I would consider myself generally a good cook, having worked in restaurants for several years and cooking pretty much since I was a kid. However for some reason I am absolutely terrible at making breads/doughs - especially anything involving yeast and letting the dough rise. Ironically I've worked at a couple pizza shops, and you would think I would have better grasp on this (I was never in charge of making the dough though). This afternoon I tried a basic recipe with bread flour, yeast, oil, salt and water. The recipe called for letting it "proof" in a toaster oven that had been gently warmed ahead of time, until the dough doubled in size (about an hour and a half). The dough doubled in size, but when I stretched it out into a pizza and baked it, it really didn't puff up much at all and didn't brown well either. So now I am trying the recipe again, only this time adding a bit of sugar, and I "kneaded" the dough for several minutes with the dough hook on my hand mixer. This batch is now rising in my stove with the light on inside to help keep it slightly warm. I'm thinking I may let this dough finish rising in the fridge overnight though since that was also suggested to build a deeper flavor. Do any of you have any luck making home made pizza dough from scratch? And if so, any pointers?
Yeast is really not my thing. I know I've made it a few times in the past, but it's been so long I don't recall how I did it. I have purchased a boxed mix (Appian way I think, was the brand) and had some difficulty with there not being enough crust once I mixed it up, and I've also used the roll out pizza crusts, which have worked pretty well for me. I have never tried the Boboli crusts and others like them, because I prefer a crisper thin crust.
I love making homemade pizza! Making pizza at home is a great frugal option for a family pizza night, and it allows you to make healthier alternatives by choosing healthy toppings. I have consistently used the pizza dough recipe from All Recipes for the past couple of years, here is the link to the recipe:Log In The recipe is quick and easy, with simple ingredients. I usually double the recipe in order to make multiple, large pizzas, so that we have leftover pizza the next day for lunch (yum!). For a healthier pizza dough, I have substituted some and/or all the flour for whole wheat flour, and the dough still turns out great, just a little more dense. I love making ham and pineapple pizzas and veggie pizzas, while my husband loves pepperoni, bacon, and ham. Homemade pizza is a great way to use up leftover diced veggies and meat.
Generally, I stay away from yeast because of Lucy Ricardo. When I've made pizza, I go with pre-mixed dough or buy the ones that just need to be warmed up. Another alternative are pizza boats with hollowed out French or other crusty bread.
My favorite recipe is to go to the store and pick it up,lol. I have tried making simple biscuits and it was simply horrible! I can make cookies and even banana bread. I haven't tried making pizza dough. It might be cool to do in my spare time just to try out. I don't know about making a whole pizza from scratch for dinner just yet.
@prose Thank you for sharing the recipe, I will certainly try it out soon as I have all the ingredients at home now. I always wanted to make my own pizza dough, but I haven't make it yet. I always make Chinese steamed buns recently, with just flour, sugar, yeast, oil and milk or plain water. I usually let it rest for 10 minutes after kneading, then I make them into bun shaped and let it rest for another 40 minutes before I steam or bake them. They work out fine.
I am lazy these days so I just use Tortilla wrapper,soft shell taco,Pita, Roti,Paneer and other flat breads as pizza dough. Even regular sliced bread can be turned into pizza. I save more money, time and my kitchen is less messy. This may sound weird but I also use pancakes or waffles as pizza dough. I just make it more savory and use less sugar.
I never thought of using pancakes as pizza dough. I might give it a try since we are making pancakes every Friday, it might be something different for the kids. I have only used toast to serve as the pizza dough and put some toppings on it. I haven't try others that you mentioned, perhaps it's good to give them a try too.
We don’t make dough for pizza. Our homemade pizza uses leftover bread for the crust. The ingredients are tomato paste, cheese of any kind but grated, strips of bell pepper, any meat scraps like spam or bacon, some other toppings that you prefer like cucumber or carrots. It looks easy to make because it is actually easy and cheap too.
Another rolling pin free pizza dough you can try is a liquid pizza dough. It is very similar to a pancake but more different. It is a time saver since you also won't be needing a rolling pin. It is for pizza makers who wanted to save time and money.
I think it is cheaper making pizza at home than purchasing one. I had no idea on how I could prepare it. Thanks to friends who have offered recipe here. I think I will follow it.
When I worked in an old people's home some of them would have trouble with a thin pizza base that was a bit on the crispy side so we would make them with a scone base which was light and fluffy and gentle on their dentures! It was actually quite nice and sometimes we would add cheese to it as well as to the topping.
This is a 2 dollar recipe invented by prisoners! It is hard to find bread or dough in prison so prisoners are able to make pizza with instant ramen noodles. These Prison recipes can be applicable to people who craves pizza but wanted to save money and doesnt want to to use rolling pin in a dough.
