I just use chef boyardee kits. Add some Italian seasons and it's the best pizza you can have.
You, Sir, are wise beyond your years and are on the cusp of being your own home-made pizza chef. Really.
The GREAT thing about those kits are they are forcing you to take the first steps by using the "kit". The DOWN side? The cost.
Last I looked they went from $5.95 to $6.95 depending on the store. Sometimes higher.
What do they have? A packet of (basically) self rising flour and a can of pre-made sauce and a packet of parmesean. You can do the same for FAR cheaper by getting a full bag of self rising flour and a large (29 oz) can of either tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes. The 29 oz can is MORE than enough to make sauce for two large pizzas with more left over to freeze for next time. The flour bag is enough to make at least 6 large pizzas if not more.
Sauce:
Emeril’s Tomato Sauce· 2 tablespoon olive oil
· 1/3 cup chopped yellow onions (I use 1/2 cup)
· 1/2 teaspoon salt
· 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (I add more, 28 turns)
· 1 tablespoon minced garlic (I use 3)
· 2 1/2 cups peeled, seeded, and chopped tomatos (OR one 29 oz can of tomato sauce or crushed tomatos)
· 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves (or ¼ cup dry basil)
· 3 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano leaves (HEAPING)
· Pinch cayenne
· 1/2 cup chicken stock
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over high heat. Add the onions, salt, and black pepper and cook, stirring, until the onions are soft, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, basil, oregano, and cayenne, and cook for 1 minute. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened and fragrant, about 15 minutes. (Cover and set on "low" until your ready to sauce the pre-heated crust).
Crust:
1 1/2 cup Self-Rising Flour (plus a bit more for dusting)
3/4 cup warm water (You may need more, see directions)
cornmeal (for dusting the pan)
1 T EVOO
In a large bowl, combine the self rising flour and water and mix well. Cover with a warm cloth and place in a warm (85F) area for about 1/2 hour to rise. If the misture is sticky--add a bit more self rising flour, one heaping big T at a time until the mixture forms a ball and isn't very sticky. If it's dry and falling apart, add warm water one T at a time until it forms a non-sticky ball.
Dust a nice, flat work area with more flour (to keep it from sticking to the surface). With a good quality rolling pin, roll the ball out flat--adding more dusting flour to prevent sticking if needed. Fold over on it self from all sides and repeat. Repeat until hit has been folded and rolled at LEAST 10 times. THIS is what gives it that layered taste.
(I am doing this assuming that most people do not have a pizza stone)
Pre-heat oven to 500F.
Take the LARGE pizza pan and gently coat with EVOO with your fingers...then gently dust the greased pan with corn flour.
Roll out the dough again and roll until it is at least 3" larger in diameter than your pan. GENTLY pull the dough over the pan! If it breaks, you are in luck, we have "extra" to patch with. Carefully roll the overlap dough onto the edge of the pan and carefully make the "edge" dough. If you wanted "stuffed crust"---AT THIS point while you are rolling up the edge crust place half a stick of string cheese in the dough as you start to roll it--you have to do this the entire perimeter of the crust ring.
With your fingers, place a VERY light layer of EVOO onto the middle dough in the pan to thinly coat the dough. Place the pan with dough crust into the oven for no more than 10 minutes. Check after 8 minutes...what you are striving for is a dough that has risen slightly more and is turing a light tan and a little very light brown in the middle. When it is--PULL it from the oven and back to your work space.
Carefully ladle the sauce into the pre-cooked crust. You are looking for a THIN layer of sauce--no more than a 1/4" inch at the most. Make sure you get the sauce all the way up to the crust rim edge.
Gently dust the sauce with parmesean cheese. The parmesean should start to melt a bit as it hits the sauce.
I normally return the pan with sauce and parmesean to the oven for 2 to 4 minutes, but you can skip that if you want.
Cover the sauce with shredded low-moisture mozzarella cheese, the depth is up to you but I wouldn't go more than 1/2".
Here's where you put your toppings on...onions, mushrooms, shrimp, sausage (sorry Meatwad) or whatever.
***Optional: At this point I add a bit more mozarella to the entire pie, but that's just me.
Return to the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Check after 20 minutes. You are striving for that "perfect" mix of lightly brown cheese to melted but not quite brown cheese "look"....at that point, yank it from the oven and slice with a pizza cutter immediately and serve.
