Your Homemade Pizza Will Be Better Than Most Delivery Options

The basics of pizza

Mark Bittman
Heated

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Photo: istetiana/Moment/Getty Images

Everybody loves pizza. Even if you’re used to the wood-fired pies that are increasingly popular at more and more restaurants, home-baked pizza will amaze you with how easy, fun, and versatile it is. And if you’re used to only delivery pizza, it’s a game-changer.

When you make your own pizza, of course, you have complete control over ingredients in terms of both quality and quantity. The toppings range from elemental — tomatoes, mozzarella, mushrooms, meat, vegetables —to more original or special: new kinds of cheese, eggs, salsa verde, and more. At home, you have the option of using better ingredients than the ones they use at most pizzerias, and that makes a huge difference. Plus, you can combine them in any which way, and every pizza night is a new chance to experiment.

Pizza takes a bit of planning since the dough is yeasted, but the rise time isn’t too long and is mostly hands-off, so you can make it work around your schedule.

Plus, you can freeze the dough, allowing for more flexible timing. Once you get the hang of the timing and shaping, you’ll be in love with the results — and eating a lot more pizza.

Preparing pizza dough

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