Homemade Pizza With Various Toppings
15 days ago
Skip to recipeHomemade Pizza With Various Toppings is a fun way to get people together. We often have friends over for pizza nights and it’s a fun activity we enjoy with the grandkids. The best part is, with all of the various toppings, you can personalize your pizza to fit your taste.
Prepare the Dough
The pizza dough makes one very large (16-inch) pie, two medium (8- to 10-inch) pies or four to six mini pizzas. It can also be used for focaccia or stromboli.
One thing to note is that the texture of the dough can be affected by how the flour is stored and how old it is. The best way to judge the dough when it’s coming together is by the feel. It should feel smooth and not sticky.
You can also make the pizza dough ahead. Let it rise anywhere from two hours to all day, noting that a longer rise will yield a lighter dough. If you are not using the dough right away you can refrigerate it for later use. It can also be frozen, but must be thoroughly defrosted before use and brought to room temperature.
The recipe calls for 00 flour, which is finely milled Italian flour made with drum wheat, which yields a crispier, chewier crust. All-purpose flour, made with red winter wheat, works, but if you're really into pizza, using the 00 is worth it.
Pizza Variations
Here are three different variations of pizza that you can try at home.
Salad Pizza
Not your typical salad. This pizza is topped with romaine, radicchio, fennel, goat cheese and balsamic vinaigrette. Radicchio has a bitter, spicy flavor and adds a pop of color to this pizza. Use the 6″ Vegetable Knife to slice it.
Fennel is a not-so-typical salad ingredient on this pizza. It has a very mild anise or licorice flavor, but it pairs well with the goat cheese. We suggest slicing it using the 7″ Santoku.
For instructions on how to slice fennel, take a look at Cutco’s handy step-by-step tutorial.
Roasted Vegetable Pizza
If you’re a vegetable lover, you will enjoy this variation. This pizza is topped with zucchini, eggplant, onions and bell peppers. Use the 7-5/8″ Petite Chef to evenly dice the onion and bell pepper.
When all your vegetables are ready, place them onto a baking pan in a single layer to roast and then use to top your pizza.
Sausage and Peppers With Sliced Mozzarella Pizza
Topped with cooked Italian sausage, diced bell peppers and fresh mozzarella, this variation is a crowd favorite. Using a Cheese Knife, you can choose to slice or chop the mozzarella.
Preparing the Pizzas
We used pizza screens which don’t need to be sprinkled with flour or cornmeal, but we do spray them with nonstick cooking spray. If you choose to use a pizza pan, do lightly sprinkle it with flour or cornmeal, or line it with parchment paper.
To cook the pizza, stretch the dough to the desired size on the pizza screen or prepared pan. After you add your toppings, brush the exposed crust with olive oil for browning.
These pizzas only need about 15 to 20 minutes to cook in a hot 500 F oven. A good indicator is when the outside edges of the crust are golden and the cheese is bubbly.
Serving the Pizza
Before cutting let the pizza rest a few minutes, and then use a Pizza Cutter to cut even slices.
Homemade Pizza With Various Toppings is a casual way to entertain guests of all ages. You can also have some fun trying to throw the dough, something my husband likes doing. Enjoy!
Ingredients
For the pizza dough*:
- 1 1/2 cup tepid water - using a meat or candy thermometer, the water should measure 110-120 F
- 1 package or 2 teaspoons dry yeast (quick rise is not necessary)
- 3 1/2 cups 00 pizza flour or all-purpose flour, plus extra for your work surface
- 1 hearty pinch of fine-ground sea salt
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil for coating the dough during the rising process, plus more to brush onto crust
- *This dough makes 1 very large (16-inch) pie, 2 medium (8- or 10-inch) pies or 4-6 mini pizzas. It can also be used for focaccia or stromboli.
For Salad Pizza:
- Romaine, sliced
- Radicchio, shredded
- Fennel, diced
- Goat cheese, sliced
- Balsamic vinaigrette
For Roasted Vegetable Pizza:
- 2 cups quick marinara sauce
- Fresh mozzarella, sliced
- Zucchini, diced
- Eggplant, diced
- Onion, diced
- Bell peppers, diced
- Salt the eggplant to draw out some of the moisture and then pat dry.
- Drizzle vegetables with olive oil and roast on a sheet pan in a 400 F oven for 25 to 30 minutes.
For Sausage and Peppers With Sliced Mozzarella Pizza
- 2 cups quick marinara sauce
- Fresh mozzarella, sliced
- Cooked Italian sausage, cut into bite-size pieces
- Bell peppers, diced
Directions
- Make the dough. Place water into a food processor and add yeast, salt and sugar. Pulse to blend.
- Add flour in small amounts until the dough is not sticky and is very smooth.
- If the dough is sticky, you can add more flour. Add flour a quarter-cup at a time until dough is no longer sticky and does not stick to your hands.
- Remove dough from work bowl and place in a lightly oiled bowl and turn to coat all sides. Cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise. Dough should double in size within 1-2 hours.
- Punch down dough and let rest for 10 minutes. Optional: Dough can also be given a second one hour rise for an even lighter pizza crust.
- Make the pizza. Preheat oven to 500 F.
- To cook pizza, stretch dough to desired size on pizza screen or prepared pan. Add sauce and desired toppings. Brush the exposed crust with olive oil for browning. Bake until outside edges of crust are golden and cheese is bubbly, approximately 15-20 minutes.