Homemade Pizza

If you have not followed me on Snapchat yet, then you have missed on my Pizza baking Snapchat story. I literally Snapchatted the whole baking process; from making the pizza dough to getting the delicious pizzas fresh out of the oven.

This homemade Pizza recipe shall forever be kept in my recipes box, along with the homemade Krispy Kreme doughnuts and homemade Cinnabon ones. Now I am aware that every recipe I have shared on my blog so far is directly added to my recipes box, but that is only because of how great they are. If a recipe isn’t great, I wouldn’t share it in the first place. So you need to trust me on every recipe that goes up on this blog, give it a try and share the results with me.

My mum always struggles with baking dough from scratch and it has always been a challenge for me to make dough myself as well. It’s probably one of the reasons baking is a challenge for me and that’s why I keep on trying to bake a variety of things. I’m hoping one day I become a pro at baking so I win the love of many, most importantly, the love of my future family. Anyway, with this pizza dough recipe, baking dough never goes wrong with me. The recipe is easy and guaranteed to make a pizza lover the happiest! (A virtual high five to all the pizza addicts out there)

YOU WILL NEED…

For the pizza dough:

1) 2 packets of yeast (which are equal to 4 and ½ tsp) 2) 2 Tbsp sugar 3) 2 tsp salt 4) ¼ cup olive oil 5) 4 cups flour

For the pizza sauce:

1) 4 Tbsp tomato sauce 2) seasonings

In a glass bowl, pour 1 cup and a half of water and warm it up in the microwave for 20-25 seconds. Make sure that the water is not too warm so it won’t damage the yeast. In a baking bowl, pour the warm water then sprinkle the yeast over it. Let it rest for 5 minutes so it becomes foamy. Whisk the sugar, oil and salt into the yeast until they are all well mixed. Beat in 4 cups of the flour till it is absorbed and the dough is sticky (tip: always add the flour portion-wise). I always like to turn the dough onto a floured workspace and continue kneading it till smooth. After the dough looks picture-perfect, transfer it into an oiled bowl and brush its top with oil as well. Then cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and leave it aside for one hour to rise.

Meanwhile, you can prepare the pizza sauce and toppings. Most mums go for the usual tomato sauce that they use for almost every meal they cook, which is totally acceptable. But I prefer using the pizza sauce as it is perfectly seasoned for the pizza taste and smell we long for. However, if you cannot put your hands on a pizza sauce at the moment then we can make a similar one using a tomato sauce. In a glass bowl, add the tomato sauce and ¼ a spoon of all the seasonings you have at home then mix them well. I usually add onion powder, garlic powder, cumin and rosemary. If you’d like, you can make sure that your now pizza sauce tastes delicious by tasting it yourself.

When it comes to the toppings, every pizza lover likes to have it their way. Personally, I always go for the margarita pizza with addition of black olives and hot dog. And if I want to add healthy points to my pizza, I add tomato and green bell peppers. That is just how I like it! Most people go crazy with their pizza toppings though; from chicken to pepperoni to meat balls to pineapple. So yeah, every man to his taste! Either way, use this hour to prepare your toppings.

Once the one hour has passed, punch down the dough and cut it into three parts. Roll out the dough then transfer it into an oiled pizza tray and leave it for 2-5 minutes to rise. Then spread the pizza sauce over the dough and I like to sprinkle some peppermint tea leaves on it as well. Add your toppings and loads of mozzarella for the sake of the cheese pull then put it in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Don’t take the pizza out of the oven until its base is golden brown. Enjoy!

I would like to use this space on the internet to highlight the fact that there are actual human beings out there who do not like pizza; like my editor and manager, Noha. As a pizza lover and addict, I find this bullshit! Pizza is everyone’s best buddy every day and every night. Pizza joins in on movie nights and happy times and gets you through dark times as well. Pizza is everyone’s safety blanket; at least it is to me. So yeah, how can anyone not like Pizza?