Homemade pizza

I'm not from New York, nor do I claim to be, but I love pizza. My New York friend is always telling me that she can't get good New York style pizza in northern California, so I set out to try and make some New York Style Thin Crust Pizza.
If you love to make your own pizza then definitely check out PizzaMaker.com This site is full of great information to make all kinds of pizza.

This method will take 2 days. You can cheat and make pizza in one day, but with varied results.

Remember, good things come to those who wait.

Step 1: Materials

Mixer (Kitchen Aid)
Pizza stone
Pizza peel (optional but helpful)
Pizza cutter or a long knife

A pizza stone isn't absolutely necessary but it really makes for a great crust. There are a lot of metal pizza pans out there but I've never tried one.
A pizza peel is the large spatula looking thing to take out the pizza from the oven.

Comments

[stargate2001]

Wow, what a well written recipe! I'm one who needs exact recipe instructions and the pictures really help, great job. My husband's been bugging me for years to make thin crust pizza and none I've tried have worked out. I have all the ingredients since I bake bread and even grind my own wheat berries, rice, spelt, popcorn, etc. For the person who wanted to know where to get Wheat Gluten try Whole Foods store. However, my local supermaket in St. Louis, as well as WalMart, now carries it also; if not just ask them to oder some. For those of you who have a Bosch Universal Mixer use it (remember to put the SAF on top) and after the dough comes off the sides cleanly mix on 2 for 6 minutes and your dough will be ready for target0122's next step. Target, thanks!

[susanchen2011]

Great Article.

[SpagoPizza]

I think you should raise the oil to 3-5%. 1% is way too low !

[target022]

How will that change the dough? Will it make it more elastic or easier to handle, because I still can't handle the dough like you see in a pizza parlor. Or will it change the final product, like make it chewier or even crispier. I'll give it a try and see how it turns out.

[SpagoPizza]

It is not true, take my word for it.

[CandiiKorn]

This looks rlly gud ;)

[micraman]

That... looks... DAMN GOOD!

[Rowleysh]

I've heard that metal will deactivate yeast, but I may be wrong...

[taz2020]

There goes new york people saying its the best, newport is haha jk there both good and i love new york pizza its the best

[monkeywhale]

I made my first every home-made pizza today by following your recipe and process. I wondered why you put the quarter in the view to show how thin the crust was. At first I thought "big deal". But then I tried it myself... You are a true artist for making crust so perfectly thin! Mine turned out overly doughy and thick :P. Great instructable.

[SinAmos]

Hey, does anyone know where you can get wheat gluten besides on online source? Any retail stores?

[target022]

Check the flour section of your grocery store. If its not there, check a health food store. Whole Foods would probably have it.

[SinAmos]

I'm on it soon. I have my own deals when I comes to pizza, but I'll give some of your techniques a gooooooooooooooooooo!

[geodez]

4.02

[mastermakoko]

the pizza turned out funny coz i make it oundy and stuff,had fun making it and had fun eating it thanks!5 *'s!!!!!

[mastermakoko]

i mixed the water together and not a litle bit at a time,now its sticky and a wont solid up!.
my mom says that i can still make the pizza,so she put a wet cloth on the bowl and told me to leave it for a day or two....is she right?

[target022]

You can still make pizza. Just sprinkle it with a little flour and knead it until it works into a dough. A little flour at a time, not too much.

[mattthomas992003]

the best pizza is st louis based imos pizza hands down cant beat it, but thats just my honest opion

[jack.spigack]

your pizza looks so good... if you ever try a metal pan make the dough without the yeast...  preheat the oven to 550 degrees or hotter...  when you put the pizza in the oven do it really realy fast to keep the heat in...the pizza cooks in 7 minutes and rises from the water turning into steam at a fast rate....  it dosent work good in a mobile home stove but it works great in a good oven with a glass window....  keep your eye on it it over cooks easily...  im only posting this cuz i see your a pizza lover

[target022]

Yeah, the one thing I wish I had is a hotter oven. I have a horrible oven.
I do have some old metal pans from a pizza parlor. I'll give it a try.
Why no yeast?  Just not necessary?

[jack.spigack]

yeast is good but i acn taste the yeast in the cooked pizza....  no yeast equals no yeasty flavor....  a hot enough oven can make the steam act as a leavening agent...   also add just a touch of garlic in some softend margarine and spread generously around were the crust of the pizza will bake...it sorta fries the crust were it touches the pan and also mixes well with the cheese :)

[mguima]

(removed by author or community request)

[target022]

There's olive oil in the dough and you can always brush the crust with it. I'm going to try the tip below about adding some to the cheese.

[Shiftlock]

Try giving the cheese a generous drizzle of olive oil before baking.  I'm from Brooklyn, and I can tell you from working in many pizza places as a teenager that this is something all the good ones do.  It changes the flavor, and makes it "right".  My uncle, who was known for good pizza, used to call this a "necessity". The pre-bake olive oil drizzle is what causes the oil to drip off of the back fold of real piece of NY pizza when you fold it over to eat (which, of course, is the proper way to eat a piece of NY pizza). 

[gypsygina]

Thanks so much for the olive oil hint!  When I read it, I knew that is the exact ingredient that I have been missing in my homemade pizza all these years!  I was born and raised on Long Island but moved to the southwest about 25 years ago.  I am telling you folks, there is nothing, absolutely nothing like New York pizza and I have been trying to recreate it all these years.  The bagels too, New York bagels are just so much better than any I have bought and even better than the ones I tried to make.  I love you and miss you NEW YORK:)

[vadios]

extremely tasty and easy to do. thanks for great dough receipt, it's very tough and my pizza was very very thin!

[Very Adorkable]

I've never cold fermented when I've made my homemade pizza's!

I'm probably gonna try this in a couple of days it looks so Yummy... I miss NYC >.<

Thanks for this ^.^

[arifsethi]

hi.. ur pizza look very nice.
 just want to give u a tip; if u notice that ur pizza edges are more saucy  if u make next time try to put the cheese outside from sauce. when cheese will melt down and come towards the centre it won't leave the red sauce on edges..

hope it will be helpful.

[myzmudd]

i love making different variations of pizza by hand. Still have not yet perfected the dough tossing technique but it's certainly fun to try...will try to link one of mine i posted in myspc  from a while back,  thanks for sharing :)

http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/69/l_05e9446cff3644dcbf64f312653ba222.jpg

[maurice1993]

wow, that pictures let me hungry!

[flio191]

if you don't have a stone, just take whatever you're putting your pizza on, put the dough on, and fry it for a little before you stick it in the oven, just so you can have a nicely done bottom.

[MacLean]

O man, theres a pizza place near my house, that puts LOADS of ham on then pizza sauce, their pizza is like 2 inchs tall, im gonna try to make that stuff.

[Justine61]

Wow! Great pictures and description of pizza making. It looks yummy! The cold step really does improve the dough both in flavor and texture, but I can hardly stand the wait! Yes I have frozen dough too and that makes it easier to make pizzas quickly next time. I have actually put the frozen dough in the microwave for 1 minute and watched carefully. You can catch it before it cooks and is just thawed. Another way I make pizzas fast is to use tortillas. Heat the pizza stone, top the tortillas with sauce and whatever else you want and bake them until they are starting to brown. These are good for appetizers or small individual pizzas for kids. Let them make them and top whatever they want. The tortilla crust is crispy and nice.

[lukkbox]

hi OP nice job on the instructable :) one question as i have some new yorkers coming to stay soon ... 'new york style' means they like their bread undercooked and their cheese burnt is that correct? please clarify thanks

[majjck]

No no no. New york style means a thin crust and the whole pizza to be a little overcooked. Big slices are also a good indication of NY style crust.

[target022]

Maybe we should throw that out to some New Yorkers. Personally I like a crisp crust with a chewy center. Melted, chewy cheese, browned, definitely not burnt.

[Chocomarshfrog]

Your all getting it wrong NY style pizza is like mana bread from God!

[target022]

What's mana bread?

[lukkbox]

wheat grains that have the mycelium from amanita muscaria growing as a culture on them but shhhhhhh im not supposed to tell anyone ... yet :D

[t.rohner]

Very nice instructable.
I think the most important ingredient for a good pizza is the dough. You prolong the fermentation with refrigeration and that's very important. When i started making pizzas at home, i wasn't aware of it. I always thought it was some secret ingredient, that makes the difference. I use a very basic recipe for my pizza dough now. Bread flour, salt, water, very little yeast and sometimes olive oil. I think olive oil helps later while forming the dough, it makes it a little less stretchy...
A pizza stone in a very hot oven is mandantory as well. I use it for my bread as well, it gives a very nice oven spring. With bread, a long fermentation is important as well. It makes the difference between a bland piece of baked dough and a wonderful flavorful piece of art... I showed this last week giving a breadworkshop to 18 people in my girlfriends cooking school. I made a dough with a preferment (24hours) and with the same recipe (more yeast) a dough ready in 2 hours. They tried both breads and got the message.

Now here's something to drool for you...
http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-build-a-Pizza-Oven/