza Recipe
This easy-to-make pizza recipe is perfect for anyone looking to make pizza from scratch. These step-by-step instructions will allow anyone – from the experienced chef to the novice home cook, to create an awesome pizza completely from scratch. This recipe covers the dough, sauce, toppings, and baking and takes just a few hours of time to make.
Equipment
- 1 Pizza Cutter
- 1 Pizza Screen or Pizza Stone, Pizza Pan, or baking sheet.
- 1 Rolling Pin
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 2¼ tsp active dry yeast
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 cup water warm, about 110℉ or 43℃
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour plus more as needed to dust
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 tsp salt
For the Sauce
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 4 cloves Garlic finely minced
- 1/3 cup onion very finely chopped (minced)
- 1 28-ounce can tomato whole, crushed.
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
- 1 tsp sugar optional, for balancing acidity
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp Dried Oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes optional, for a bit of heat
- fresh basil hand-torn – 1 small sprig
- fresh oregano 1 small sprig
- Fresh Thyme 1 small sprig
Toppings
- 2 cup mozzarella cheese
Instructions
Prepare the Dough
- In a small bowl, combine 2¼ tsp active dry yeast, 1 tsp sugar, and 1 cup water . Gently stir. Set aside for 5-10 minutes until the mixture becomes foamy.1 You can see in the image that the yeast will slightly bubble and froth when ready.2¼ tsp active dry yeast, 1 tsp sugar, 1 cup water
- In a large bowl, combine 2½ cups all-purpose flour and 1 tsp salt. Slowly add 2 tbsp Olive Oil and yeast mixtures, stirring in with a wooden spoon. Mix well until a dough begins to form. The dough should have a playdough-like consistency and be slightly sticky/tacky. If needed, add additional flour until the proper consistency is achieved. Just be careful not to add too much!2½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 tsp salt, 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- Kneading the dough: Dust a work surface lightly with flour. Transfer the dough onto this work surface and knead for 7-10 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic.
- Lightly oil the sides of a clean bowl with olive oil. Shape the dough into a ball, and place it in the lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm area until the dough doubles in size – about 1-1.5 hours.2 While the dough rises, prepare toppings and sauce (instructions below).
Prepare the Sauce
- In a bowl, crush 1 28-ounce can tomato until smooth. Use an immersion blender if necessary.31 28-ounce can tomato
- In a saucepan, heat 2 tbsp Olive Oil over medium heat. Add minced garlic and 1/3 cup onion, and sauté until the garlic is fragrant, and the onion is translucent – about 2-3 minutes.2 tbsp Olive Oil, 1/3 cup onion, 4 cloves Garlic
- Pour the tomatoes into the saucepan and stir. Add 1 tsp sea salt, 1/2 tsp Black Pepper, and 1 tsp sugar .41 tsp sea salt, 1/2 tsp Black Pepper, 1 tsp sugar
- Stir in 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1 tsp Dried Oregano, 1 tsp dried basil. If you’d like to add additional spice, add 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional).1 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1 tsp Dried Oregano, 1 tsp dried basil, 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- Reduce the heat to low, and let simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce will thicken. If the sauce becomes too thick, add a splash of water to thin it out.
- After simmering for 20 minutes optionally add fresh basil, fresh oregano, and Fresh Thyme, and let simmer for an additional 5 minutes.fresh basil, fresh oregano, Fresh Thyme
- If you prefer a smoother sauce, use an immersion blender to puree the sauce until it reaches the desired thickness.
- Remove from heat and let cool.
Prepare the Pizza and Toppings
- Once the dough from section 1 has risen, preheat your oven to 450.
- Punch down the dough to release trapped air & divide into 2, equally sized portions.
- On a lightly flowered surface, roll out each dough portion into a 12-inch circle, about ¼ inch thickness. You can use a rolling pin to roll out the dough if needed. This recipe yields 2 12-inch pizzas. Transfer the dough to a pizza stone, baking sheet, or pizza pan.
- Add 1 cup of sauce to each pizza and evenly spread.
- Add 2 cup mozzarella cheese to each pizza and evenly spread.2 cup mozzarella cheese
- Add any other toppings you'd like!
- Bake in the oven at 450 until the crust is golden brown – usually about 10-15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let rest for 1 minute, then slice and enjoy!
Notes
1: The foam indicates that the yeast has been activated. Make sure the water is around 110F – too hot, and the yeast will not activate!
2: Make sure the dough is in a warm area, but don’t leave it somewhere too hot when rising, as this can cause issues with the yeast!
3: Consider adding a splash of red wine to the tomatoes in step 1 for an additional touch.
4: Sugar will help reduce the acidity of the sauce. Optionally, you can use finely grated carrot for a more natural sweetness.
Your Notes
Nutrition
Serving: 106gCalories: 220kcal
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!