Pizza for Beginners: Don’t Buy Pizza, Make It! Here’s How to Get Started!

Pizza for Beginners

Are you looking for a Pizza for Beginners article? All right! Welcome.

You have this idea that you want to make pizza at home instead of ordering it, but where do you start? 

You may have many questions about how to make pizza at home. Maybe you don’t know which flour to use or for how long to cook your pizza. 

Don’t worry! Here you will find answers and directions to all your questions. 

This pizza for beginners article will discuss what it means to make pizza at home, what it entails to make a good pizza, and how easy it is to get started.

Before you know it, you will be on your way to making the best pizza!

So, let’s get started.

How to get started making pizza at home.

What is Homemade Pizza?

For some, making homemade pizza is going to the supermarket, buying a box of frozen pizza, adding some slices of pepperoni, sticking in the oven, and calling it a day.

If you are one of those, say Yes!   

That is fine if that is the kind of pizza you like.

Since we all know pizza, let’s discuss what “Homemade” means.

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, homemade means “made in the home, on the premises, or by one’s own efforts.”

Accordingly, homemade pizza is any pizza you make at home with your effort. Simple.  

It will probably take a little more effort than buying frozen pizza or ready-made dough, but the results are amazing!

The only drawback of making pizza at home is time. Making pizza at home is not as fast as making a burger.

Pizza dough must be proven at least twice to develop structure and flavor.

To get started, you will need a plan, or let’s call it a “pizza plan.” This plan doesn’t need to be extensive or sophisticated.

A simple list of items will do. Just know what pizza you will make and what you need to make it. 

To make things easy, we came up with our own version of a pizza plan that you can use and print. 

Press the button below; don’t worry; it’s free to use and share with your friends.  

Which Kind of Pizza Would You Make?

There are about a dozen different pizza styles that you can make, as well as an indefinite number of pizza recipes for you to choose from.  

However, a basic pizza recipe will be an excellent place to start. We have an easy homemade pizza recipe that you can try.  

A basic pizza dough recipe can be adapted or transformed into other styles by adding extra ingredients and toppings.

What Do You Need to Make Pizza at Home?

Equipment

To make the dough, you will need the following:

• Bowl – You will need a large mixing bowl to fit the total mixture. It’s better to use a glass or wooden bowl. Metal bowls are not recommended for pizza dough as it is reactive. Tiny shavings of metal can contaminate the dough.
• Scale – A digital scale is always a better choice as it gives you exact quantities of the ingredients.   You can always use measuring cups and spoons if you don’t have a scale.
• Mixer – The dough can be made using a stand or hand mixer, or you can mix it by hand.
• Pizza Stone, Pizza Steel, or Baking Sheet – To set the pizza in the oven is better if you have a pizza stone or steel as they help significantly improve the baking of the pizza crust.

However, you can also use a baking sheet and set the pizza on the bottom of the sheet.

If you want to step up your pizza game, check our Homemade Pizza Checklist, where you will find a comprehensive list of items that will make your life much easier when making pizza at home.

Ingredients

When following any pizza dough recipe, having all the ingredients, you need in front of your working area is best. What the French call “Mise en place,” or everything in its place.

Having all ingredients handy will make your life easier than rambling and looking for each ingredient you use.

The basic homemade pizza dough recipe requires that you have the following ingredients:

• Flour – Any high-protein flour is preferred, but you can also use bread flour or all-purpose flour.
• Water – Bottled water is recommended; however, you can use tap water. Try to avoid using mineral water.
• Yeast – We prefer using Active Dry Yeast, but you can also use Instant Yeast; the proportion will be the same. You can use them interchangeably ( 1 : 1 ) for small amounts of dough.
• Salt – Fine sea salt is always preferred as it dissolves faster and tastes better. You can use regular table salt if you can’t find or don’t have fine sea salt. However, table salt has an iodine taste that will transfer to your dough.
• Oil – A good olive oil will give you the best results, but you can also use vegetable oil.
• Sugar – Plain white sugar can be used, or, if you prefer, honey is a great substitute.Oil – A good olive oil will give you the best results, but you can also use vegetable oil.

Have everything ready in front of you:

• Type 00 Flour or Bread Flour
• Active Dry o Instant Yeast
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil gives better flavor
• Try to Use Fine Sea Salt

Weigh all the Ingredients

It is always best that you weigh each of your ingredients.  The easiest way is to weigh them in grams because you won’t have to deal with fractions. 

A simple kitchen scale will do the work.  However, if you don’t have a scale, you can always use measuring cups and spoons.

Remember, Flour is always 100%

Measuring cups and spoons can also do the job.

Remember that using cups to measure flour will give you a different result every time; try it! 

Depending on how you compact the flour in the cup will have a different weight.  On the other hand, if you weigh the flour, it will always give you the same result. 

To learn more about why we should weigh our ingredients, check our article on Baker’s Percentage.

The order of ingredients will vary depending on which yeast you use.

Before mixing, remember that you should not allow the yeast to come in direct contact with the salt at any time, no matter what yeast you use.

Your pizza dough recipe will set the proportion of ingredients.

Order of Pizza Dough Ingredients

Order of Ingredients when Using Instant Yeast:

1. Flour – Add the flour to a mixing bowl
2. Yeast – Mix the yeast with the flour to get an even distribution in the flour.
3. Water – Add the water and start mixing the dough
4. Oil– Add the oil and continue mixing the dough
5. Sugar – Add the sugar and keep mixing the dough
6. Salt – Lastly, add the salt and mix all the ingredients thoroughly.

Important:

Order of Pizza Dough Ingredients when Using Active Dry Yeast:

1. Water – Add a small amount of the total water to a small bowl, and keep the remainder of the water separate.
2. Yeast – Mix the yeast with the water in a small bowl and let it sit for 10-15 min.
3. Flour – Add the flour to a mixing bowl, add the water/yeast mixture and the rest of the water and start mixing.
4. Oil – Add the oil and continue mixing the dough
5. Sugar – Add the sugar and keep mixing the dough
6. Salt – Lastly, add the salt and mix all the ingredients thoroughly.

Mixing Pizza Dough

Making pizza dough is easy!

The key factor you need to remember when mixing dough for pizza is not to over-mix the dough.  Over-mixing the dough makes it very difficult to handle and will result in a tough, chewy pizza crust. 

When mixing the dough, a very important process occurs in gluten development. 

Gluten binds everything together and is the liaison between all of your ingredients.  

You can mix your dough in a stand mixer at the lowest speed.

Or you can mix it with your hands.

Kneading Pizza Dough

You can use a mixer to knead the dough or knead it by hand.

A stand mixer should be set at the lowest speed for no more than 6 to 8 minutes.

If you are mixing by hand, ensure all the ingredients are mixed thoroughly and knead the dough for about 10 to 15 minutes or until the dough becomes smooth to the touch.

Proofing Pizza Dough

Once your mixture kneads, you must shape it into a big mass/dough ball.

You can use the same bowl you mixed it in and let it rest for about 1 to 1 ½ hrs. Let the dough rise until it doubles in size. This is the first fermentation.

The best temperature to proof pizza dough is about  80°F. You can set your bowl at room temperature or inside the oven when the oven is off. 

Cold dough will take longer to rise.

Set the dough in a bowl

Cover the dough with plastic wrap.

Make sure no air comes in, or the dough will develop a crust.

Degassing Pizza Dough

After the dough doubles, you will have a big ball inflated like a balloon.

You must deflate the dough by pressing it down with your fist, allowing all of the air to be released.

After degassing, you need to reshape the dough into smaller balls and set them apart so they don’t touch each other.

The dough should double its size by 1 to 1 1/2 hrs.

By deflating the dough, you are releasing all the accumulated gases in the dough.

On a floured surface, divide the dough into balls.

Cover the balls with either a towel or clear wrap and refrigerate them for 8 to 24 hrs. This is the second fermentation.

Dough balls should be nice and tight and do not touch each other.

Shaping Pizza Dough

Place the dough balls on a lightly floured surface.

Each ball will be a separate pizza, so you need to shape each ball into a 12-inch circle leaving about ¾ of an inch of the border. You can use a rolling pin to help the process, but it is preferred that you shape it by hand.  

Start shaping the dough into a circle with the tip of your fingers.

Leave about 3/4 of an inch rim to create a border or the pizza crust.

Topping Pizza Dough

Top the pizza with your favorite pizza sauce. When it comes to sauce, less is always better.

Putting too much sauce on it will be challenging, and the pizza crust will be too wet.

Spread the sauce evenly throughout the pizza crust, leaving the exposed rim. 

Add your favorite toppings, and keep in mind that everything you put on your pizza adds weight and sometimes moisture. 

For example, adding mushrooms tends to release a lot of moisture in the cooking process. 

Sometimes is best to pre-cook or saute your topping before adding them to your pizza.

If you add too much tomato sauce, the pizza will become soggy and difficult to handle because of its weight.

Add your favorite toppings, you can add pepperoni slices, ham, or sausage.

Low-Moisture Mozarella Cheese is the best for pizza.

You can set the pizza on a pizza pan or pizza peel. Transfer the pizza to the hot oven using a pizza peel.

What Temperature Do You Cook Homemade Pizza?

Before you bake the pizza, you should set the oven at 500°F and let it preheat with the pizza stone or steel.

Average kitchen ovens only reach up to 500°F; if you use an outdoor pizza oven, either gas or wood-fired, you can reach higher temperatures.

For baking the pizza, you need to set the temperature at the highest temperature available for your kitchen oven.

How Long Do You Cook Pizza?

A basic homemade pizza with mozzarella cheese and one or two toppings should take 15 to 20 minutes to bake in a regular kitchen oven. 

If you use an outdoor pizza oven, the cooking time reduces significantly as the cooking temperature is much higher.

Finishing your Homemade Pizza

Once your pizza is baked, remove the hot pizza from the oven, and then you can finish it with flaked salt, fresh herbs, Parmesan/Romano cheese, or any good olive oil.

The best part of it is you did it!

Be proud of it and share it with your friends and family.  

The Last Slice

We are here to help you with how to make pizza at home

We hope this pizza for beginners article serves you as an initial step on your homemade pizza journey.

If you are interested in learning more about how to make pizza at home, we also posted The Definitive Guide to Make Homemade Pizza which covers, in much detail, all of the processes.

If you didn’t find an answer to your question on how to get started or have any other pizza questions, contact us here, and we will be glad to help you.

So, are you ready to start making homemade pizza?

If not, let us know what is holding you back; we would love to know so we can help you get started.

Pizza Making Additional Resources

Homemade Pizza FAQs

For more pizza questions, check our Pizza FAQs Page or Contact Us.​

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