We fully admit we are pizza lovers!
We could wax poetically all it’s ooey gooey cheesy goodness, oh wait we did here, but alas most of you already know it.
If you don’t, got to your nearest pizzeria stat!
For the rest of us, there are some problems in the pizza department………
1) EXPENSE! In Arizona we could get a large cheese for around $13.54 (give or take a penny). If you do that once a week, that’s $56ish a month. And we are talking no toppings and no delivery. In Oregon, there is no $13.54 pizza (okay one but it’s not a big favorite among the adults). A large cheese here, sets you back about $20. YIKES!
2) Cheap pizza taste well how should we say it…..taste CHEAP!
3) Making it at home takes major skill. It’s yeast for goodness sake!
4) Delivery can lead to a not so fresh pizza. It’s not hot from the fire ready so you must eat it like it is or heat it back up in the oven.
5) There are major advances in the world but frozen pizza, in our mind, is still frozen pizza. No hate mail please.
Now we always tell our kids to find solutions, not problems.
What could we do to solve this huge dilemma in our life? #firstworldproblems
We tried the cheap.
We tried various places.
Finally, we settled on making our own.
We know, no way is this happening.
Really it’s not as hard as you think!!!!
WE PROMISE!
And if you don’t want to work with yeast, we have another alternative, at least for a different option.
Option #1
This will lead to the optimal pizza!
Use this super simple recipe for your pizza crust
When it says Quick and Easy, that’s exactly what it means!
For your pizza sauce, use canned tomato sauce and add garlic (fresh if possible), dried oregano and basil, and salt and pepper to your taste. Really just taste as you go to get it the way you like it.
SUPER EASY!
Add your choice of cheese and other toppings.
Now the recipe says to bake at 450 but we like to go to 500 degrees on an already preheated pizza stone. Bake around 8-12 minutes.
A pizza peel works really well checking the pizza and pulling it out.
*Affiliate link. We were not paid to mention this but we would get a small percentage if purchased. We will ONLY recommend products we use (see out own pic).
WARNING- We roll out the raw pizza dough, in flour, on an aluminum cookie sheet and place the cookie sheet directly on the stone. If you are pro enough, you can use flour or cornmeal to slide it into the oven.
We are not that skilled yet.
It didn’t slide for us and we didn’t really want the cornmeal.
Let’s just say it made a mess the first time.
And here’s your finished product the cookie sheet method…..
Total cost for 2 made at home pizza’s around $10.
TEN BUCKS PEOPLE!
The second pizza had sausage and pepperoni on it.
Extra Tip – If you buy block mozzarella and grate it in your food processor, that will save you money as well. Or just buy the pre-shredded.
Option #2
French Bread Pizza
This is a great option if you have a ton of kids over. They can all make them each to their own topping specifications.
1) Take a loaf of supermarket French bread (the fat one) and cut it in half….right down the middle (vertically).
2) Cut each half like you would for a sandwich (horizontally). You should have 4 pieces now.
3) HERE IS THE TRICK (good thing about working in a food industry is you get good tips like this)
Top each half with shredded parmesan cheese and herbs of choice.
Why ……moisture barrier!
No soggy bread!
Bake them until the cheese is melted. Let cool
4) Sauce as you would normally.
5) Cheese and toppings.
6) Bake 400 degrees for 10-15 min.
How about them apples…..ummmm PIZZA?
We hope you will try and make your pizza at home and let us know how it worked for you.
And if you have leftovers, don’t throw them out….go HERE!
Oh, great tip on the French Bread Pizza! Thanks!
Thank you Pat. You are so supportive.