Pizza School: How To Make Pizza From Scratch
Who doesn’t love a slice of pizza made from scratch? Sure, take out pizza is amazing, but once you learn how to make your own pizza dough, pizza sauce, and bake it to perfection, homemade pizza will never be the same. I recently went to Pizza School, a baking class at my community college. It was a blast and I learned tons of tips and tricks.
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Pizza: A Brief History
Pizza originated in the Middle East and Mediterranean cuisine thousands of years ago. Though, it was decidedly different than the pizza we know and love in the United States today. Modern day pizza traces its origins back to Italy, specifically Naples, and they take their pizza seriously.
In the US, we took this Italian street food and made it a very American dish with a plethora of regional varieties. New York style pizza is known for a very thin crust with wide, thin slices that you can fold in half. Chicago style pizza is nearly the opposite with a thick, buttery crust and a mound of toppings, cheese, and sauce.
Pizza + Bakes & Blunders
This is not the first pizza recipe on Bakes & Blunders. You can find my original homemade pizza dough recipe here. Unlike this classic pizza dough recipe, it uses a bit of whole wheat flour and honey for a slightly different crust. Both recipes are fantastic! Now you just have options.
Related Reading: Homemade Pizza Dough
And if you like a thicker pizza, check out my Cast Iron Skillet Pizza. It’s similar to a Chicago style pizza. This pizza has a thicker crust and is smaller than a standard pizza. I love how easy it is to bake in the cast iron skillet.
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How to Make Pizza From Scratch
Making pizza from scratch is not nearly as difficult as you may think. Prepare your pizza dough the night before and just let it rise in the fridge overnight. Take the dough out while you preheat the oven to let it warm up slightly.
After about 20 minutes on the counter, you can begin to press it into a circle with your fingertips. This will also remove the built up gas that could create air bubbles in your pizza. Leave a ¼” border along the edge. It may look small, but that will puff up into a glorious crust.
Tips From Pizza School
- Pizza dough needs 12- 24 hours to rest in order to be able to stretch and pull the dough into the proper shape. This time allows the gluten to completely relax and gives the dough its extensibility.
- When making the pizza dough from scratch, it does not matter what the temperature of the water is. The yeast will be working slowly in the fridge overnight, so room temperature water will work just fine.
- Pizza dough will rise quite a bit in the oven. To get thin crust, you’ll want to stretch it very, very thin. However, if you go too thin, it will not bake properly.
Related Reading: Cast Iron Skillet Pizza
Stretch Pizza Like a Pro
Once you’ve pressed your pizza dough into a wide circle with your finger tips, it’s time to stretch the dough. Lift the dough up and place it on your fists. Carefully use your fists to stretch the dough as you work your way around the pizza. Place the dough onto your pizza pan once it is the correct size.
You’ll need to work gently, but with confidence in order to not rip the dough. If you feel like it’s stretching too much, put the dough down and try again in an area that is not over stretched. It will take practice, but you’ll get the feel of it. Pro Tip: Remove your rings first!
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Intense Heat
In order to make pizza from scratch taste like takeout pizza, you’ll need a hot oven. I suggest 475℉- 500℉. This burst of intense heat will help the crust puff up and crisp up beautifully. Just watch the pizza to decide on your level of doneness.
While a pizza stone will give you the best crust, it’s not necessary. I certainly don’t have one. Instead, opt for a pizza pan that has holes on the bottom, like this one. Don’t worry, your pizza will not drip through! This helps the pizza crust get nice and crispy.
Pizza For Days
I learned a lot at Pizza School, but I also had a blast. Check out your community college and see what baking classes they offer. One of the students in our class had never taken one of these baking classes before and she was not very confident. Her pizza came out so beautiful, I just had to ask her if I could use my photos of it on Bakes & Blunders!
We got to eat so much food in class, plus I came home with two balls of dough, a bag of toppings, 2 kiwis, a bag of strawberries, slices of Chicago style pizza, and slices of the dessert pizza. Yum!
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Enjoy!
Try making pizza from scratch this week. It’s absolutely delicious, easy to make, and surprisingly quick. Seriously, I took out some leftover dough and spent just a few minutes prepping it, adding the ingredients, and throwing it in the oven. The whole family will love it! (That’s a lie. If you have a picky toddler who eats 3 things, this may not be one of them. Just being honest.)
Classic Pizza From Scratch
Ingredients
Classic Pizza Dough
- 12 oz water
- ½ oz oil
- ⅜ tsp active dry yeast
- ½ Tbsp sugar
- 18 oz bread flour
- 1 ⅛ tsp salt
Marinara Sauce
- 2- 3 Tbsps olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 28 oz crushed tomatoes canned
- Salt and pepper
Toppings
- 1- 2 cups mozzarella cheese shredded
- Additional toppings: pepperoni, mushrooms, spinach, sausage, peppers, etc.
Instructions
Classic Pizza Dough
- Place water, oil, yeast, sugar, and flour in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add the salt to the side of the bowl. Be careful not to let the salt and yeast have direct contact.
- Knead the dough on a medium speed for about 8- 10 minutes. When the dough is nearly done, remove it from the bowl and finish kneading by hand for maximum control.
- Cut off a small piece of dough and gently stretch it for a windowpane test. If the dough is stretchy and you can see light through it, it’s ready.
- Use an electric scale to divide the dough into two equal 15 oz portions. Place them in a bowl, oil the tops, and cover tightly with cling wrap. Chill in the fridge overnight, or at least 12 hours.
- When you’re ready to make the pizza, take the bowl out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature for about 20- 30 minutes. While the dough is warming, begin preheating the oven to 500℉.
- On a well floured surface, use your fingertips to press the dough into a large circle. Leave a ¼” edge around the dough. This will become the crust. Press the gas out of the center of the dough.
- Gently place the dough circle onto your closed fists and work your way around the dough to stretch it out to a large, thin circle. Don’t let the dough become too thin though.
- Place the stretched dough onto a pizza pan. Spread a thin layer of the sauce (about 1/2 cup) over the dough. Top with cheese and any other toppings. Bake for 10- 12 minutes. Cool slightly before slicing.
Marinara Sauce
- Heat the olive oil in a wide, deep skillet over medium- low heat. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30- 45 seconds.
- Add crushed tomatoes and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring often.
- Chill until ready to use.
Notes
- You could also place the dough into an oiled plastic bag and freeze. Place it in the fridge to thaw overnight.
- Make the sauce in advance and let the flavors develop further in the fridge.
- Don't let the calorie count scare you! That's for an entire pizza. With 8 slices, that makes each slices start around 181 calories.
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Colleen
Hi there! I’m Colleen, a novice baker with a passion for learning and improving my bakes… and blunders. On Bakes and Blunders, you can find all sorts of tasty recipes that range in difficulty, but most importantly, I’ll try to explain the reason behind important steps. If you know why a recipe works, you can tweak and adapt it to suit your unique tastes, and you’ll be able to reliably produce some very delicious treats. If you love baking and want to expand and grow your skills, or if you are a casual baker and just need some pointers, my blog is right up your alley! Join me on my baking journey and we’ll learn how to make more impressive recipes together.
2 Comments
Marwan Abuhawa
Where is this location when can I start and how much does it cost
Colleen
I took the class at my local community college. Check out the schools in your area and see if they offer any continuing education baking classes. They are such a great way to learn more about baking!