How to Make Pizza

Co-authored by Ollie George Cigliano

Last Updated: March 11, 2024 Approved

If you like ordering pizza from your local pizzeria, you'll love making it at home. And if you like it and don’t know how to cook, this is how to go. Pizza is tasty food, and you can cook it. This article gives instructions on how to make hot, fresh pizza the fast way, or from scratch. Scroll to the bottom for a section on popular toppings combinations.

Ingredients

Pizza

1 pizza base
Yeast
Pizza sauce
Favourite pizza toppings
Grated mozzarella cheese

Pizza from Scratch

1 ¹⁄₂ cups (350 ml) of warm water
1 package or 2 ¹⁄₄ teaspoons (11 ml) of active dry yeast
3 ¹⁄₂–4 cups (830–950 ml) of flour (bread or all-purpose)
2 tablespoons (30 ml) of olive oil
3 cups (710 ml) of homemade pizza sauce
Favorite pizza toppings
4 cups (950 ml) of grated mozzarella cheese
Cornmeal
2 teaspoons (9.9 ml) of salt

Popular Toppings

Grated cheese (mozzarella, romano, parmesan, goat cheese or some combination)
Sliced pepperoni
Chopped onions
Green peppers
Sausage
Bacon or bacon bits
Chicken chunks
Olives (Black, green, or stuffed)
Mushrooms
Ground beef
Ham pieces
Pineapple slices
Basil
Roasted garlic
Barbecue chicken

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Fast Pizza

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The oven should be piping hot before you start cooking the pizza or else the crust will be limp and soggy and the topping will be overcooked^{[1]
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Remove the unbaked crust from the packaging. Place it on a round or rectangular baking sheet, depending on what you have on hand. Use a pastry brush to spread a thin coating of olive oil over the top of the crust.

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3
Spread pizza sauce on the crust. How much pizza sauce you add is purely a matter of personal preference. If you love a lot of sauce, go ahead and slather it on. If you prefer your pizza on the dry side, spoon a little in the middle and spread it around in a thin layer.
- If you want to make a white pizza, add a little extra olive oil and skip the pizza sauce.^{[2]
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- You can make a quick pizza sauce using tomato paste, a can of diced tomatoes, and some spices. Simmer the paste and tomatoes (without draining them first) together over low heat. Add salt, oregano and pepper to taste. Continue simmering until the sauce cooks down to the consistency of pizza sauce.
4
Add toppings. Layer your favorite toppings over the sauce. Add as many or as few toppings as you want. Put the heavier toppings, like onions, chicken or sausage, on the bottom layer, and add lighter toppings, like spinach leaves or peppers, on the top layer. Continue until your pizza is loaded with the amount of toppings you like.^{[3]
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- Other than pepperoni and ham which are pre-cooked, meat toppings should always be cooked before you put them on the pizza. They'll get heated when you bake the pizza, but they won't fully cook. If you're using ground beef, sausage, chicken, or another meat, cook it thoroughly in a pan on the stove or in the oven and drain the grease before you add it to your pizza.
- Remember that if you add too many vegetable toppings, your pizza crust may turn out a little soggy. The water from the vegetables moistens the dough. Limit the amount of spinach and other "watery" vegetables you put on your pizza if you're worried about this happening. Plus, precooking the watery vegetables will remove the bitterness and add the crunch^{[4]
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Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over the toppings. Layer it on thick if you like it that way, or add a thin layer if you're going for a lighter pizza. Use Cheddar if you like, science has confirmed that mixing both will results in a browner, more elastic cheese^{[5]
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Place the pizza in the oven and have it bake for about 20 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is melted. Remove it from the oven and allow it to cool for a few minutes before slicing.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Pizza from Scratch

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Place the warm water in a large mixing bowl. Pour the yeast onto the water and let it sit until it dissolves. After a few minutes the yeast mixture should begin to bubble.^{[6]
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2
Add the other dough ingredients. Put the flour, olive oil, and salt in the mixing bowl with the yeast mixture. Use the dough hook attachment on your stand mixture or work by hand to stir the ingredients together until a wet dough forms. Keep mixing the dough until it becomes smooth and elastic.^{[7]
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- If you're working by hand, the dough will become difficult to stir when it starts to thicken. Put down the spoon and knead the dough until it reaches the right texture.
- If the dough looks wet after you've been mixing or kneading it for a long time, add some flour to dry it it up a little.
3
Let the dough rise. Form it into a ball and place it in a clean mixing bowl coated with a thin layer of olive oil. Put a dishcloth, some muslin or plastic wrap over the bowl and place it in the kitchen Let the dough sit and rise until it has doubled in size, which should take about 1/2 hours.^{[8]
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- You can let the dough rise in the refrigerator instead. This takes about 24 hours.
- You can also freeze the dough before it rises and let it rise when you're ready to make pizza.
- If you refrigerate the dough, you will need to let it reach the room temperature before forming the crust. Get it out of the refrigerator and let it sit on the counter for about an hour.
4
Preheat the oven to 450 °F (232 °C). Do this well before you're ready to bake the pizza, so the oven has plenty of time to get quite hot.^{[9]
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- If you're using a baking stone or pizza stone, place it in the oven so it gets preheated as well.
- If you're using a baking sheet, place it in the oven at this time.
Divide the dough into two equal parts and shape them each into balls. Dust your clean work surface with flour, and keep an extra bowl nearby. On the prepared surface, roll out the first ball of dough into a circular shape, or use your fingers to stretch it out and shape it. If you're feeling ambitious, you could also try tossing the dough to form it into a pizza shape. When you're finished with the first crust, make the second.^{[10]
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Use a pastry brush to spread a thin coating of olive oil over the tops of the crusts.
Spread homemade pizza sauce (or sauce from a jar) onto the crusts. Layer on your favorite toppings, making sure not to go overboard or the crusts won't get crisp. Finish by sprinkling on your favorite type of cheese.
8
Bake the pizzas one at a time. Carefully remove the baking sheet or stone from the oven and sprinkle it with some cornmeal (or reach into the oven to sprinkle it on). Transfer the pizza to the baking stone or sheet, and place it back in the oven. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbly. Repeat with the second pizza.^{[11]
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- If you're using a baking peel, transfer the pizza directly from the peel to the stone in the oven. Baking peels are used by professional pizza bakers along with baking stones. The unbaked pizza is assembled on the peel, then transferred to the stone in the oven.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Popular Toppings Combinations

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1
Classic loaded pizza. This type of pizza has a traditional tomato pizza sauce and is loaded with meat, vegetables and cheese. Each piece is practically a meal in and of itself. You'll need the following ingredients:
- Sliced mushrooms of any kind
- Sliced red and green bell peppers
- Sliced onions
- Sliced black olives
- Sliced pepperonis
- Sausage pieces
- Diced ham
- Mozzarella cheese
2
Vegetarian white pizza. This elegant pizza is a delicious choice for anyone, whether or not you're a meat eater. Since vegetables tend to make the dough moist, skip the tomato sauce and slather the top of the pizza with some extra olive oil before adding the toppings. Choose from these ingredients:^{[12]
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- Spinach leaves
- Tomato
- Zucchini
- Chopped kale
- Artichoke hearts
- Arugula
- Broccoli
- Sliced beets
- Roasted garlic
- Roasted tomato
- Sweet potato
- Pesto
- onion
- Mushroom
- Green olives
- Goat cheese
- Garlic
- Hummus
- Fresh mozzarella slices
- Fresh basil
- Grilled eggplant
3
Hawaiian pizza. This type of pizza is beloved by some and hated by others because of its strange but interesting ingredients list. If you're a fan of sweet and salty toppings, Hawaiian pizza can't be beat. Gather these ingredients:
- Pineapple chunks
- Caramelized onions
- Grilled ham slices or Canadian bacon slices
- Mozzarella cheese
4
Fresh tomato basil pizza. This light, summery pizza topping combination is a great choice when you're looking for something simple. Make it with or without tomato sauce. If you're looking for the real Italian pizza craving, here's the recipe for what Italians call the margherita. Here's what you need:
- Sliced fresh tomatoes
- Basil leaves

Community Q&A

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Question

Can I freeze risen pizza dough?

Community Answer

I wouldn't recommend it, after freezing it will not thaw easily and in some cases the dough will fall apart.

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How can I make a pizza sauce?

Community Answer

Use tomato paste and add salt, pepper, basil and oregano to taste. You also may use spaghetti sauce with a bit of extra basil or oregano.

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Can we cook a pizza with whole wheat?

DividedGuitarist

Community Answer

Yes, you can use any flour you like.

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Tips

Before you put your pizza in the oven, spray the pan with a bit of olive oil for a crisper end-result. It also prevents it from sticking to the pan.

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Experiment with the ingredients. Add cooked ground beef as a topping for a milder alternative to sausage, try canned spaghetti sauce instead of pizza sauce, or mix a little Mascarpone cheese into the tomato sauce.

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You can also experiment with the cooking method. For example, cook pizza using a tawa over an open burner or outdoor grill.

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Warnings

To avoid burning yourself, use towels or oven mitts when taking your pizza out of the oven.

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Always keep an eye on your pizza so it doesn't burn.

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