It's always a treat to have pizza night at our house, but when we do, we take a more hands on approach than just ordering out. There are lots of possibilities out there to making pizzas. You can build a pizza from crust up into anything you want. One of my personal favorites is a BBQ chicken pizza. I also enjoy a tomato-basil pizza. The guys in my family are pepperoni fans. An easy & fun way to satisfy everyone's taste is to make our own pizzas. We love to do this any chance we get. Not only are they better than delivery, but they are less expensive as well. There are a few different ways we've done our pizzas. I'm sure if not all, at least one will work for you!
First there is the store bought pizza crust that you can top with your choice of toppings. These are perfect if you're short on time or just really hungry! I use a traditional marinara sauce for my pizza sauce. You just top the pre-made pizza crust with the sauce & start building your pizza. Cover the entire pizza with a finely shredded mozzarella. For a fresh tomato-basil pizza, you'll need fresh basil leaves & roma tomatoes. Slice the tomatoes thin & chop the basil into small pieces, then add them both to the top of your pizza. Salt & pepper the tomatoes & that quickly the pizzas are ready to bake. Bake them according to the crust's package- usually about 10 min. This tomato-basil pizza is out of this world good! I love the fresh taste that come from the fresh toppings. There's not a pizza place around that delivers this homemade pizza, so don't even think about it! :)
Our next homemade pizzas are made from english muffins. All you'll need is english muffins, marinara sauce, cheese & whatever toppings you desire. My mom used to make these for me as a child & now they're one of our favorite ways to make pizza. You can make each individual pizza different. Ham & pineapple is a delicious way to use leftover sandwich meat. If you have a small amount of ground beef you can easily make a beef & onion. With leftover chicken you could make my personal favorite BBQ chicken pizza. Substitute the marinara for BBQ sauce, then add mozzarella, & chicken.
To make the pizzas cut the english muffins in half, top with your choice of sauce & bake @ 375 degrees for 5 minutes. Then top with cheese & your toppings. Bake for another 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted & the tops are golden. These are quick & an easy way to suit everyone all at once.
Lastly, the most fun & interactive way to make homemade pizza is to use fresh dough. Some grocery stores (Publix) have a fresh dough ready for rolling out in the bakery section, in a small refrigerator. Others (Walmart) have it in the freezer section. You buy the dough thaw it, & roll it out together. It's a lot of enjoyment for everyone to get some hands on action in making a pizza. I keep to the same instructions as to all pizzas- sauce, cheese, & toppings. You're in control of your pizza so make it as thin or as thick as you want. Put more cheese on it after topping it with your favorite pizza veggies. Go crazy with it & enjoy the time spent making your very own pizza!
There's not an exact recipe to making your own pizza's once you get past the dough. With all these available options you'll have your home turned in to a pizzeria weekly. The experience is unbeatable. If you haven't made homemade pizzas before, definitely give it a try. You won't want to go back to ordering out after you see how much better making your own can be!
Awesome. My fav!
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