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Learn How to Make the best homemade pizza…the ultimate budget food!
The Quiet Foodie is all about how we can make delicious and interesting food on a budget and making your own homemade pizza is right at the top of my budget food to do list!
Here on this page is all I know about Pizza ! Right from the perfect dough recipe for any occasion, and the freshest pizza sauce, through to the tasty toppings! Homemade pizza is about the best budget food known to man! It’s a small collection of mainly store cupboard ingredients, all very easily accessible and let’s face it…who doesn’t like pizza!?
We make homemade pizza all the time. The kids always get involved on pizza day and it all goes down a treat!
If you want to make amazing homemade pizza you’ve come to the right place! Let’s do this…
4 steps to amazing homemade pizza!!…
STEP 1 – Let’s start with the pizza dough recipe…
The foundation of any great pizza is its dough, and this 60% hydration pizza dough recipe is as reliable as it gets. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned pizza enthusiast, this recipe is simple, budget-friendly, and uses ingredients you likely already have in your pantry.
Making your own pizza dough is incredibly rewarding. Not only does it elevate your homemade pizza to the next level, but it’s also versatile enough to be used for bread, dough balls, calzones, and more. The soft, elastic texture of this dough ensures a light, airy crust every time, and even if you make a mistake, it’s hard to go wrong!
With this recipe, you can embrace the art of pizza-making without breaking the bank—just stock up on the essentials, and you’re good to go.
Ingredients for the Dough:
• 500g strong white bread flour
• 2 tsp fine salt
• 7g (1 sachet) dried yeast
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp sugar
• 300ml warm water
Pro Tip: The 60% hydration ratio (water-to-flour weight) makes this dough soft and easy to work with, resulting in a beautifully crispy yet chewy crust.
I do have a SUPER QUICK pizza dough recipe here for those times where there is no time! - Dinner on the table in half an hour!
STEP 2 – it’s the pizza sauce recipe…
You really don’t get easier, fresher and tastier than my classic pizza tomato sauce! Made in under 5 minutes and for almost pennies, Iv used this recipe for years and is my others halves speciality!
It’s as simple as whizzing up good tinned tomatoes, fresh garlic, herbs, salt and pepper. No cooking involved!…until you get it into the pizza obviously…
STEP 3 – How do you top this?…toppings…
When it comes to toppings, the sky’s the limit! Whether you’re a purist who loves classic flavors or an adventurer craving something bold, creating your own combinations is half the fun of making pizza at home. Here are some ideas to inspire your next masterpiece:
Classic Combos:
• Margherita: Fresh mozzarella, tomato sauce, and fresh basil—a timeless favorite.
• Pepperoni: Crispy pepperoni slices over a rich tomato base with gooey mozzarella.
• Quattro Formaggi: A heavenly mix of mozzarella, gorgonzola, parmesan, and fontina.
Meaty Delights:
• Meat Feast: Pepperoni, sausage, ham, and bacon for the ultimate carnivore’s pizza.
• Spicy Chicken: Grilled chicken, jalapeños, red onions, and a drizzle of hot sauce.
• BBQ Pulled Pork: Tangy BBQ sauce topped with tender pulled pork and red onions.
Vegetarian Pleasures:
• Veggie Supreme: Peppers, red onions, mushrooms, olives, and sweetcorn.
• Goat’s Cheese & Beetroot: A sweet and savory pairing finished with rocket leaves.
• Mediterranean: Sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes, olives, and feta cheese.
Creative & Gourmet Options:
• Fig & Prosciutto: Fresh figs, prosciutto, gorgonzola, and a drizzle of honey.
• Truffle Mushroom: Wild mushrooms, truffle oil, and fresh parmesan.
• Breakfast Pizza: Tomato sauce, bacon, sausage, eggs, and a sprinkle of cheddar.
• Buffalo Cauliflower: Crispy buffalo cauliflower bites with ranch drizzle.
Fun for Kids:
• Cheesy Bliss: A double layer of mozzarella for the ultimate cheese lover.
• Pizza Faces: Let the kids decorate their pizza with smiley faces using olives, peppers, and mushrooms.
• Hawaiian: Ham and pineapple—a controversial but kid-approved classic!
Pro Tips for Topping Success:
1. Less is More: Avoid overloading your pizza to keep the crust light and crispy.
2. Balance Flavors: Pair salty ingredients like anchovies with something fresh, like rocket.
3. Get Saucy: Don’t limit yourself to tomato—try BBQ, pesto, or even garlic butter as a base.
STEP 4 – Now how do we cook this thing!?…
Dreaming of restaurant-quality pizza at home? Whether you’re working with a standard oven, a trusty pizza stone, or even aiming for the ultimate wood-fired experience, we’ve got you covered. Here’s everything you need to know to achieve that perfect, crispy crust and melty topping.
Option 1: Max Out Your Oven’s Potential
For those using a domestic oven, crank up the heat as high as it will go—most home ovens can reach up to 250°C (480°F), which is just fine for a delicious pizza.
• Pro Tip: Use a pizza stone to elevate your pizza game.
A pizza stone mimics the effect of a traditional pizza oven by:
• Absorbing heat and cooking the pizza base from the bottom.
• Distributing high heat evenly across the crust.
How to Use a Pizza Stone:
1. Place the pizza stone in a cold oven.
2. Preheat the oven with the stone inside—this ensures the stone is piping hot.
3. Slide your pizza onto the stone, and let the magic happen!
No Pizza Stone? No Problem!
If you don’t have a pizza stone, a flat baking tray works surprisingly well.
• Heat the tray in the oven while it preheats.
• Slide your pizza onto the hot tray for a crispier base.
This budget-friendly alternative saves you from buying extra equipment and works great in a pinch.
Option 2: Frying Pan & Grill Combo (A Game Changer!)
For an even crispier base and perfectly cooked top, try this technique:
1. Start your pizza in a dry, hot frying pan on the stovetop.
• Let the base cook for about 2 minutes.
2. Transfer the frying pan to a really hot grill to finish cooking the top.
This method delivers a restaurant-quality result with minimal fuss.
Option 3: The Pizza Oven Dream
If you’re serious about pizza, a wood-fired pizza oven is the ultimate goal.
• Why it’s unbeatable:
• Cooks pizza in 2 minutes flat.
• The intense heat (often over 400°C) creates a perfectly charred, crispy crust.
• Watching the flames dance over your pizza is an experience in itself.
There’s truly nothing like serving up a freshly baked, wood-fired pizza to your family. It’s been my mission for years, and every slice is worth the effort. This GOZNEY is currently my favourite portable pizza oven…my other one is brick built in the garden – a great summer project if u fancy!
Check out my Cooking Pizza Page for all you need to know!
Learn how to make homemade pizza – Question time…
Now I am learning with the rest of you! There are professionals out there which know much more than me! All my information here is from dedicated research by myself. Do please leave any comments if you know better! It will help us all! 🙂
WHAT IS THE BEST YEAST TO USE FOR MAKING PIZZA?
Ok, so lets try and get this right. There are 4 main types of yeast, one being wild yeasts used in things like sourdough. You can use these to make pizza but they are a completely different kettle of fish and require a completely new blog post so lets look at the other 3…
- Fresh yeast, sometimes called cake yeast or compressed yeast is used by most professional bakers. Its a fresh product and so has to be treated like one. It is highly perishable and will last upto 2 weeks in the fridge.
- Active dry yeast is a partially dehydrated product formed into granules. The yeast cells are dormant at this stage and to use them they need to be rehydrated in warm water with a pinch of sugar to feed the yeast. You need to give it mix and leave for 5 minutes and expect to see foam – confirmation the yeast is still alive.
- Instant yeast is a finer version of dry yeast which activates quicker and so can be added straight to raw ingredients with no need for soaking first.
It is fresh and active dry yeast which I will be using for all of my pizza making…
WHAT IS THE BEST FLOUR TO USE FOR MAKING PIZZA?
Your choice of flour comes down to two aspects – the protein level in the flour and the proving time you have available or want to give the dough.
The higher the protein level in your flour the higher the gluten level, and gluten is in full control of the texture of your pizza giving it the chewiness and elasticity in the dough.
Gluten is produced when the wheat proteins mix with water and the more gluten strands which are produced the less likely the dough is to tear when you stretch it out. High protein flours mean more gluten and a longer proving time. A longer prove gives times for a delicious flavour to develop and a fluffier, chewier crust.
You have 3 main choices when it comes flour for making your pizza…
- All purpose flour or plain flour has a slightly lower protein level than the following two flours and there for can sometimes be harder to roll out and work with. Saying that it will produce great results! I tend to use all purpose when making recipes I don’t intend to prove for hours. It will be the cheapest of all 3 flours.
- Bread flour is the go to for any home baker. Slightly higher in gluten it will be easy to stretch out and work with. It will need to be proved considering its higher gluten level and this will inturn help you achieve the fluffier, chewier crust with the crispy outside your are looking for.
- Tipo ’00’ flour is a bit more expensive but will give you the thinner base and chewier crust you might be looking for. The ’00’ refers to the coarseness of the flour and is the finest you can get.
Can I substitute for whole-wheat flour?
Yes, how ever I don’t go 100% whole-wheat. I might go 10% whole-wheat/90% bread flour up to 50/50.
What type of mozzarella do I use on my homemade pizza?
When it comes to mozzarella on a pizza there are quite a few options these days. These are the 4 you may want to think about…
- Pre grated mozzarella – this is a very popular option and will give you the desired stringy pull once it cooks that everyone looks for. Its a very convenient product in that you can literally pick it of of the shelf and pour it onto your pizza. The supermarkets have started doing mixes like cheddar with mozzarella which can be quite good and give the slightly bland mozzarella a bit of flavour.
Its cheap and very easy to get hold of but it can contains starch and other anti-caking agents to stop the cheese becoming a single clump and sometimes these additions can change the flavour of the cheese slightly. - Low moisture mozzarella is delicious used on homemade pizza! It melts very easily, slightly easier than fresh mozzarella and gives you a better stretch and elastic pull which is obviously what it’s all about. It’s really easy to work with – you can grate, slice it or cube it up and because of its lower moisture level, you don’t have to worry about the watery pool on top of the pizza.
I would however say that it doesn’t taste as fresh as fresh mozzarella but low moisture mozzarella is my first choice when it comes to dressing my homemade pizza! - Fresh mozzarella has a lovely creamy, fresh flavour. It doesn’t burn easily making it good for high temperature cooking but still melts really well giving you the pools of melty, stringy cheese you like to see on a good pizza! You will often find fresh mozzarella brought fresh over the counter or purchased in bags or tubs and will most likely be stored in a water, whey or brine solution. Due to this high water content there is a bit of prep required when using fresh mozzarella. To avoid the watery pools you sometimes find on top of your pizza you need to drain the mozzarella for a good 15 minutes plus, it needs patting dry and ideally used on the pizza in smaller pieces. Fresh mozzarella proves to be a very affordable, very popular choice of mozzarella for topping your pizzas.
- Buffalo mozzarella is made from water buffalo milk. It has a richer, creamier flavour than cows milk mozzarella and comes with a higher price tag to match. You can use buffalo mozzarella as you would normal mozzarella but do try adding it to your pizza after it is baked for a creamier, fresher flavour. If you are adding it to your pizza before baking you will need to drain your mozzarella for even longer than normal mozzarella due to its even higher water content.
If you want an even more extravagant product with an even higher price tag, Burrata is delicious and a completely different level of richness and creaminess to add to your pizza. It has a fresh mozzarella outer shell with a creamy curdy centre. The curds having a very subtle, tangy flavour.
What ever you do don’t cook your Buratta. Cook your pizza, then slice it up and dress your pizza with it after. The pizza warms the cheese through enough keeping the fresh creamy flavour you pay the extra money for!
If you have made it to the end of my blog page well done! Hopefully I can help you find your perfect pizza for any occasion!
