When we moved to North Carolina a year ago, we lived with my brother and sister-in-law for a couple weeks before we were able to get into our house. My sister-in-law, Jess, made us the most delicious pizza a few times and I immediately requested she teach me everything she knows. And it's really not that difficult!
I've quickly adopted the "pizza movie night" tradition for our Fridays and it's become something we all look forward to. I asked Jess to help me create a video tutorial so I could share it with you.
The video will be helpful to guide you through the process start to finish and see it visually. But I've condensed the steps into a recipe as well so you can use it as a quick-reference when making your own pizza at home.
How to Make the Best "Wood Fired" Pizza at Home
- 2 pizza stones
- pre-made pizza dough
- flour
- sauce + toppings
Pull premade pizza dough from the fridge/freezer and place it on the counter for a few hours so it can come to room temperature.
Thaw mozzarella cheese, if necessary.
Place 2 pizza stones in a cold oven - one on a top rack, one on the bottom (the bottom stone will be the heating stone and the top stone will be the cooking stone).
Preheat oven to 550 degrees and let stones heat up for at least 30 minutes.
Lightly flour counter and remove dough from bag. Roll in flour.
Pull and stretch dough gently with fingers until it's slightly smaller than you want the finished pizza to be (don't overwork dough!)
Pull the top stone out of the oven onto oven-proof mitts. Carefully place stretched dough onto the stone.
Salt dough and add desired toppings.
Place stone back onto top oven rack and bake until crust is golden brown (about 7-10 minutes).
Take stone out of the oven and transfer pizza onto a cutting board.
Pull out the bottom rack stone for your next pizza. Put the first stone on the bottom rack so it becomes the heating stone.
NOTES:
I buy pre-made pizza dough from Trader Joe's bulk and store it in the freezer. It can be found in the refrigerated produce section by the other prepared foods. Other stores like WinCo also carry pre-made pizza dough.
I also buy fresh mozzarella cheese from Trader Joe's or Costco in bulk and store it in the freezer. Before slicing or shredding, dry off the cheese with paper towels.
Our Favorite Pizza Toppings
- Margherita: San Marzano tomato sauce (from the can - leave out the tomatoes and just spoon on the sauce), salt, mozzarella + basil after baking
- Pesto: Salt, pesto, mozzarella + prosciutto after baking
- Blackberry: Fig jam, mozzarella, blackberries + prosciutto and arugula (tossed with lemon juice and salt) after baking
- Potato: Truffle oil, salt, mozzarella, Yukon gold potatoes (par-boiled and sliced), salt, parmesan, caramelized shallots
- Pear: Olive oil, salt, mozzarella, caramelized onions, pear + prosciutto after baking
- BBQ Chicken: BBQ sauce, mozzarella, chicken, corn, sliced red onion + cilantro after baking
Pizza Making Essentials
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