About a month ago, I bought three of those bagged Trader Joe’s pizza doughs–two white, one wheat–a big ball of good mozzarella, pizza sauce, and peppers? I think that’s it. I wanted to try my hand at making real pizza, as real as store-bought (though, still raw… so sort of “real”) pizza dough can get. Steve likes his with peppers and onions, I like it plain, and William and Lindsey fall somewhere in between. Before this little venture of mine, pizza at home was Red Baron. And, while I’m something of a foodie (50% foodie?), I can still very much appreciate (and even crave) a slightly over-cooked Red Baron pizza.
So, I spread out the flour, I got out the dough, and I put my hands to work. Spreading and stretching and trying my best to get something that resembled a circle. It was oval at best, and with each attempt to stretch, it shrank back as soon as my fingers left it. What the heck. I decided, “This will just not be a very large pizza, then.” I decided the pizza can have this victory, but perhaps victory will ultimately be mine when I sink my teeth into a still-delicious pizza. I spread out the sauce, topped it with the cheese, a sprinkle of Italian seasonings, and called it good. Into the oven it went. What came out was… really not very good. You’re surprised, aren’t you? It was going so well? I can’t even really describe it accurately, or what was wrong with it. The dough? My oven? It wasn’t deliciously crispy and thin, the way I prefer my pizza to be. Sure, it was cooked dough, and it was hot sauce and melted cheese but delicious? Worth eating? We, unanimously, threw most of it away. Ate cucumbers and carrots for dinner? I don’t know.
I decided we will just be a family that eats pizza out or eats Red Baron in. Smacked my hands together, and that was that. I was defeated but quickly recovered because there’s still good pizza to be eaten. Just not cooked by these hands. Plenty of hands are good at it, let them be the pizza-makers!
Fast forward: last night I went to see Molly Wizenberg speak in Wellesley. During the Q&A portion, someone asked her how Brandon came to create the pizza he makes today at Delancey. She explained that it required a lot of pizza eating, and a lot of questions to the generous and gracious lot that are the pizza-experts. I’m paraphrasing. She explained that it was a process of fermenting that he picked up from a pizza place in New Mexico and knowledge on the saltiness of it all from a pizza place in Brooklyn plus an accidental water-doubling in their very own kitchen that, together, came to be the pizza they make today in their restaurant. All told, two years of experimentation.
I made pizza once. (From someone else’s dough.)
And then gave up.
That is ridiculous, Bridget, I thought to myself. Get back on that horse. Make your own damn pizza!
So here I am. I’m going to get back on that horse and try again. Two years of trying? Probably not, but I’ve got at least two more tries in me. I want it thin, I want it crispy. I want it similar to what you find in Italy, not Chicago. I don’t want it to be a floppy, soggy mess when I pick it up. Will my semi-crappy-prone-to-hot-spots oven even output a decent pizza? Will I screw up the yeast? Do I have to ferment it? Will it shrink every time I try to spread it? What is the best pizza sauce? What flour should I use? What do you cook it on? How tricky is this? Will it kill me?
Help.
Seriously, help.
{Picture from Ashley who obviously does not need my advice on perfecting an at-home pizza and who also used the word “easy” when describing the dough-making but I think she’s lying.}
We do homemade pizza every Friday night at my family's request…not that i'm complaining! Mark Bittman's Pizza Dough recipe is the best. It makes enough for two pizza's on a cookie sheet nice and thin. Roll out your dough and place it on the cookie sheet that has been sprinkled with cornmeal. Pre-heat the oven to 475-500. Cook until the cheese starts to brown. The trick is getting the dough thin enough…I actually think my Mom has used her pasta attachment on her KitchenAid in a pinch! King Arthur flour is also the best. Also…don't walk away from the oven while the pizza cooks! Hope this helps!
Nothing against TJ's dough, but homemade dough is the best way to go (and it's not that hard, i promise!). My absolute favorite dough recipe is Smitten Kitchen – i think she has a quick recipe if you are in a hurry or a longer one if you have more time. My second favorite is Pioneer Woman. Both are virtually fool proof. Good luck!!
you said fool proof. i'm holding you to it.
On quick tip on getting pizza a little crispier – stick the dough (after rolling) in the oven for a couple of minutes with just a thin brushing of olive oil on top. It'll help the crust stay together and stay crispier better since the dough usually requires a little more cooking than the toppings. Good luck!
We make pizza every Friday night, and after experimenting for the past 2 years or so have finally found a good combination. A good pizza stone is crucial (we use this one http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/emile-henry-pizza-stone/). You also need a pizza peel and some corn meal. We buy our dough from a local bakery, and it is even better than pizza out. Good luck!
pizza peel? what is a pizza peel? help!
that's a nice stone. we have a pampered chef one, think i could use that?
Hahaha I'm in the same boat! I've made pizza multiple times and every time it's worse then before. Why do I keep trying? I don't know lol
Happy Medley
read the comments and then try again. we will succeed, anna!
i use smitten kitchen's recipe, it's wonderful!
plus for fun: http://semiweeklyeats.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-creek.html
second vote for smitten kitchen!!!
I consider myself the in-house pizza expert and I've now become so confident in my skills, I make pizza or calzones for guests! My husband does a pretty good job, but mine is better!
I always use Mark Bittman's dough recipe. I roll out the dough with a rolling pin to get it nice and thin, rolling it out on top of a cornmea- coated wooden pizza peel. As I roll, I make sure it's not sticking to the peel by shaking the peel side to side and seeing that the dough easily slides back and forth. Any sticky spots get gently lifted up and more cornmeal goes beneath it.
Once you put the toppings on, it's pretty much too late if the dough sticks! I fold up a crust on the edges and make it stick with a bit of water on my fingers if I'm feeling fancy. I use a pizza stone and preheat the oven to 500 degrees. When the dough is rising, I make my own sauce using an imprecise recipe, 28 oz of diced or pureed tomatoes, some salt and pepper, basil, some brown sugar, red pepper flakes. Make sure the sauce is cooled down to about room temp or else it softens the dough and makes it stick to the peel. Add the cheese and the rest of the toppings, I prefer to cook any veggie toppings ahead of time to reduce the water content which can effect crispiness of the crust. For what it's worth, I started my pizza making practice with TJ's premade dough and it was a terrible failure.
i read your whole comment with wide eyes. every word. will probably reread.
and it's worth a lot, the trader joes bit at the end, considering you're the in-house pizza expert! thank you for sharing! (now can you please come and teach me in person?)
I am drooling at this recipe, and copying it down word for word. I hate Bridget failed at her pizza making, but her pizza demise brought us all this wonderful knowledge!
I think I like making pizza dough because it is like bread dough but with more salt and olive oil, my two favorite ingredients.
The pizza stone is only helpful if you put it in the oven to preheat (at 500 degrees) for about 40 minutes beforehand.
I think if you could must the gumption to go whole-hog this recipe would be KILLER: http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/01/cooks-illustrated-thin-crust-new-york-ny-pizza-recipe.html Cook Illustrated is obsessive but they give you awesome results (plus it promises thin crust…).
Dough that keeps shrinking back is just too cold. If you'd had an extra hour to play with it and let it rise, you could have left it for fifteen minutes, pulled it again, left it for 15 minutes pulled it, again, etc. If it has enough time to rise or warm up, it's really fun and satisfying to work with.
thin! the thinner the better, in my opinion.
pretty sure the dough was supposed to be room temp and i was too impatient.
Smitten Kitchen. 100%
Homemake that dough. I use Jim Lahey's recipe from his no knead bread book. It's super easy except he calls for letting it sit for like 2 hours, and I am usually too inpatient/hungry/hangry for that so I throw in some extra instant yeast and call it good after sitting for only around 30-45 minutes on the counter. Works every time and makes two pizzas which I can vary on thickness because I have differing opinions on that in my house. But after seeing all the comments, now I need to check out Smitten Kitchen's!
We have (finally) made delicious fresh pizza at home using trader joes dough. Our first was a throw away, too. Here's what we have learned…
1) Let the dough warm up, an hour out of the fridge and longer if it keeps shrinking
2) A pizza stone that's preheated with the oven (we use a pampered chef one)
3) Par cook the dough for 5 minutes before adding sauce and toppings
4) Not using just Mozzarella, adding Parmesan Reggiano has been the biggest help to flavor
That's all I can think of for now. Hopefully someday I will make my own dough…baby steps. Good luck!
1) I definitely did not let it warm up. WHY BRIDGET. The directions even said so. I only have myself to blame.
2) Okay, that's the same one I have!
3) Good call.
5) Another good call, I like the saltiness of Parm-Regg!
I tried with dough from Whole Foods a few weeks ago and it was an absolutely epic fail. When you figure it out…teach us your ways!!!
if I learn anything along the way, I will definitely post about it! maybe this will be a new series. …..bridget attempts to make her own pizza, post #327.
We use TJs dough in our house, but Craig also likes his thin thin thin. So I'll usually take out about a quarter of the dough in the bag, and use what's left to make his pizza. I'll let it sit on the counter for 30-45 minutes to soften it up, then roll it out using cornmeal. Preheat a pizza stone and slap the dough on there. I'll bake it a few minutes, then pull it out and add some toppings, then stick it back in and Craig will keep an eye on it until it's crispy enough for him.
The recipe from Bread Baker's Apprentice is hands down the best pizza dough recipe I have tried. It makes a lot of dough, which can be cut into 4 or 6 balls (I like 4). It makes super thin pizza, which holds up well to the toppings I throw on it. Best trick I learned – – when making the pizza, let it rest every few minutes then go back and stretch again. It's not the fastest process, but it allows me to get a 10-12 inch pizza pretty consistently. The recipe in BBA also contains a number of helpful suggestions.
One more thing – – make your oven go as hot as you can (mine goes to 550). Put your rack on the top (at least if its a gas oven). There is something about air circulation that makes the top the best location for pizza. Put your stone on the rack and let it preheat with the oven. Once the oven is hot enough (20-30 minutes), use the well floured / corn meal-ed peel to put it in the oven. After 2-3 minutes, rotate the stone 1/4 turn.
I haven't read through all the other comments, so please excuse me if this has been said. I always buy Trader Joe's dough. I have my husband take it out of the fridge when he gets home from work. That way, by the time I get around to making dinner, the dough is almost at room temperature. MUCH easier to spread out, doesn't shrink back into place nearly as much. And you need a pizza stone (not in a snobby way, just a cheapo one will do) and for the oven to be HOT.
Jim Lahey's pizza dough (google it or in Dinner A Love Story). Make it in the biggest cast-iron you have. So easy.
I make pizza on an almost weekly basis, and if I am hosting, it is my go-to meal because it's so darn easy. I LOVE Pioneer Woman's pizza dough recipe, but I add about 1 teaspoon of sugar to the dough, because it makes the dough a bit more chewy, and I like that.
I always preheat my oven to 500* about 40 minutes before I bake the dough. After the oven is hot, I rolled out the dough on a pampered chef stone that has been dusted with cornmeal, then I drizzle a bit of olive oil over the dough and sprinkle Italian seasoning and garlic salt on it for extra flavor. I like to bake the dough for about 5 minutes BEFORE I add any toppings, just to make sure that the dough will be baked the whole way through.
You've inspired me… here I go to make pizza for dinner.
the TJs dough sucks for us too! regular, whole wheat, garlic and herbs, the middle never cooks for me! i just made one last night with their new frozen (already rolled out) pizza dough. you know, for those nights you aren't making the smitten kitchen from-scratch kind 😉 its thin and cripsy!!
This looks really good… I wonder if it would work with cauliflower crust. That's what we use for homemade pizzas..
Room temperature dough rolls out easier than cold dough (also refrigerated dough messes with the yeast content). If you have a bread machine…use it! Load up your dough ingredients and set to a dough cycle. Once it's finished, simply roll out and make your pizza. For cooking indoors, use a pizza stone. Cheap and every bit worth the $20-30. I personally love cooking my pizzas on a bbq. Just heat your bbq to 500 degrees, throw your pizza on (on a metal pizza pan or pizza stone) and cook for about 8-10 minutes. The crust gets perfectly crisp and takes on a wood-fire taste. San Marzano tomatoes blended with a clove of garlic, salt, pepper and fresh basil make the BEST sauce you will ever eat. Keep trying, I finally got the hang of it and now we eat bbq'd pizza nearly once a week year around.
i loooove the idea of that simple sauce recipe!! thank you!
My current favorite recipe for the dough is from Our Best Bites (http://www.ourbestbites.com/2008/06/cooking-class-pizza-101/). Also, I'm sure someone else has said this in another comment, but I'm too lazy to read them all 🙂 – I used my hands or the side of a cup for YEARS when rolling out pizza crust, pie crust, etc. Believe me – using a rolling pin helps! I also like using a dough mat with markings of how big my circle should eventually be.
Pizza dough is really easy to make. Check smitten kitchen for a recipe, she gives many options. Also you need your oven as hot as it gets to make it crispy. Should only take 10-12 minutes to bake.
We don't have a Trader Joe's here but we have a local bread place that sells dough in some of the grocery stores. I've found that I'm better off just using half for my pizza to get it thin. I agree that you need to let any pre-made dough get to room temp. While I'm rolling if it keeps shrinking I'll hold the dough up and let it stretch a bit and just keep turning it in a circle with my hands. (That probably makes no sense). To get a really crispy crust I usually spread on some olive oil and garlic powder and bake it off for 7-8 minutes at about 475. Then I'll add that toppings. That seems to help.
Good luck! This has been quite the process for me to get to the point where I'm totally happy with my store bought dough. God speed.
We also use Smitten Kitchen's pizza dough recipe (usually the rushed version) and Brandon Pettit's (Molly's husband!) recipe for sauce that's found in the cookbook "Secrets of the Best Chefs". He recommends tasting both the dough and the sauce before they go in the oven to make sure they're flavorful enough, and says the sauce should be slightly too salty and slightly too acidic.
Whenever the weather is nice, we LOVE to grill pizza. Get the grill blazing hot, grill one side of the crust, flip, and add the toppings while it's still on the grill. Sooo good, especially if you like a little char to your dough (which I do!).
Good luck!
Grill. It.
Stretch the dough out fairly thin but not TOO thin. Get the grill hot…like, 500. Brush olive oil on the grill. Also, brush one side of the dough with olive oil and salt it. The salt is crucial! Bring your oil, salt, sauce and cheese out to the grill with you (don't get fancy with toppings yet!). Put the oiled side on the grill and then brush and salt the other side. It will cook FAST so you need to work quickly. Once the bottom had browned, flip it over and out sauce and cheese on it. Cook until the under side is also brown…it may blacken a bit, especially in the thinner sections. And that's it…and it's soooooo good! Just don't over salt. Better to go under and then add more later. But just don't skip the salt altogether because it really is crucial to the taste!
Grilled pizza…takes a few tries to know your grill…we use a gas grill, high heat, top rack. Store bought pizza dough (either pre-made in bag or the kind you just add water to). I put olive oil on a paper plate and form the pizzas to the size of the plate…will shrink a bit. Grill first side and flip when brownish. I chop tomatoes and garlic (in bullet like blender) spread on top and cover with shredded mozzarella cheese. blend basil leaves with olive oil and drizzle on top. cook with lid down until cheese is melted. I pour balsamic vinegar on mine when done. sooooooooo good!
I bought already made pizza dough at our local supermarket (I think the brand was bertolli or something with a "B") and used a great ground turkey and leek and artichoke pizza recipe from thelawstudentswife.com (on Grace @ Camp Patton's blog roll – where I also came across your blog). It was delicious. happy pizza making!
America's Test Kitchen has a great video! One of the big things to get good crust is to use a stone and to preheat it. On the video they put the stone as close to the heating element as possible so the top will cook quickly. It's worth checking out. I think you can download it through itunes
Two words: pizza stone. A gamechanger. I usually make ATK's pizza dough but Jim Lahey's is great too, as is his pizza book http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/no-knead-pizza-dough
Mangia!
The main thing you have to remember is to let the dough come to room temperature, homemade or not. If it's cold, it's not very elastic and will just go back to where it was. If it's room temperature, it's more pliable and should let you roll it thin enough to get the crispy crust you want. Good luck!
The oven has to be VERY hot. I make pizza weekly, and I think the secret is a very hot oven and a good quality pizza stone. I have one of these, http://bakingstone.com/ have had it for years, and it has never done me wrong. In fact, I keep it in the oven at all times. But anyway, preheat the oven AND THE STONE for 45 minutes to an hour at 550 (or as high as your oven will go), then use the peel to slide it onto the stone. I uses smitten kitchen's pizza dough recipe, but am looking forward to trying some of the others mentioned here. I do think a very hot oven/pizza stone is key!
Lots of comments before me that I haven't had a chance to read! so apologizes if I'm repeating advice. I use semolina flour to roll the store-bought dough and it is super helpful! I let the dough out for quite a bit, until it becomes really soft and fluffy. Then I roll it with semolina flour, cover with pizza sauce and send to the oven. When it is almost done, I add cheese and other toppings. Then I put it in the broiler so the cheese melts, the veggies get golden and everything just gets really bubbly 🙂 Enjoy!
I haven't read all of these comments but we love to make pizza at home and I always use a very simple pizza dough recipe from Donna Hay (Aussie chef). This makes 2 large pizzas with thin crispy crust 🙂 AND stays rolled out! Honestly the crust is my favourite part of any pizza!
http://www.donnahay.com.au/recipes/recipe-entertaining/char-grilled-pizza-with-fig-mozzarella-and-caramelised-onion
We use a recipe that is from the Kraft website to make from scratch. It's good and it easier to spread out than others we have made. It also freezes really well so you can make a bigger patch and save the rest. Good luck! When all else fails we use premade naan bread and make our own individual pizzas!!
If you want REALLY thin pizza (which is what I like!), try using store-bought wraps instead of dough! We bought some roll-ups from Costco a while back (they are rectangular and really thin and are supposed to be for making wraps and whatnot). Turns out that they were kinda dry and cardboard-y tasting for making wraps BUT my husband came up with the brilliant idea of using them as thin pizza crusts! And they are PEFRECT. Just throw it on a pan, spread some sauce, and top with whatever (we're big fans of pepperoni, fresh mozz, and fresh basil, plus fresh-ground pepper and garlic powder). We back at 425 until the cheese gets bubbly, though we've also done them on pizza stones on the grill with excellent results. Definitely our fave go-to meal.
BUT be warned that the crust is definitely REALLY thin. Like, not doughy at all…just super duper thin (and delicious, in my opinion!). Good luck!
It's probably been said but my tricks are
1. Room temp dough. And then just work it around and around in the air (not throwing just holding…I'm not that good) not on a surface
2. Hot 425 degree oven, hot pizza stone
3. Sauce made with just crushed canned plum tomatoes, lots if salt, and crushed pepper.
Then once you've gotten it down you can go crazy! A favorite pizza of ours is no sauce, mozz, feta, and shaved garlic-bacon brussell sprouts.
I use this recipe for dough http://allrecipes.com/recipe/jays-signature-pizza-crust/
I make my own sauce and add fennel
I use lots of cheese
And I pray
A few people have mentioned this now, but here is the link to the Smitten Kitchen Lazy Pizza Dough:
http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2013/10/lazy-pizza-dough-favorite-margarita-pizza/
It is amazing and she gives three "different" recipes depending on how long you have to let the dough rise/rest (Overnight, All-Day, or Part-Day). It really is an amazing recipe and is the only one I use. You can sub in some whole wheat flour, but you want to be careful how much as it can change the taste/texture of the dough. Also, a pizza stone will help enormously to get a crispy crust. If you don't want to invest a lot up front, get just the stone and use the bottom of a sheet pan or cookie sheet to make your pizza. Parchment paper is also great for making the transfer process smoother. Finally, watch the pizza carefully toward the end of the baking time as cooking at 500 degrees can cause things to burn if they go a micro second too long.
Don't give up!
Read a few more comments and saw that you already have a stone. A peel is a paddle for transferring the pizza in to and out of the oven, but using parchment paper and a cookie sheet works almost as well. I have a peel and half the time I don't even bother to get it out.
I've been making our own pizza for over two years now and my 13 never wants pizza from a pizza place. I tell him that his attitude will change after I take him to NY for a slice one of these days, but until then, he loves mine.
Here is what I do:
Make the dough a day ahead of time and let it rise in the fridge until the next day. (this gives it flavor i guess) I let the dough sit at room temp for about an hour before handling it. (fermentation) This step also will help keep your dough from shrinking back on you. Divide the dough in half.
Instead of rolling your dough on a floured surface, use cornmeal. It works much better. If you don't like to shape the dough by hand, use a rolling pin! Roll it as thin or thick as you want.
I have a pretty ghetto oven so I crank that bad boy up to 475 degrees; place the rack on the lowest part. This will give you a crispier crust. (I like thin crispy crust, the others like it more regular and slightly soft so it is the top rack for them!)
Other tips: Use bread flour or a high gluten flour (the stuff pros use), prick the dough before you put sauce on it with a fork and brush a thin layer of Olive Oil onto it with some garlic. Use a pizza pan that has holes in it. If you want to get fancy you can use a pizza stone.
Use Classico pizza sauce. It's delicious. 🙂
We have pizza every Friday. So I use the pizza dough version on Bread in 10 Minutes a Day. You basically premake the dough by throwing it together (literally) in a container in your 'frige and you pull from it. Lasts about a week. If you want it thin roll it out with lots of flour as the dough is a wet dough. A trick I do because I'm super lazy is I evoo a baking sheet. Roll it on to it, top it, and etc. Cook it on that for 10 min or whatever and then the last 5 min or so take a thin metal spatula, loosen it up, and slide it onto the stone in your oven. That will then crisp it up. I think using a wet dough is the yummiest but transferring it raw is not fun. 🙂
P.S. I usually think anything with "10 minutes" in the title regarding cooking is to be avoided but this recipe is legit. Really.
A lot of people say pizza stone–which I heard too when I was trying to get good pizza. But I didn't want to buy one! So I didn't. I either pre-cook the crust in a very hot oven for 7 minutes then top it then 7 more, or do the grill thing someone above mentioned–oil and grill one side, then flip the dough, top it and grill some more. Good luck!
(I also second the room-temperature dough and crushed tomatoes as sauce.)
Pre-cooking the crust is my suggestion too! That way the sauce won't absorb into the dough and make everything soggy.
I've never commented before, but pizza is the best place to start! I used to think homemade pizza was the worst. My family sometimes made it for dinner when I was little, and while the production part of it was fun, the results were not so tasty. But then I grew up and my fiancé and I found this recipe:
http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/no-knead-pizza-dough
It takes a looooong time to rise (18 hours!) BUT you don't even have to knead it and it's only three ingredients plus water. We like to make it the night before and then have it for lunch or dinner the next day. Now it's one of my favorite meals!
Also, pizza dough doesn't stay stretched out if it's cold. It's much easier to work with at room temperature.
In case you try TJ's dough again, you need to let it come to room temperature before stretching. It's too hard to stretch when cold! Also for crispy crust, keep one pan in the oven at 500, then pull it out and transfer the dough to the hot pan.
Goodness I know how you feel. I consider myself a fairly decent cook, and I've watched my roommates and mom make delicious home made pizza a thousand times, especially with the Trader Joe's dough (Its soooo good) and when I try to make pizza, its practically inedible. Why??? So frustrating……
When you're trying to spread the dough out, take a fork and puncture it as you go.. this will help it thin out.
oooh, also use cornmeal on the table instead of flour-give it that nice corny crunch
I am seriously in love with pizza. I love to make mine on bagels or french bread. I would love to try to make a yummy dough that is thin a crispy for my husband. He loves thin and crispy pizza.
Find the Pioneer Woman's pizza dough recipe and use it!!
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/?s=pizza+dough&submit=
Dough in the bread machine. Stretch at room temp. Very very hot oven (500 or 550 if possible). Bake on inverted cookie sheet and covered with foil. Bake until it looks right.
This is the best recipe I have tried, and we eat a lot of homemade pizza!! Super easy to stretch! http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/pizza-dough-recipe.html
I always grill my pizzas…I use dough from Whole Foods because I'm too lazy to make my own. Cornmeal is key! Roll it out on cornmeal (both sides), then grill both sides for 2-3 minutes. [If you do not use the cornmeal, the dough will stick to/fall through the grill and you'll be screaming and frantically calling for help scraping the dough off/out of the grill…I know because I learned the hard way]. Then put the sauce and toppings on while your second side is grilling, close the lid of the grill, and it's ready in about 4-5 minutes. My favorite is just olive oil, fontina cheese, sea salt, pepper, and then arugula (which you put on after you take it off the grill, obvi).
I love TJ's dough. I make breadsticks with it too, for an after school snack. Someone else mentioned but you've got to have a crazy hot oven and then cook it quick. Yum!!!
There is a great recipe from Southern Living many years ago for Skillet Pizza Dough. You make the dough and divide it into six balls, roll them into circles and lightly brown one side in a skillet. Let them cool and then freeze them. When you want to make pizzas you pull it out of the freezer, put on the ingredients and bake about 15 minutes. The crusts are thin and crispy! I can sent you the exact recipe if you want to try it.
I enjoyed pizza at my friend Kari's house a couple of memorable times — her husband, a frantically busy internist by day and laid-back foodie by night — rolled out a paper-thin dough, spread it with toppings du jour then slid the whole thing onto a screaming hot pizza stone which had been heating up on their outdoor grill. Closed the lid. Few minutes later he pulled out fantastic, thin, chewy, oddly shaped to be sure, PIZZA!
Your dough needs to sit out for a long time- way longer than what the package says. Minimum three hours. Take it out of the bag, put it in an oiled bowl or on a greased pan, and cover it with a damp cloth (so it doesn't dry out).
You're probably not going to get the same pizza as you would in Italy, but if you use a stone and bake the pizza at your oven's highest temperature (literally), you'll have better luck.
If you want to go a more non-traditional route, you can skip the dough prep altogether and make a stovetop pizza. It's my go-to quick dinner meal! The dough is the opposite of thin & crispy, though, it's quite thick and fluffy.
http://www.fussfreecooking.com/recipe-categories/meatless-recipes/stovetop-pizza/
My husband and I make pizza once a week as our date night in.
This is the single best recipe I have found for consistently delicious pizza dough. http://www.annies-eats.com/2008/08/15/perfect-pizza-crust/
And this is a post where she shares tips and tricks to make it even easier to do.
http://www.annies-eats.com/2010/04/29/perfect-homemade-pizza-crust-tips-and-tricks/
If you have a pizza stone thats great or use a pizza baking sheet. I like to preheat my stone or sheet in the oven and then lay the dough out, and then put the toppings on, otherwise you have a big floppy mess.
Good luck!
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