DIY Pizza
Give yourself the freedom to make your own favorite pizza
cooked atop a delicious homemade pizza dough.
Domáca pizza
Everyone has their favorite pizza. I’ll start: spinach, olives, feta and mozzarella. My husband loves the ‘everything’, loaded up with pepperoni, sausage, bell peppers and corn (yes, corn—it’s a Slovak thing). My son loves the controversial combination of ham and pineapple, with one exception. Because of his fructose malabsorption, he can’t have tomato sauce as a base on his pizza. In the early days of this diagnosis, we experimented with as many different recipe tweaks as possible to allow him to still eat his favorite foods, all while avoiding high fructose ingredients. I perfected this at-home pizza dough because I found an olive oil base to be an easy, tasty substitute for the classic red sauce.
Storing & saving
In our household, pizza makes for prized leftovers. Store in the refrigerator for up to two days.
Yields
Two 10” pizzas
Baking note
While you’re baking, rotate the pizza at intervals and use a knife to pop an large bubbles in the crust.
Ingredients
Dough Cesto
1 ⅓ cups (320ml) warm water—between 100-110°F 320 ml vody medzi 38-43°C
2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast (7 g/1 standard packet) 1 balíček droždia
1 Tbsp (13g) granulated sugar 1 polievková lyžica cukru
2 Tbsp (30ml) olive oil 30 ml olivového oleja
1 scant tsp salt 1 necelá čajová lyžička soli
3 ½ cups (about 450g) all-purpose flour, plus more for hands and surface 450 g múky, a viac na plechu
Sprinkle of cornmeal for dusting the pan Trochu kukuričnej múky na plechu
Pizza toppings of your choice Základy, podľa chutí
Whisk the warm water (microwaved for 1 minute), yeast, and granulated sugar together in the bowl of your stand mixer. Cover and allow to rest for 5 minutes.
Add the olive oil, salt, and flour. Beat on low speed with the dough hook for 2 minutes.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. With lightly floured hands, knead the dough for 3-4 minutes.
Note: after kneading, the dough should still feel a little soft. Poke it with your finger – if it slowly bounces back, your dough is ready to rise. If not, keep kneading.
Lightly grease the same bowl with oil or nonstick spray. Place the dough back into the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel.
Allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 60-90 minutes or until doubled in size.
Note: for the warm environment on a particularly cold day, heat your oven to 150°F (66°C). Turn the oven off, place the dough inside, and keep the door slightly ajar. This will be a warm spot for your dough to rise. After about 30 minutes, close the oven door to trap the air inside with the rising dough. When it’s doubled in size, remove from the oven.
Preheat oven to 475°F (245°C).
Lightly grease baking sheet or pizza pan with nonstick spray or olive oil. Sprinkle lightly with cornmeal, which will give the crust extra crunch and flavor.
To shape the dough, punch it down into the bowl to release any air bubbles. Divide the dough in half. On a lightly floured work surface using lightly floured hands or rolling pin, gently flatten the dough into a disc. Place on prepared pan and, using lightly floured hands, stretch and flatten the disc into a 12-inch circle. Lift the edge of the dough up to create a lip around the edges.
Cover dough lightly with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and allow to rest for a few minutes as you prepare your pizza toppings.
Top with your favorite toppings and bake for 7 minutes. Rotate, pop any air bubbles in the crust, then bake for an additional 7-9 minutes.
Give it a try
If you’re feeling brave, try tossing the dough! This gives the pizza dough a consistent thickness and even, round shape.
Start by forming a disc on the countertop. Place it on top of your knuckles. Pull your hands away from one another to begin stretching the dough. Once you’ve stretched the dough around the its circumference, it’s time to toss. Twist and toss the dough at once, repeating until it has reached the desired size. Trust me: as a former teenage employee of a pizza place, I am 100% qualified to teach this technique!
