Pizza

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Serves: 8 slices

Level: Easy

About the Recipe

This is an easy pizza recipe, which can be used with premade dough and sauce - great for someone learning to cook! This cooks right in the oven, you don't need a fancy pizza oven. I recommend using a pizza pan with ventilated holes in the bottom - I use a non-stick variety. A pizza peel or some flat sheet pan is helpful when it comes out of the oven.

1. IAbout the Recipe
2. IIIngredients
3. IIIPreparation

Ingredients

• 1 16 ounce ball of prepared pizza dough (hint: many pizza shops will sell you dough balls!)

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 cup of pizza sauce

• 3 ounces sliced mozzarella cheese

• 5 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese (note: you can use all shredded if that's easier)

• 2.5 ounces pepperoni (I like thin slices, and you can get this from the deli or pre-packaged)

• 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese

• oregano, to taste

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 450°.

2. On a cutting board or counter, rub oil on counter if dough seems "normal" (ie, a little dry). If it feels sticky, sprinkle with a little flour instead. Be careful with flour, as it can make the dough tough. The best test to see if it's too sticky is to touch dough, between two fingers - if you have trouble separating your fingers or pulling dough off of your fingers, it's too sticky and needs a little flour.

3. Roll out the dough by placing the pizza dough ball in center of your cutting board or counter. Just use your hands to press the dough down. From the center, gently pat the dough, moving the dough out from the center. You can pick up dough and flip it over, turn it, and move it around; but keep working it so you make it like a big round flat pancake; pat and stretch it gently until it's about a foot wide (and in a circle). You can roll it out instead with a roller, but your hands will work just fine. It's actually easier with your hands.

4. Place dough on pizza pan. Stretch dough out if needed, as it make shrink a little when you move it to the pan.

5. Drizzle olive oil over the top of the dough - make sure you spread it evenly around, all the way to the edges. You can use the back of a spoon or a pastry brush to spread it around. The dough should not be dripping with oil, but instead makes the dough glimmer and shiny.

6. Bake the dough (by itself) for 2 minutes.

7. Then pull it out of the oven and top with sauce (spread it all over), cheese, and sprinkle with oregano. If you want pepperoni, add it.

8. Anything else you want - mushrooms, ham, ground (cooked) sausage, olives, onions, etc...add now.

9. Sprinkle with a few tablespoons of parmesan cheese.

10. Bake pizza for 12-15 minutes; this depends on oven temperature, so watch it after it gets to 12 minutes. The edges of the crust will tell you if it's ready - it should be golden brown. Bottom of crust will also be golden brown.

11. Remove from oven and slide it onto the pizza peel or cutting board - let it cool a few minutes; slice and enjoy!