Plan the Perfect Pizza Party

By The Paula Deen Test Kitchen

Are you tired of the overly greasy generic tasting pepperoni pizza from your local pizza joint?  If so, this is the perfect article for you!  Homemade pizza is so easy to make and there are so many benefits to doing it yourself.  By controlling the ingredients you add to your own pizza you can make it more flavorful, fresher, healthier, and it is a great way to impress a crowd at your next neighborhood get together.  Following some simple steps will ensure a delicious pizza every time.

It’s All About the Dough!
The first place to start when making your own pizza is the dough.  Paula’s basic pizza dough recipe is so easy to make, just a few ingredients and a couple steps and it’s done.  If you don’t feel like you have the time to make your own dough, most grocery stores now carry fresh pizza dough or you can usually buy it from a local pizza restaurant.  Rolling out the dough takes some care and skill, but with a little practice it isn’t hard to master.  Always roll from the center out, and you can pick up your pizza dough and walk your hands around the edges to help it stretch.

Pile on the Ingredients
Choosing ingredients is the next step to making a tasty pizza, and this is the fun part!  There is no limit to what you can put on your pizza.  Starting with the sauce you can go the more traditional route with marinara, store bought is fine, or get creative, with garlic or herb infused olive oils, alfredo sauce, pesto, or even BBQ sauce.  Just remember to not over sauce your pizza.  Too much sauce results in a soggy crust. 

Everything’s Better When It’s Fresher
Making pizza is a great way to utilize fresh seasonal ingredients from your market such as broccoli, spinach, arugula, asparagus, even potatoes and sweet potatoes are great on pizza.  With the heartier vegetables cook them a little before putting them on the pizza and in the oven.  More delicate vegetables and herbs such as spinach, arugula, basil and parsley are better added to the pizza after it has baked in the oven.  This provides some vibrant color and wonderful fresh bite.  Fresh fruit also makes a great topping on a dessert pizza.

Cheese, Please!
You can also get creative with your meat and cheese choices.  It is best to pick low moisture cheeses such as mozzarella, provolone, fontina, parmesan, goat cheese, fete and even gorgonzola.  Using a combination of cheeses is a great way to add some interesting flavor elements with your pizza.  While sausage and pepperoni are the most traditional meats to use on pizza, and always delicious, you don’t have to stop there.  Seafood pizza with shrimp or oysters is delicious, chicken or different flavored meatballs also adds great flavor.  Prosciutto, salami or other Italian meats are sure to be a crowd pleaser too.

The most important thing to remember when making your own pizza is to create a balance of ingredients.  Don’t over do it with too many toppings on one pizza!

Try some of these delicious pizza recipes from Paula Deen’s kitchen.
Fast and Furious Thai Pizza
Chicken Caeser Pita Pizza (no dough necessary)
Asparagus, Sausage and Arugula Pizza
Smoked Gouda and Sweet Potato Pizza
Cauliflower Crust Pizza (super healthy!!)
Fresh Fruit Pizza
Mexican pizza

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