Beginner's Homemade Rustic Pizza

Hey y'all,

In this instructable I'll teach you how to make a beginner's homemade pizza that looks and taste like an artisan pizza! No need for a pizza oven with this one, it can all be done in a standard kitchen and a conventional oven, with a little bit of elbow grease of course. So, follow the step by step guide below or watch the video tutorial.

There are two parts to making the pizza, first the dough with it's ingredients and then the toppings which can be customized to your liking of course.

Pizza Dough

• 2 ¼ t Active Dry Yeast (1 packet)
• 1 t Sugar
• 1 C Warm Water (100° to 110°)
• 1 ¼ C Water (room temp)
• 2 T Olive Oil
• 1 t Salt
• 5 ½ C unbleached flour Extra flour

Toppings (Customizable)

• Pizza sauce
• Cheese of your liking (I used mozzarella)
• Cherry tomatoes
• Onions
• Basil

Tools

• Pizza Cutter

• Pyrex Bowl set

• Oven Mitts

  misc. utensils

In a large bowl add active dry yeast and sugar with to 1 C of warm water and whisk till combined.

Set aside for a few mins until the yeast activates.

After a few minutes add in the room temperature water 1 ¼ C Water (room temp), add oil, salt, and flour.

Mix it a bit until it is all incorporated.

Once it comes together, place on a floured surface and knead it for about 10 mins and it is smooth and elastic,(this part takes forever and it feels like it is never going to come together but it will).

After kneading the bread it will come together in one large ball. I sliced mine in half to be able to yield two large pizzas or 4 smaller pizzas. (I usually use only half of it and refrigerate the other half for later in the week) Place back in your bowl that is oiled and let it rise 1 hour and after it is ready to form and make pizza.

To be a little more time efficient I prepare the toppings while waiting for the dough to rise. For this recipe just a few simple cuts did the trick. I went with a few simple toppings and no meat on this one, but you can always add pepperoni or any meat of your choice, this is 100% customizable to your liking.

My toppings: Pizza sauce, mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, onions, basil.

Using a baking sheet lined with your parchment paper place half or ¼ of your dough on the parchment paper and using your hands spread it out as evenly as you can (this again may need a bit of work, but it will come together) and create a border so the toppings won't fall off. Also be sure to preheat your oven to 500 F during this time.

Once your dough is stretched out add your pizza sauce, cheese and toppings. Bake for about 25-30 or until your crust is golden brown.

Once the pizza is baked to perfection (golden brown). Remove it from the oven and let it cool just a bit before serving.

Cut & serve! Enjoy your beginner's homemade rustic pizza.

If you prefer a video tutorial, you can watch it here!