There’s nothing better than homemade pizzas, fresh from the oven. Kids love helping to make the dough and choose their favourite toppings – and it’s a great way to use up leftovers from the fridge.
Never made pizza from scratch? Once you see how easy it is to make your own – and discover how much better it tastes – you’ll never buy a frozen pizza again! Check out these top tips from some of our favourite family food bloggers…
1: Make your own pizza crust
Image: Jam and Clotted Cream
Toppings are often the focus of a pizza, but it’s the crust that really counts. Whether you like deep crust, thin and crispy, sourdough or a gluten-free alternative, there are plenty of options to choose from. We asked our favourite family bloggers to share their tried-and-tested pizza base recipes. Here are the most popular crusts along with some clever time-saving hacks…
Regular pizza base:
“We do Friday night pizza quite a lot,” says Rachel. “I make the dough in the morning and let it prove all day. It’s SO worth it. Nothing compares to homemade pizza.”
– See Rachel’s regular pizza dough recipe over at Mrs Rachel Brady.
Crusty white bread mix:
No time for proving? Katie Bryson discovered a fantastic shortcut - a packet of crusty bread mix: “The results far exceeded my expectations, and I’ve not bought a ready-made pizza since! Honestly – it takes about 15 minutes to put your pizza together including making your own tomato sauce. The difference in taste really does make it worth your while.”
– See Katie’s bread mix base over at Feeding Boys.
Yeast-free scone base:
Cornish Mum of three, Beth, shares another great time-saving recipe that her kids love.
“Made with self raising flour, there’s no need to prove the pizza ‘dough’ as it’s yeast free. That means you can be enjoying delicious homemade pizza within 30 minutes.”
– See Beth’s scone base pizza over at Jam and Clotted Cream.
Cauliflower rice base:
And for something different, Rachel’s cauliflower rice pizza base is a great way to sneak extra veg into fussy eaters! “It’s much easier than you’d think. The cauliflower rice is dead quick to make using a processor and a microwave…It’s lovely and light; you don’t have that stodged up feeling that you sometimes get after a real pizza. Also, it’s really tasty cold, the next day.”
– See Rachel’s cauliflower rice pizza base over at Mrs Rachel Brady.
2: Make your own pizza sauce
Image: denio109/Shutterstock
Whether you prefer tomato, barbecue, or white sauce (a thick slather of ricotta mixed with garlic oil), homemade pizza sauce is cheap and easy to make. Why not prepare a big batch and freeze some for another day. Here’s how our family food bloggers make theirs:
Homemade tomato sauce:
If you’re a traditionalist, this rich and flavoursome tomato sauce is just the thing. Wendy recommends adding chillies or toasted fennel seeds for a fresh zing.
– See Wendy’s homemade tomato sauce recipe over at Daisies & Pie.
Tangy homemade barbecue sauce:
Katie’s not a fan of smoky barbecue sauce, so this is “more the tangy lip-smacking stuff like my mum used to put together when we were children.”
– See Katie’s homemade barbecue sauce recipe over at Feeding Boys.
No-cook tomato sauce:
And for a no-fuss option that’s better than anything you can buy in a jar, Rachel’s recipe is dead easy – “simply whizz up all the ingredients into a smooth sauce, using a blender.”
– See Rachel’s no-cook tomato sauce recipe over at Mrs Rachel Brady.
3: Ten homemade pizza topping ideas
Image: Daisies & Pie
When you’ve made your own pizza from scratch, an old-fashioned margarita is definitely hard to beat. But if you’re looking for new topping ideas, here are some of our bloggers’ favourites to try on your next family pizza night:
- Goats cheese, sundried tomato and caramelised onion
- Breakfast pizza!
- Chorizo, potato and rosemary
- Healthy turkey calzone
- Spicy butternut squash pizza with crispy kale
- Ricotta, garlic and wild mushroom (no tomato sauce)
- Turkish spicy lamb and feta pizza
- Mushroom and brie white pizza (no tomato sauce)
- Mushroom, pesto and asparagus pizza (no tomato sauce)
- Pesto pizza with prosciutto (no tomato sauce)
– Beth at Jam and Clotted Cream
– Wendy at Daisies & Pie
– Louisa at Eat Your Veg
– Filipa at Gourmet Mum
– Becca at Easy Cheesy Vegetarian
– Louisa at Eat Your Veg
– Eb at Easy Peasy Foodie
– Becca at Easy Cheesy Vegetarian
– Helen at Family, Friends, Food
– Eb at Easy Peasy Foodie
We hope we’ve given you plenty of food for thought when it comes to planning your next family pizza night! We’d love to see your photos and unusual topping ideas - share them with us on Facebook or Twitter next time you fancy a pizza.
Lead image: Easy Peasy Foodie