Putting The Pizza Together

I spent about an hour researching multiple pizza-making recipes prior to attempting my first one.  Some cooks use pizza stones, some swear by certain types of Italian cheeses, and some spent most of their posts discussing the perfect oven location and distance from heat.  However, I don't really have the energy to measure my oven or the extra cash to try a pizza stone just to see if it will give me a better pizza.  The only tools I use are good cheese shredders, a generic pizza pan, aluminum foil, and a pizza slicer.

My opinion of homemade pizza had become so negative because people often used cheddar cheese, bland store-bought sauces, and generic store-bought crusts.  Although I don't go through the trouble of a pizza stone and measuring my oven, I use only quality ingredients and stay true to Italian cheeses.  The tomato topping adds great flavor and keeps the pizza juicy without the extra oils and grease used at restaurants.

Pizza crust recipe
Pizza sauce recipe
Olive Oil
Pizza spices
1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese (pre-shredded or in a block)
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese (pre-shredded or in a block)
1 can Italian-style diced tomatoes (drained)
Toppings of your choice (we like canned mushrooms and sometime deli pepperoni)

1. From pizza crust recipe: bring dough to room temperature.  Lay out pizza pan, set aluminum foil sheet on top, lightly smear on olive oil, and dust with corn meal.  Smooth out crust to about 12" circle with raised edges.
2. Pre-heat oven to 425 deg Fahrenheit.
3. Brush middle of dough with 1/2 Tbsp olive oil.  In a small bowl, mix 1 Tbsp olive oil with 2 tsp pizza spices.  Brush raised crust with spiced oil.
4. Cover pizza with 3/4 cup Parmesan and 3/4 cup Mozzarella cheese.
5. In a separate layer, spread toppings across pizza.  If you use Italian sausage or any other home-cooked meat, be sure to cool to room temperature before placing pizza.
6. Put another topping of about 1/4 cup Parmesan and 1/4 cup Mozzarella cheese.
7. Put pizza in pre-heated oven.  Cook until crust browns.  It takes about 15 minutes in my oven with a convection fan.
8. Enjoy!