As an avid cook I began to wonder, could it be possible to create a decent pie using a conventional oven?  The answer, of course was "Sure, with a little practice!"
 Several attempts later, the secrets would lend themselves to me, and eventually they would become worthy of sharing with friends...   "Pizza Party" would take on a whole new meaning-  now, instead of waiting for some kid to pull up with our pie, they emerge from the hot oven, the climax to a frenzy of flying dough, simmering sauces, and chopping toppings.
If possible be sure to have your guests present for the entire pizza-making process, they'll enjoy it so much more!
 

Pizza-making can be broken down to three basic parts:  the Crust, Cheese Blend, and Toppings. By varying these three basic portions, a fascinating opportunity awaits.   When it comes to pizza we start from the bottom up, and so it shall be with the recipes.  First a bit about pizza dough:

Always use unbleached white flour unless you're making a special dough; All-purpose flour contains less gluten, and lends a less crispy crust.

10 to 15 minutes of kneading the dough is sufficient; Any more than that will tend to overwork the gluten, and your dough will begin to toughen.

Always add just enough flour to keep the dough ball workable; Too much will dry it out, and it will lose its elasticity; Too little and it will stick so much you won't be able to work it.

Those heavy, lead-ball crusts are the result of too much flour; Try to keep the dough light and fluffy for a more proper crust.

Before you set the dough in a bowl to rise, rub the inside with cooking oil or spray oil, this will help prevent it from sticking;  Never allow the dough to rise to more than double, or it may flop again.

Always store rising dough in a draft-free area, covered with a dish towel; A gas oven with the pilot on is a great spot. If you have an electric oven, putting the heat on FOR JUST A MINUTE then shutting it off will also make a great setup. Remember, NOT TOO WARM, or the yeast will die! Just warmer than room temperature is perfect.
 

Basic Pizza Dough
  
 This pizza dough is easy to make and delicious. It can be used for both pizza and calzones, and is ready to use in about an hour.

In a large bowl, mix these:
1 cup Water
2 Tb Milk
2 ts Sugar
1-1/4 ts Salt
1 Tb Shortening
1 Tb Olive oil

Next, sprinkle 1 packet bread yeast over the liquid, and leave it undisturbed for about 3 to 5 minutes.
Add the following dry ingredients, and mix until a dough ball is formed:
3 cups Unbleached all-purpose flour
2 Tb Corn meal

Add more water or flour as needed, a little at a time, until a proper ball is formed. (just past too sticky to be able to knead easily, but not too dry). Continue to knead for a total of about 10 minutes.

Place dough to rest in a greased bowl, cover with a dish towel or similar item, and allow to rise in a warm, draft-free area for about 45 minutes to an hour. Gently deflate, divide into crusts, and roll into shape as desired.

For a thicker crust, allow the dough to rise for about 15 minutes before adding toppings.

First combine the following:

2 cups warm water, not above 110 degrees .
1 or two packets bread yeast or equivalent
2 T sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup olive oil
1 t salt
5-6  cups all-purpose flour
Several shakes each: ground black pepper, parsley flakes, onion powder, garlic powder.
A pinch each:  thyme, finely ground oregano, basil
 

In a large mixing bowl pour one cup of the water, not to exceed 110 degrees. Add the oil, salt, and sugar

Sprinkle the yeast on top of the liquids, and allow it to sit undisturbed while you prepare the dry ingredients.

Begin to add the flour slowly, blending it together to start forming a dough ball.    As the dough thickens, add remaining liquid to keep it workable, a little at a time. .  Continue to work until dough is a smooth ball that doesn't stick, but is still rather moist.
Add the spices and knead them into the dough, for a total of about 10 minutes of kneading or mixing. Adjust with more water or flour as needed to create a soft, workable ball- not too dry, not overly moist.
 
Place dough to rest in a greased bowl, cover with a dish towel or similar item, and allow to rise in a warm, draft-free area until doubled in size. Gently deflate, divide into crusts, and roll into shape as desired. For a thicker crust, allow the dough to rise for about 15 minutes before adding toppings.  Yield:  About 4 large pizzas
 

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough 1

1 cup warm water
1 cup whole wheat flour
1-1/2 cups unbleached flour
2  olive oil
1/2 t salt

Sift the flours together and add salt.  Prepare yeast per directions on label, and slowly mix into flour.  Turn to a floured surface and knead 10 minutes, adding flour as needed to form a proper dough ball.   Place in a large bowl, cover, and allow to double in size.  Makes one pizza crust

Dough Variations
Lots of great crusts are yours to enjoy with just a little imagination- try adding chopped sautéed onions, cooked and drained spinach, black pepper, herbs, or spices.  Simply make the dough, let it rise, then rework it adding the extras the second time around.
 
 
 
Whole-Wheat Pizza Dough II

1 cup warm water
1 package active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole-wheat flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
 

Combine the water, yeast, and flour in a large bowl. Mix well.
 Add the wheat flour, oil, and salt.  Blend and work together until a dough ball takes shape; Add wheat flour gradually, so as not to make the ball too dry- not all of the flour may be required.

Remove ball and place on a lightly floured surface and knead 5 minutes; sprinkle with additional flour as needed to keep it from sticking to the surface.

Place dough in a lightly greased bowl adn cover with a kitchen towel; let double in size, about 1 hour.

Remove dough, place on a lightly floured surface, and divide in two, and roll each into a new dough-ball.
Cover and allow to rest 15 minutes.
Roll dough into desired shape and make desired pizza or calzones, etc. using finished dough.
 
 
 

 The Sauce comes next, of course. Pizza sauces can be bought or home made, depending on your preference and cooking ability.  I usually make large batches of sauce often, saving some in smaller containers just for pizza making.
(See "Cappy's 6-hour Sauce" in the food recipe section for a great pizza sauce)
 Ragu's Pizza- Quick sauce makes a fine substitute, as do many other commercially prepared jar sauces.  Of course some pizza won't need a sauce at all, such as the Greek style or Spinach and Feta.  Be sure to experiment with all sorts of combinations, you'll surely create some new favorites.
 
 

Basic Pizza Sauce

1 28-oz can Italian Tomato Puree
1 medium onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 t  dried oregano
1 t dried basil
1 t salt
1/2 t ground black pepper

Add oil to pan, and sauté onions until translucent. Stir in tomatoes and spices. Simmer 25-30 minutes.
Yield:  enough for 2 pizzas.  (Recipe may be doubled and frozen for later use)
 

Sun-Dried Pizza Sauce

Sun-dried tomatoes extremely flavorful, and make a superb pizza topping.

1 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil
1/2 cup of water
1-1/2 cups plain tomato sauce

Simmer the sun-dried tomatoes in the water for about 15 minutes, then stir in the tomato sauce.
Simmer another 10 minutes, then process in a blender or food processor until smooth.
 
 
 

Creamy Spinach Sauce

Great for deep-dish pizzas and calzones, this is also great served over pasta!

1 package frozen spinach (10 oz), thawed and drained
1 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup grated parmesan/romano cheese
2 T butter
2 T flour
salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter over low heat in a saucepan, and stir in flour to form a paste. Gently stir in milk, stirring constantly until smooth.  Once it thickens, slowly stir in the cream, then stir in the spinach. Simmer another 5 minutes.  Sample and add salt and pepper to taste.
 
 

Toppings let us get as creative as we'd like at the time. A simple handful of fresh tomato slices might satisfy one time, while the next pizza may be smothered with everything from anchovies to zucchini!  If you're having a pizza party with friends (and you certainly should!), you might set up a topping station with a variety of options, letting each person create their own.  Of course if you have a small work area this can be a bit difficult, but they'll appreciate your asking them to choose a favorite as you build it for them.
(Warning: they may end up wanting to visit you every Friday night!)
 

Ham and Pineapple
As crazy as it sounds, this makes a fantastic pizza topping! Simply spread small chunks of canned ham and drained pineapple in syrup.

Spinach and Feta Cheese
Another fantastic topping.  Cook a 10-oz. package of frozen spinach and drain the liquid from it. Spread around the pizza, and top with crumbled feta cheese.  For an added treat, use feta with tomatoes and basil, or herbed feta.

Grilled Peppers and Onions
After grilling several bell peppers and onions, blend them across that pie for a real treat

Baby Portabella Mushrooms
These make a great topping. Use them canned or fresh, your choice!  Even better: Sauté them in butter beforehand.
 
 
 
 

  The Pizzas- Some of our favorites

 
2 links Chourico (Portuguese hot sausage)
1 medium onion
about 1 pint Cappy's 6-hour sauce, or one jar Ragu Pizza Quick Sauce per pizza
Olive oil
2 cups Kraft 4-cheese shredded pizza cheese or equivalent
1 cup shredded mozzarella  cheese
 
 

Roll out Herbed Pizza Dough (see Bread Recipe Page for recipe) to fit baking pan(s)
Allow crust to rise 20 to 30 minutes.

Dice chourico and onion. Sauté in frying pan until onion turns translucent, stirring often. Set aside

When crust has risen to desired thickness, sprinkle lightly with olive oil and spread to coat crust thinly and evenly.  Cover with desired amount of sauce.  Top with sausage and onion mixture. Top with generous amounts of cheese.

Bake in a preheated oven at 400 until bottom of crust browns nicely. Slice and serve immediately.
 

1 or 2 homemade pizza crusts (sub pre-made crusts if you're not that ambitious)
1 cup cooked spinach, canned or frozen is fine
1 jar Ragu Pizza-quick sauce, or your favorite homemade pizza sauce
1 block fresh feta cheese, about 8 oz.
Grated parmesan cheese, about 1/2 cup
Shredded mozzarella cheese, about 1-1/2 cups
Olive Oil
Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Ground Oregano, Crushed Basil, to taste
 

Roll out pizza dough and allow to rise for desired time;  The longer it rises, the taller the crust.
Spread about 1 to 2 TSB of olive oil across the dough, using a spoon to spread it around.
Spread a layer of sauce over the crust, leaving about 1/2" around the edges  with no sauce
Sprinkle the sauce with spices to taste, then sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese
Spread spinach across the pizza, using as much as desired
Slice thinly or crumble the feta cheese, then spread it over the previous ingredients
Top with grated mozzarella
 

Using an oven stone, pizza pan, or cookie sheet, place pizza in a pre-heated 400 degree oven.
Bake until crust is brown on the bottom, about 15 minutes. Serve immediately.
 
 
 
 

 As with any new venture, learning to grill pizza is a bit of a challenge at first, so before you invite the gang over for a beer-and-pizza party, you may want to take a little time and get your technique down.
Where to start? First, you'll want to really know your grill.  Whether it's gas or briquette doesn't matter- what does is that you know where the hot spots are, and how to take advantage of them.   Just about any style of grill will suffice, but I favor my Weber with its heavy cast iron grates which really hold the heat and lend that classic seared effect to whatever I place on them.
 Depending on your grill and how often you use it, you may find you don't need to oil the grates to prevent the dough from sticking, and you may also need to reduce the heat or increase it a little.
 
 The basic challenge: learning to handle the uncooked dough. Luckily this is an easy feat, just keep your crusts small and managable, and things will run pretty smoothly.  You can start with pretty much any dough you choose.  Brush the grilling surface with a little olive oil (NEVER use a spray  or pump, the resulting flareup could cost you your face!), then place the dough over the very hot, prepped cooking area, preferably one of the hot spots. Within a minute or two the crust will start to rise while it browns; this side is already done!  Now you have several choices; you can remove the dough, flip it, and add your toppings, or you can quickly brown the second side before removing the crust.  Personally I prefer cooking both sides.    Once the crust has been grilled, brush one side lightly with olive oil, then add your sauce and other toppings as desired.  Do not spread the sauce or toppings too close to the edge, and don't  flood the pizza with toppings so heavily they don't have time to cook. Grilled pizza should be rather simple in design, as the effect of the cooking process will make up for the "lack of fancy."  Not to worry, they'll taste incredible, even with less ingredients than the average oven-baked version.
 
 For a great effect it's nice to pre-cook several crusts and let your guests add their favorite toppings and then finishing them in rapid succession over the coals.

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