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5 pizza recipes

... is a pizza pie! Pizza is one of my go to meals and one of my favorite foods. While I love all of the amazing pizza that Chicago pizza joints have to offer, there's something about homemade pizza that I usually can't go too long without. We never tire of pizza because there are so many different toppings and sauces. The possibilities are truly endless. Here are six of my favorites homemade pizzas and some basic pizza making tips.

basic dough
1/3 cup of barbeque sauce (I use Masterpiece Original)
1 large chicken breast, seasoned with salt and pepper, cubed and cooked through
1/4 red onion, chopped finely
2 cups of Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded 
Roll out dough, cook without toppings until slightly browned (5-10 minutes). Top with barbeque sauce, cheese, chicken and red onion. Cook for an additional 5-10 minutes until cheese has melted.

basic dough
1/2 cup of pizza sauce (Trader Joe's brand is my favorite because of the thickness)
approximately 25 slices of pepperoni
1 cup of fontina cheese, shredded
1 cup of mozzarella cheese, shredded
Roll out dough and cook without toppings until slightly browned (5-10 minutes). Top with pizza sauce, cheeses, and pepperoni. Cook for an additional 5-10 minutes, until cheese has melted. 

basic dough
2 cups of fontina cheese
2 cups of arugula (topped with 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, salt and pepper)
6 slices of prosciutto 
Roll out dough and cook without toppings until slightly browned (5-10 minutes). Top with cheese and prosciutto and cook an additional 5-10 minutes, until cheese has melted. Remove from oven and top with dressed arugula. 

basic dough
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced 
1 tablespoon oregano
1 1/2 cups of shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup of ricotta cheese
Roll out dough and top with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and minced garlic. Cook until dough is slightly browned (about 5-10 minutes). Top dough with mozzarella, ricotta and oregano and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes until cheese has melted. 

basic dough
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced 
1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup of feta, crumbled
1/2 bell pepper, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
1/2 cup of artichoke hearts, chopped 
1/4 cup black olives, sliced
dressing: 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp red wine vinegar, 1/2 tsp oregano, juice of half a lemon
Roll out dough and top with 2 tablespoons olive oil and minced garlic. Cook until slightly browned (5-10 minutes). Top with mozzarella cheese, feta cheese, bell pepper, red onion, artichoke hearts and black olives. Pour half of the dressing over pizza and cook for additional 5 -10 minutes or until cheese has melted. Remove from oven and top with remaining dressing. 

basic dough
1/2 cup of pizza sauce
10 thick slices of fresh mozzarella
1/2 teaspoon of italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder
Roll out dough and cook without toppings until slightly browned (5-10 minutes). Top with pizza sauce, cheese and spices. Cook for an additional 5-10 minutes, until cheese has melted. 

A few tips:
1. Start with a HOT oven. I set mine to 450 degrees and wait until it's completely preheated before placing any pizza inside. It's how you get the perfect crust - chewy on the inside and crispy on the outside.
2. I always cook my pizza dough for a few minutes before adding my toppings (especially for saucy pizzas!). It prevents the dough from getting soggy and makes a nice durable base for all of the toppings.
3. Get a pizza stone! I know that a baking sheet also works just fine, but this pizza stone really changed my life. No sticking, even cooking and best of all - easy cleanup! 
4. My favorite homemade pizza dough recipe is this one (but I use regular all purpose flour). If you're looking for the store bough variety, Trader Joe's and Pillsbury are my favorites. 


What's your favorite kind of pizza?
I'm always looking for new combinations to try!

26 comments:

  1. I'm definitely a savory person so pizza pie is definitely my favorite type. My favorite to make at home is Pepperoni, black olive, fresh garlic and tomato. However, my favorite all time pizza in the city is the triple pepperoni & truffle oil at La Madia. It's so delicious!

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  2. AH! i want a bite of each of these :) defiantly pinning this page for future baking! xoxo jillian:: cornflake dreams

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  3. This looks so delicious, not a big lover of pizza!
    But the they look so yum, I'd happily eat them!

    Abigail x

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  4. we eat pizza at least twice a week...is that a lot? haha! here the crust is so thin that i feel like it's ok. :) love this! marissa @ the boot

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  5. we have pizza at least once a week! we love those little balls of dough from whole foods! so easy! here's one that i came up with this summer that we really enjoy (we usually cook ours on the grill!) toppings: carmelized onions, red and yellow peppers, steak, and boursin cheese. SO GOOD

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  6. I love pizza, BBQ chicken pizza is a favorite combo of mine

    http://chicgeekery.blogspot.com/

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  7. Yum! The BBQ pizza is always my favorite but prosciutto and arugula looks amazinggg!

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  8. This is a great round up of homemade pies... I love it! I'm a big fan of the bbq chicken one. I make that one all the time in the summer. Also, I must get a pizza stone – putting that on my Christmas list!

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  9. These all look deeeeelish. I LOVE white pizza. The best one I had was in Dallas, and I miss it everyday.

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  10. YUMMMMMMM I would like one of each right now, for breakfast!

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  11. These all look so good!!! I love bacon and spinach pizza with an olive oil sauce.

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  12. Ohh that white pizza looks SO good!! Thanks for sharing!

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  13. yum yum yum ~ I should not be reading this right now, I'm trying to detox and this is making me crave pizza!

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  14. these look great - white pizza is my personal fav. topped with some arugula!

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  15. Thank you for posting this! My mom makes the most amazingg homemade pizza, but I myself haven't worked up the courage to really try again after my first disastrous attempt...even though it is my favorite food ever. Once I get my pizza stone I am making this until I get it perfect!

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  16. YUM! I do love the white pizza and greek pizza. But then I do also just enjoy the traditional pepperoni. Can't go wrong.

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  17. You are seriously my idol. These pizzas loook soooooo good. I'm making the white and the BBQ pie this very weekend.
    fashiontruffles.blogspot.com

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  18. Trader Joe's crust is by far my favorite! Love these tips!

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  19. Ooh, prosciutto and arugula pizza is my absolute favorite, but I always add some caramelized onions on top.

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  20. Yum! I used to make a pizza with olive oil, sliced pears, caramelized onions, gorgonzola and arugula. Delish!

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  21. GIRL. This may be the best post I've ever seen. I fully intend to make each of these! I love making pizza at home.

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  22. why am i always drooling on myself when I look at your blog. Holy smokes, you need to open a restaurant. for real. I already had dinner and now I want pizza. bookmarking to the folder i created for your recipes. :)

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  23. YUM! My husband is a pizza junkie and we've been meaning to make pizza at home, but we haven't gotten around to it yet. I'll have to use some of your tips!

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  24. oh my goodness! bookmarking this!

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