Family Night: Homemade Pizza

Pretty much every Friday growing up we had pizza for dinner and I've carried on that tradition with my family. We cook every night of the week, typically, so it was easy for me to order in on Friday nights to give me a break from the kitchen. Then once I started to realize how much we were spending on a simple pizza and how much worse store bought was for you - I just had to make my own!

My sweet Grace helping mommy

We started making our own pizzas about 5 years ago and now we even make them for friends and family parties. They are super easy to make and inexpensive to buy so it was a no-brainer to me! I used to buy our pizza dough at the local Italian Store/Deli - and you can too - but now I buy it at our local grocery which is always having sales of $1/ball of dough. I buy a bunch and freeze and then the night before I know we're going to make it I let in thaw in the fridge. I rarely put sauce on the pizza, but if I do its very little as it can make the dough soggy. The only other ingredients my family uses are mozzarella cheese, Roma tomatoes, fresh basil, large pepperoni and sea salt. The options are endless when it comes to toppings and I encourage you to get creative, but this is just what we enjoy and what I know my kids will eat - so there is no argument.

I also have a Mario Batali Pizza Pan that a friend had recommended to me and it was worth every penny, but I assume it can easily be made on a large cookie sheet as well. They key I've learned to the perfect pizza is an extremely hot oven. It took me a couple times to perfect it, but I've got it down after all these years. I have even pre-cooked the pizza dough during naps on a nice day so if we spend a little extra time outdoors in the evening. I have minimized my steps and cut down on my cooking time significantly!

The finished product!

Ingredients

• 2 Pizza Dough Balls (I purchase mine from either an Italian store, Trader Joes, or Harris Teeter)
• 2 8oz packages of Mozzarella Cheese
• 1 Package of Deli Pepperoni (Large Pepperoni Style)
• Roma Tomatoes (Sliced Thin)
• Fresh Basil (Chopped)
• Sea Salt
• Red Pepper Flakes (Optional)

Optional Toppings: Peppers, Onions, Chopped Bacon, Sliced Pancetta, Ground Beef, Sausage, Mushrooms, etc.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
2. Put a few Tbsp Olive Oil on pizza pan (swirl around).
3. Press out dough on pan with fingers until it reaches all edges. Room temp dough is best. Cook one pizza at a time for best results.
4. Place in oven for roughly 5-6 min or until golden brown. You are cooking the crust here.
5. Pull crust out of oven and spread half the cheese on the dough, sauce (optional), spread pepperoni and remaining mozzarella cheese.
6. Put back in oven for 5 min (or until cheese is melted).
7. I always broil for a minute or two at the end to get a more well-done pizza.
8. Transfer to pizza stone or cutting board. Let cool, cut, and serve!
9. Repeat for 2nd pizza. Follow all steps except after you place the sliced tomatoes on the pizza, spread a bit of sea salt to bring out the flavor. Top with remaining cheese and fresh basil. Bake and you're done!

Its that simple and better than delivery! My kids love being a part of the cooking process so I let them put the toppings and cheese on which makes them feel so helpful. Its something we look forward doing together every week :) Enjoy!