I want to make homemade pizza from scratch

[UndertheOcean]

But I am intimidated by the dough preparation and baking process.

Any easy techniques out there other than buying ready made pizza crust

[XRubicon]

1. Most grocery stores sell pizza dough

In the bakery section. You roll it out and put the toppings on then bake it. Buy a pizza stone for your oven - cook the pizza directly on the stone in a 450 degree oven for about 10 minutes.

[Shell Beau]

2. The dough part is actually fairly easy. It is the rolling it out that is a pain

in the butt. Homemade pizza is one of the easier Italian things to make. Mmmm!

[seemunkee]

4. You don't roll dough, you spin it.

[Shell Beau]

5. See? Point proven.

I can get the dough to the consistency it needs to be, but after that, I suck.

[seemunkee]

9. Spending a year and a half of high school spinning dough helps

My youth was not completely wasted.

[XRubicon]

7. It is tough to roll

But thats how I do it. I could never get the spin and toss method. When you roll it you need patience, at first it seems like it is not working but if you keep flipping it and rolling it will stretch out nicely.

[swimboy]

3. This is the easiest way I've found that yields the best results

Basic Pizza Dough

2 Tbsp dry yeast (I use three of the packs) or
an ounce packet of cake yeast (I agree with Heidi this is better)
2 cups warm water (105-115 degrees Fahrenheit, I use a candy thermometer to determine)
1-2 tsp salt
3 Tbsp olive oil
4 1/2 to 5 cups flour (I use unbleached all-purpose and it works, high gluten or bread flour is better)

Proof the yeast in the warm water, add the oil, salt and a cup of flour and mix well.
Slowly add the rest of the flour (to avoid a dust cloud) and mix well.
(If you have a Kitchen-Aid, use the dough hook.)
If you're using a regular mixer, you may need to oil your hands and get in there.
Here's the good part, though:
When you've got the flour worked in, move the dough into a giant zip-loc bag.
After 30 minutes or so in a comfortably warm room, drop the bag so the dough releases the carbon dioxide.
Burp the bag to release the gas. Do not inhale.
Let the dough rise in the bag for another 5-6 hours, then divide it into two parts and roll/work it into a crust on a floured surface.

[Kali]

6. pizza is a good thing to practice with the dough

it's pizza - even if the dough goes haywire it's still pizza! dough didn't rise right? thin crust!

main thing is a good hot oven

[XemaSab]

8. I have made dough from scratch

and it's pretty easy. :)

[Orsino]

10. My favorite meal to make, ever...

http://www.chefboyardee.com/tasteefood/kits.jsp

Buy the kit for making two pizzas, but use it to make one big-ass pie. Add some of the (supplied) parmesan to the mix, along with some garlic and Italian seasoning, and follow the directions. I find that just a shade over the 2/3 cup of water properly moistens all the dough. Do let it rise in a warm place.

After you roll out the dough, spread about half, or maybe two-thirds, of the sauce provided. Zap it up with a little more garlic and Italian seasoning, and cover it with all the right cheeses (not included). Bake for about 19 minutes, and you get a pizza that isn't greasy at all--unless you use cheddar cheese

[AngryAmish]

11. USe ths recipe

It works. Do not roll the dough.

This is the deal, the thing that makes pizza crust good is long strands of plant protein known as gluten. It must rest a long time. Smashing it just shortens the gluten.

You need an oven that can get to 500 at least. Some get much hotter on the self-clean cycle, but that takes some modification to the oven that you are probably not needing right now. You have to override the safety features...

Anyway, try this. There are lots of pizza forums out there. Tey have good info also.

[surrealAmerican]

12. Use "bread flour".

You can make a crust with "all-purpose" flour, but it will not be as good, and will be more difficult to work (as in harder to shape, not as stretchy). Other than that it's a pretty basic dough.

[Xithras]

13. I've tried, and failed, to make decent pizza dough.

Though, in the process, I did make an interesting discovery. Nearly all pizza places will sell you uncooked dough. It's not on the menu, but they do have the ability to ring it up.

There's a pizza place not far from me that makes really good dough. When I get the urge to do a "homemade" pizza, I pick up a wad of dough from them for about $10 that's large enough to make a pair of 20" pizzas, take it home, and get to work on it.

That's about as "homemade" as my pizzas are ever going to get, I'm afraid.

[unpossibles]

14. just try it - it's easier than it seems, and the recipe posted above looks fine

I sometimes add a touch of sugar to it to feed the yeast, but it's not necessary. I was an artisan baker for 8 years, so I realize I have had a lot of practice, but it's really not that hard if you can eat your mistakes (or have a dog).

As for stretching/tossing/rolling it doesn't matter that much other than you need to let the dough relax at times, such as if you see little tears in it, and when it shrinks up. When that happens, cover it with a damp cloth or plastic for a bit and let it relax, then go back to stretching. Something else that helps is to make it a soft dough (not too much flour) - this can be tricky, but can yield a great crust. I like to brush some olive oil and sprinkle kosher salt on it before I top it too, but again it's up to you.

I also prefer a baking stone, but a pan works fine too. And let it be rustic - don't worry if it's not a perfect square or circle.

[Biker13]

19. unpossibles

is right. You HAVE to use a pizza stone!

[ipfilter]

15. Spinning pizza dough isn't hard

You pick the dough ball up and start turning it in your hands like a steering wheel. Once it starts to stretch out you ball up a fist and flip the dough onto your knuckles and give it a good flip of the wrist while raising your fist into the air. You have to flip the dough on your knuckles sort of like a hula hoop. It also helps to have some corn meal on the counter top or pizza peeler to prevent it from sticking.

When I worked at a pizza joint we used to take old dough and see who could stretch it out the furthest. It's amazing how big it can get once you learn the technique.

[WilmywoodNCparalegal]

16. In Italy, we add something called Lievito di Birra

which I guess is brewer's yeast and it gives the dough that beer/ale/fermented aftertaste (if you've been to Italy and tasted real pizza you know what I'm talking about).

I don't know why it's so hard to find baker's grade brewer's yeast around here (the one found at GNC and similar health food stores does not leaven properly). In Italy, you can buy yeast packets specifically for pizza dough which already include the brewer's yeast.

I've experimented adding some strong ale while stirring the dough (using Martha White pizza dough in packets), substituting for water.

Anyway, here's a link to the "True Neapolitan Pizza Association": http://www.pizzanapoletana.org/shownaz.php?n=Usa. There is a list of U.S. restaurants that make nearly "True Neapolitan Pizza" according to the association (I've been to Naples 45 in NYC, which is right by Grand Central, and it is very good, though expensive).

[MajorChode]

22. That's a pretty good tip for just about any type of yeast breadmaking

The yeast itself can impart quite a bit of flavor (as anyone who has had a really good sourdough can attest). The standard breadmaking yeast found in US grocery stores imparts very little flavor (although there are a few tricks which can improve that).

[la_chupa]

17. I use a bread machine

1 1/3 cup water
3 cups flour
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp yeast
2 tsp salt

throw in bread machine set on "dough"
wander off and do something else for 1 hour 20 min

come back and turn it into pizza

(I'm not Italian though but I like it this way)

[kentauros]

18. Jamie Oliver (The Naked Chef) shows how easy it can be

:D

Pizza, pt.1
Pizza, pt.2
Pizza, pt.3

He even rolls the dough. So do I; never had a problem ;)

[MajorChode]

20. I don't make my dough exactly that way, but close

One Jamie Oliver trick (not contained in the video) that I love to use is the no-sauce pizza. Instead of using pizza sauce, you dice up some tomatoes, wrap them which cheesecloth and squeeze out as much liquid as you can. Then you season the tomatoes (salt, pepper, garlic, basil, oregano, etc.) and use the mixture as you would a sauce. Pair that with a nice pizza dough (preferably as thin as you can get it) and some high quality mozzarella, perhaps some prosciutto and you have something really special.

[valerief]

21. Toast, catsup, and sprinkle cheese. Tastes like crap, but it's pizza! nt