# What's Your Best Pizza Recipe?



## jane29910 (Nov 7, 2009)

I'm getting into cooking pizza & was wondering what some of
you think the all time best pizza recipe is.


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## babetoo (Nov 7, 2009)

why of course it is the one i made last night. i did use store bought crust but you can make from scratch. then sauce, parm and mozzarella cheese . topped with sautéed onion and mushrooms and pepperoni. it was just great. 

lots of receipts out there.


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## jane29910 (Nov 7, 2009)

Thanks for that vary unique recipe.


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## Selkie (Nov 7, 2009)

The pizza dough recipe I use is pretty basic, but the best I've tried so far. As for the toppings, they sound simple, but actually they are the best and freshest I can find. For instance, I generally don't use the shredded mozzerella out of the plastic zip bag, I go to the deli department and get the plastic containers of mozzerella cheese balls in liquid and slice those and spread them over the pizza. And cheddar cheese (which I happen to like in addition to the mozzerella), again, no pre-shredded. I get a block of the best kind I can find (afford), and then I use sliced smoked ham steak in place of pepperoni (again, a personal choice.) I also like fresh whole basil leaves. The idea is to get the best ingredents you can, and it will definitely improve the final product... your masterpiece pizza!

Basic Pizza Dough:
         1 package instant rise yeast
         2 tablespoons sugar 
         1 cup warm water (100 degrees F)
         1/4 cup olive oil 
         3 to 4 cups 50/50 mix of bread and all-purpose flour
         1 tablespoon salt 
         2 tablespoons of Malted Milk Powder (secret ingredient - shhhh...)


         In an electric mixing bowl, whisk the yeast, sugar, malted milk powder, water and most but not all of the olive oil (reserving about a tablespoon) to make a paste. Start the dough hook and add the flour and salt mixture until the dough comes away from the sides and crawls up the dough hook. Remove the dough from the bowl. Grease the bowl with the rest of the olive oil and place the dough back in the bowl. Cover the bowl with a dish towel and let the dough rise in a warm place (slightly warmed but turned off oven) until doubled in size. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and divide dough in half. Roll the dough into balls, cover with the towel, and let the dough rest for 15 to 20 minutes. The dough is ready to be shaped.
Yield: dough for 2 (12-inch) pizzas


Use cornmeal to keep the dough from sticking to whatever you use to bake on (pizza stone, cookie sheet, etc.)


Add toppings and bake for 9-10 minutes at 500 degrees. After removing it from the oven let it set for 2-3 minutes before slicing, but then enjoy!


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## larry_stewart (Nov 7, 2009)

White pizza with fried garlic spinach on top.

Roll out the pizza dough
layer of ricotta cheese
layer o shredded mozzarella cheese

fry up some garlic in olive oil, add spinach, salt
Scatter the spinach on top of the mozzarella cheese, then bake.


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## Selkie (Nov 8, 2009)

*Correction* - to my pizza dough recipe. It should read _*1 teaspoon*_, and NOT _*1 tablespoon*_ of salt. Sorry about that!


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## letscook (Nov 8, 2009)

my 2 favorites are:
1- everything on it- cheese of course - peproni,sauage,mushrooms,onion,pepper,black olives and if it is only me eating it anchoives
2- broccoli, spinach - mushrooms, garlic and once anwhile sliced red onion


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## larry_stewart (Nov 8, 2009)

Another good one is a regular cheese pie, but on top, bread and fry up some eggplant,  so the pizza is almost like an eggplant parmesan.


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## sparrowgrass (Nov 8, 2009)

If you make your own pizza dough, allowing it a long slow rise in the fridge will improve the crust immensely.

I make mine the night before I plan to make the pizza, and I use the no-knead NYT bread technique.  Just stir your ingredients together, cover the bowl and stick it in the fridge.  

If you like thick chewy crust, pat the dough out gently and let it rise for half an hour or so.  For thin crust, roll out the dough on the counter.


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## mexican mama (Nov 9, 2009)

Mine is a Pepperoni and Italian Sausage Pizza aka Meat Lovers....i also use store bought pizza dough and i brush olive oil on it..then bake it for 5 minute...i add the pepperoni, sausages, ground meat, 3 cheeses asiago, mozarella and Parmigiano-Reggiano, bell peppers and some garlic or onions..italian style tomato sauce. i bake it then i grate more cheese on the top...


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## pua.melia409 (Nov 9, 2009)

this recipe is  really simple, it involves no real labor and still turns out delicious! you will need:

pre cooked chicken
BBQ  sauce
mozzarella cheese
pita bread

set the oven temperature to 350 degrees. slather some BBQ sauce on the pita bread. shred the chicken and add to the pizza and finally top with mozzarella cheese. put into the oven and let cook 10-15 minutes.


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## Selkie (Nov 9, 2009)

The use of mozzerella cheese doesn't make a pizza.


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## themonkeytree (Nov 13, 2009)

Best pizza recipe is a hard question, because there are so many amazing ways to make pizza, that I am not sure if there is a favorite recipe of mine.  I will share some of my favorite recipes and ideas.

A pizza is only as good as the dough, so either find a good dough recipe you like or go with good quality store bought dough.  I am lazy so I use store bought dough.  Not the dough out of the can, but the dough made fresh at the grocery store.  Some pizza places will sell you their dough, so if you have a favorite pizza place ask if they sell their dough.

There are so many different sauces for pizza, but there are also pizza's such as a white pizza that have no sauce, just a brushing of olive oil (I like to flavor mine with herbs and garlic).  I tend to use tomato sauce most of the time, but I love using pesto, bbq sauce, and hot sauce just to name a few.  

Here are some of my favorite topping combinations.

Tomato sauce, Mozzarella cheese, sausage (spicy or mild), kalamotiv olives, roasted bell peppers, artichoke hearts, and feta cheese.

Tomato sauce, beef, bacon, cheddar cheese, diced tomatoes, carmelized onions, and garnish with chives or scallions after pizza is cooked.  

Ranch, buffalo chicken or any spicy chicken, some hot sauce on the pizza if you like it really spicy, and mozzarella cheese.  

Those are just a few of my favorite, and I will share more when I have more time.


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## Wyogal (Nov 14, 2009)

I had the best pizza last night:
i just started working and had been in classrooms all week. My husband and I had taken the dog out to a park, then I asked if he'd drop me off at the local art museum's annual show and sale (where I could spend the $25 his mom sent for my birthday), I had a great time, had a drink, visited with friends and artists... when he picked me up, he had gone grocery shopping, getting the ingredients for "home made" pizza: purchased crust, JD Italian sausage, jar of pizza sauce, shredded mozz. We already had a pkg of Armour pepperoni. That's it. no extra spices, nada. He made it. It was the BEST pizza! with gran marnier for dessert...


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## chefkathleen (Nov 14, 2009)

Wyogal said:


> I had the best pizza last night:
> i just started working and had been in classrooms all week. My husband and I had taken the dog out to a park, then I asked if he'd drop me off at the local art museum's annual show and sale (where I could spend the $25 his mom sent for my birthday), I had a great time, had a drink, visited with friends and artists... when he picked me up, he had gone grocery shopping, getting the ingredients for "home made" pizza: purchased crust, JD Italian sausage, jar of pizza sauce, shredded mozz. We already had a pkg of Armour pepperoni. That's it. no extra spices, nada. He made it. It was the BEST pizza! with gran marnier for dessert...


 
 It was the best pizza cause he made it. LOL I always like something if someone else makes it. Like a hubs or a friend. I love to cook but, it's nice to be cooked for once in awhile.


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## BettyR (Dec 18, 2009)

The best pizza I've ever made wasn't pizza but the pizza fixings rolled up in the dough and baked. 

My oven just won't hold the heat necessary to make a nice crisp crust so I just rolled the fixings up in the crust and baked it. Everyone loved it. 

I made a few changes...instead of my regular pizza sauce I just used straight tomato paste and spread it on like peanut butter on a sandwich and sprinkled it with garlic salt, Italian seasonings and Parmesan cheese, Mozzarella cheese, caramelized onions and bell peppers. I also cooked my mushrooms first. Rolled it up and baked it. 

It was a big hit.


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## Selkie (Dec 18, 2009)

It sounds as though you made a variation of a calzone.


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## vagriller (Dec 18, 2009)

Selkie said:


> It sounds as though you made a variation of a calzone.


 
Where I live that is called stromboli, and I love it! I've made stromboli with steak, swiss cheese, and bbq sauce and it was awesome! Way better than any pizza I've ever made.


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## BettyR (Dec 18, 2009)

Call it what you like...it was good. 

I love the steak, swiss cheese, and bbq sauce sauce idea...I'll have to give that a try. 

I guess I could also make a Philly Cheese Steak one with grilled steak, onions, and cheese whiz.


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## kadesma (Dec 18, 2009)

I make what my kids call pizza bread. I defrost some bread dough, then roll it out and coat with roasted tomatoe sauce with garlic and onions added, also some marjoram,fresh finely chopped rosemary, add mozz and provolone, then come the meats, salami,mortadella, copa then start on the long side and roll , tuck ends under and bake til dough is done and golden.I brush it with a little evoo when done and watch it dissapear..One thing about this is you can change up the meats and cheeses and it's a nice meal with a salad.
kadesma


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## coookies (Dec 18, 2009)

My favorite is a crust rubbed with garlic, pesto base with slices of Sargento mozz (not the fresh stuff, the prepackaged stuff... for some reason I don't want to try the fresh?!?  but it's still quite good!) get a can of peeled tomatoes, roughly slice them and pile them on top of the cheese or layer with the cheese.  sprinkle salt, pepper, and a bit o' crushed red pepper flake.  mmm.


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## BettyR (Dec 19, 2009)

BettyR said:


> The best pizza I've ever made wasn't pizza but the pizza fixings rolled up in the dough and baked.
> 
> My oven just won't hold the heat necessary to make a nice crisp crust so I just rolled the fixings up in the crust and baked it. Everyone loved it.
> 
> ...



I made this again tonight and took some pics.


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## Janet H (Dec 20, 2009)

I never met a pizza I didn't like and we make pizza almost every weekend. I make the dough from flour, salt, SAF yeast water and a little oil.  

I used canned (yup, plain canned) tomato sauce and add dry seasonings on top of sauce. Ground fennel seed, garlic pwd, dried basil and oregano.  Then shredded mozzarella gets layered on.

After years of trying flavor combos our default pizza toppings are artichoke hearts (canned/quartered and pressed dry), kalamata olives (whole with pits), onions and sauteed mushrooms.

This gets baked on an aluminum pizza pan at 450 (about 15 mins) and at the last minute I slide the pizza off the pan directly onto the bottom rack of the oven and let it cook for about a minute more.  Cool on a rack for a few minutes and eat.

I love champagne with pizza - seriously, it's perfect.


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## coookies (Dec 20, 2009)

Janet H said:


> I love champagne with pizza - seriously, it's perfect.



genius, absolutely genius.


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## CookLikeJulia (Jan 17, 2010)

The pizza I usually make is basic, my children like it even my 2 1/2years old.  I just made one today.

For 2 large crusts:
1 tablespoon (one package) yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cooking oil
1 cup warm water
1 cup flour
Add the above ingredients and set a set aside.  When the yeast starts to bubble add another 
2 cup of flour and add
1 teaspoon garlic or onion sprinkles or finely grated parmesan cheese to the dough to flavor the crust.

Preheat oven to 400F
Spread pizza sauce over the crust
add your favorite veggies and then top with shredded mozeralla cheese.
Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Enjoy!


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## carol219 (Jan 17, 2010)

I like the idea of flavoring the crust! My crust recipe is is like most of the others except I don't add any oil. Have been using this with junior high and high school students for many years. Toppings can be anything you like. I make a simple sauce with, 1 can tomato sauce, basil, granulated garlic, oragano, a little salt and pepper. I found pizza pans make a great deal of difference in how the pizza comes out also.

Betty R, that calzone looks amazing!


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## msmofet (Jan 18, 2010)

BettyR said:


> I made this again tonight and took some pics.


 


BettyR said:


> The best pizza I've ever made wasn't pizza but the pizza fixings rolled up in the dough and baked.
> 
> My oven just won't hold the heat necessary to make a nice crisp crust so I just rolled the fixings up in the crust and baked it. Everyone loved it.
> 
> ...


that looks awesome!! i have a fix for your crispy crust. stretch dough out, thin layer of olive oil and a thin layer of sauce, herbs and spices of your choosing. bake at 450F for 2 -3 minutes till dogh rises abit and the sauce looks a bit dry. remove from oven add another thin layer of sauce and your toppings. back into oven till cheese and toppings are to your liking and bottom is golden.


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## justplainbill (Jan 18, 2010)

Pizza dough made from Peter Reinharts's poolish based Ciabatta recipe.


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## Selkie (Jan 18, 2010)

justplainbill said:


> Pizza dough made from Peter Reinharts's poolish based Ciabatta recipe.



I don't know about Peter Reinhart's recipe, but I make a poolish the day before and it makes all the difference when it comes to both flavor and texture!!


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## justplainbill (Jan 18, 2010)

Selkie said:


> I don't know about Peter Reinhart's recipe, but I make a poolish the day before and it makes all the difference when it comes to both flavor and texture!!


Didn't see any mention of poolish in your 7 Nov. post.


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## Selkie (Jan 18, 2010)

justplainbill said:


> Didn't see any mention of poolish in your 7 Nov. post.



shhhh... it's a secret!!! 

Actually, I just started using a poolish since after Christmas. I'm in a position where I make pizzas for myself and/or friends about once a week (I should open a... nah!!!) Anyway, it's worked out really well!

There's one method were I add the yeast directly to the softened dough without blooming it. It makes an interesting crust.

Besides, I used about three different recipes depending on the kind of pizza I was making. Using a poolish makes method number four and has become my favorite.


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## bethzaring (Jan 19, 2010)

sparrowgrass said:


> If you make your own pizza dough, allowing it a long slow rise in the fridge will improve the crust immensely.
> 
> I make mine the night before I plan to make the pizza, and I use the no-knead NYT bread technique. Just stir your ingredients together, cover the bowl and stick it in the fridge.
> 
> If you like thick chewy crust, pat the dough out gently and let it rise for half an hour or so. For thin crust, roll out the dough on the counter.


 
I have been making pizza from scratch for decades and this crust is my current favorite.  Just google "no-knead pizza dough recipe".  You start the crust the afternoon before the day you make the pizza, it uses 3 cups of flour and 1/4 t. yeast plus other stuff. I put the water, oil, sugar and yeast in a large bowl, mix together equal parts of semolina, white, and whole wheat flour and stir that in the liquids.  I leave mine on the counter top, covered with plastic wrap, until the next day when I make two large, thin crusted pizzas.

My favorite toppings vary, from a white, pesto, or a tomato sauced based pizzas.


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## justplainbill (Jan 20, 2010)

Since yeast does not seem to digest durum / semolina and whole wheat as readily as some other flours, Bethzaring's approach (a longer unrefrigerated ferment) makes a lot of sense.  Because I'm making enough dough to have pizza for two people to eat 2 times a week, 
  On day one I start with 1 cup of durum, 2 tbs 00 flour, 1 cup water and 1/8 tsp yeast letting it sit unrefrigerated fo 8 hours then refrigerate overnight.
  On day two I remove from fridge, add 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup durum, 1 cup bread flour and 1/8 tsp yeast letting it sit unrefrigerated for 5 hours then refrigerate until three o'clock on day 3.
  On day 3 I give half the dough(Poolish) to my wife who adds 1/2 tsp yeast, 1/2 cup water, 3/4 tsp salt  and enough bread flour (about 1 1/2 cups) to form an elastic dough which she stretches, to make two medium thin crusted pizzas.
  On day 4 I feed the remaining refrigerated dough with 3 oz water, 3/4 cup bread flour and 1/4 tsp yeast, ferment unrefrigerated for 3 hours and return to fridge until day 6.
  On day 6 I do as on day 4 but also add 3/4 tsp salt.
  On day 7 my wife makes the last two pies.


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## jmcastal (Jan 20, 2010)

My personal favorite pizza recipe is the old fashion cheese pizza! All of those toppings take away from the pizza taste!!!! =)


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## wanna be (Jan 20, 2010)

*Looks great BettyR!!*

I love makeing canolies or calzones what ever you call them.My kids brag to their friends about how big they are and bet them that they cant eat a whole one.I never thought about makeing one huge one.Wait till next canoli nite,and I reveal a couple of these bad boys.Im sure that my kids shall keep their dignity and I will reign supreme as the canoli king.Thanks for the photos, looks delish!


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Jan 21, 2010)

In my town, long before I ever heard of a calzone, there was a pizza shop that made what we call a "pizza pastie" If you've ever been in Upper Peninsula Michigan, you know what a pastie is. It's a cross between a pie crust and bread crust wrapped around ground beef, carrots, potatoes, rutabeggas, salt, pepper, and onions. The edge of the crust is substantial, making a handle of sorts with which to hang onto the bread. It was created for miners who often had to eat lunch with dirty hands. The crust "handle" was discarded. Well, this pizza chef did the same thing with pizza dough and filings. But unlike the pasties eaten in the mines, you don't throw away the handles. The thing was very large, like eating a large pizza, but folded, with extremely tasty and juicy sauce and fillings fo choice inside. Pizza Pasties. you can still get them around here, at the deli in one of our local grocery stores. They aren't quite as large as they were at the now-closed pizza establishment, but that's Ok, 'cause I can't eat as much as I could when I was a teenager. Btu I can still remember how amazing it was, with an ice-cold A & W rootbeer.   Anyone who ever visited or lived in Sault Ste. marie, and ate at King's Pizza knows what I'm talking about.

Now I'm jones'n for a pizza pastie, and am short on cash until payday. see what you've done to this poor, hungry man!

Oh well, guess I'll have to go home and create something new, at least new to me.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North


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