Basic Pizza

By AzWench

Ingredients

• Pizza Topping Suggestions
• Spinach
• Arugula
• Mushrooms
• Broccoli florets
• Tomato, sliced
• Onion, sliced or chopped
• Bell peppers, sliced
• Array of cheese (such as feta, fresh mozzarella, Monterey jack, cheddar, Romano, blue, fontina)
• Herb oils
• Fresh herbs
• Tomato sauce
• Pesto
• White sauce
• Garlic oil
• Anchovies
• Canadian bacon
• Sausage
• Pepperoni
• Crispy prosciutto
• Grilled shrimp
• Grilled chicken
• Olives
• Pickled jalapenos

Preparation

Step 1

Place a pizza stone or invert a metal baking sheet on an oven rack and preheat oven to 500 degrees. (Alternatively, you can simulate a wood-burning oven by lining the oven with unfired bricks.)

Dust a clean work surface with flour and divide dough in half. Roll each portion of dough out to form a 12- to 14-inch circle, about 1/8-inch to 1/4-inch thickness. Transfer dough round to a pizza peel or the back of a large baking sheet that has been lightly coated with cornmeal. Top with your favorite toppings. Gently shake peel every so often to make sure pizza isn't sticking. Once topped, quickly slide dough onto hot pizza stone and bake until toppings are bubbly and crust is browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough.

Cut each pizza into 6 slices and serve immediately.

Cook's note: Encourage a bubbling-hot pizza with a crisp crust by lining your oven with firebricks to create a double oven, so to speak. The pizzas will bake with heat radiating from the top and bottom.

Line two racks with ceramic firebricks. Preheat oven to 500 degrees one hour before baking.