How To Make Homemade Pizza

*Homemade white perogy pizza, with cream cheese sauce, pan-
fried potatoes, cheddar, and mozzarella. One of an infinite number
of variations possible when you make your own pie.*

When I first moved to Toronto, I spent a lot of time searching for the perfect pizza. Initially I figured, "Toronto's a big place - there's GOT to be an amazing pizza joint around here somewhere." As it turns out, after about a year and a half, I DID stumble across a heavenly pizza joint (Big Momma's Boy, Parliament just south of Wellesley St. E - thanks for the tipoff, Ash!). However, I'm going to save that subject for another post. For between my arrival in the Big Smoke and my discovery of Big Momma's Boy's pizza perfection, I was subjected to an expensive, greasy, and unsatisfying stream of - quite frankly - TERRIBLE pizza experiences, and this needs to be discussed further at some point.

Anyhow, this lack of a reliable, inexpensive, highly customizable pizza source posed quite the dilemma for me, as I adore pizza. I decided to take a cue from my father-in-law, whose delicious, handmade forno-baked pizzas are a thing of beauty. However, I was pretty intimidated. Unlike him, I don't have access to a forno oven - just my crappy apartment range. I have also had long-standing quarrels with homemade dough and bready products.

However, my lust for readily available pizza and toppings of my own choosing would not be deterred. A few months and several pizza experiments later, I'm pleased to report that I've gotten the hang of the art of homemade pizza - and it is a good, good thing.

After scouring the internet for dough recipes, I landed on an interesting one using honey, by a fellow named Navid, which is now my favorite. It is VERY helpful to mix all the ingredients in a bowl initially, use a fork to blend everything up, and transfer to a floured countertop after the liquid has been integrated into the flour (this avoids nasty cleanup issues afterwards). Then knead the dough with the heel of your hand until it's stretchy and elastic. It may be fairly sticky - don't worry about that. This is what it should look like:
Make a rough "log" out of the dough and cut it in half with a sharp knife.
Grease up a couple of round pizza pans (or cookie sheets) using a dollop of olive oil and a "pastry" brush (mine's just a regular paintbrush I bought from the dollar store). Then pop the little dough balls in the middle of the pans, and cover them with a tea towel for AT LEAST an hour.
***Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.***

Once it's risen, the dough should be about double the size you started with, and airy. Spread it out carefully, pressing the dough down gently with your fingers, working from the center outward to the edges of the pan.
Now this is where the fun part starts!

First, add your sauce. This can honestly be anything. Pizza sauce out of a can is fine (or any pasta sauce you have handy). Pesto is wonderful if you've got it. Cream cheese can be quite lovely, or other cheese sauces/spreads. BBQ sauce would work well with toppings like chicken or steak. Olive oil & herbs are great if you're a minimalist. Go nuts. I used a basic tin of Unico pizza sauce here:

I like to add some extra flavorants to boost the tomato sauce at this point. Here I added minced fresh garlic and lots of fresh basil. I typically add these first because the high oven temperature can scorch basil and garlic, and the other toppings serve as a protective barrier. This step is, of course, optional. The beauty of homemade pizza is you can top it with WHATEVER YOU WANT, in whatever order you please.
Next, for me, comes the meat. Here, I've used torn up black forest ham, genoa salami, and anchovies. I also like to use Soppresata or Calabrese sausage if I've got any, as this was a favorite of my grandfather's.
And now, the cheese. Do yourself a favor, and try using some goat cheese. You won't be sorry, I promise. Then the mozzarella. And any other cheese you like. Bleu, parmesan, romano, and cheddar are especially nice. Here, I've just used mozzarella (yes, this is from a different pizza, a Margherita with basil, sundried tomato, goat cheese, and mozza).
Slide your pizza into the preheated oven, and bake for about 21-23 minutes (keep a close eye on it after about 20 until you get acquainted with your oven's "style").*

If you only want to eat one of your pizzas today, I have EXCELLENT news for you. If you cover the uncooked pizzas and put them in the fridge, the dough is even better the next day - it will rise again, and become lighter and fluffier. If you bake your pizza immediately, your crust will be crisp and thin. Which is still nice.

Making homemade pizza is ultimately not hard, and I cannot over-emphasize the sheer joy of unlimited topping options - something pizza delivery puts a serious cramp in cost-wise. Do yourself a favor, and whip yourself up a pie.

*Edit: My father-in-law has often suggested that I should be using a pizza stone in my oven (basically, a big slab of marble, ceramic, earthenware, or some other rocky substance that absorbs and retains heat well). This helps to approximate the high heat environment that makes a forno oven far superior to a conventional range. I have been meaning to try this, but the idea of lugging a slab of marble home on the subway is a bit daunting. I'll provide an update if I ever muster the courage to do so.