Homemade Pizza (Hut)

When I'm cooking for catering, it's more methodical and precise.  The amount of food we work with is ginormous and recipes are quantified to the exact milligram.  Down to the salt and pepper.  So in a way, my creativity is limited to the final garnishing and plating of the finished product.  That's why cooking for a small group, usually for family and friends, is something I always look forward to.  It relaxes me allows me to get my creative juices flowing.

I'm running with the pizza theme from last night and sharing with you and awesome and easy pizza crust recipe.  A no-fail recipe that is perfect for intimate gatherings. Interested?  Keep reading. :)


If you’re a Pizza Hut fan then you will absolutely love this recipe, especially since this crust is the lighter and less oily version. It’s crisp on the outside and moist and chewy on the inside. We try to eat healthy as much as we can without sacrificing the quality and taste of our food.

Yuri (meet my hubby) and I have made pizzas using this recipe twice and people thought we ordered out. It’s an easy way to impress guests for a fraction of the cost.

Arm yourself with:
2 1/2 tsp yeast
1/2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 cup water (warm)
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 1/3 cup flour

The tricky part:
Combine yeast, sugar and water. Rest for 10 minutes. We prefer using active dry yeast, and we buy them in really small amounts since these expire pretty quickly. The water has to be WARM, otherwise it won’t work. Test out the water with your finger to be sure. Warm water and sugar (yeast grub) activates the yeast. If you see the yeast foaming up and emitting that distinct erm yeasty smell (it’s impossible to miss), then that just means that you can look forward to one mean pizza crust.

Add salt and olive oil. Pour in flour. I prefer to make a crater in my flour, pour the liquid mixture in it, and then slowly fold in the flour.

Knead dough until texture is firm and rubbery. Great for working out those arms and relieving stress. Use your hands to work the dough in a circular motion, pushing the dough in with the heel of your hand. Just be careful not to overdo it since the dough might dry out and lose its elasticity.

Easy as pie:
Let dough rise for about 1 1/2 hours. Place in a mixing bowl or any other similar container at room temperature and cover with a plastic wrap. Dough should double in size.

Flatten the dough. Toss it up, use a rolling pin, or simply shape it with your hands. Hey, to each his own. The thickness is totally up to you. You’re in complete control. You may also opt to fold in the edges of your flattened dough to get that authentic restaurant look.


Now throw in your toppings!  Use your imagination and have fun with it.  I highly suggest using tomato paste as your base instead of tomato sauce. Tomato sauce dries up really easily and lacks the intensity of flavor. 

We usually use ground beef (sauteed in minced garlic, with a dash of salt and pepper) and slices of smoked sausage. As a concession to moi, we also add some julienned red and green bell peppers and white onion rings to give it some crunch. 

Lastly, we load it up with Mozzarella. My happy cheese. Grated cheese works better so that it spreads out evenly. Make sure it completely covers all of your toppings. Don’t scrimp on the cheese. Otherwise, your pizza will look dried out and the cheese will most likely get burnt. Trust me, you don’t want that to happen. If going Mozzarella all the way is a bit too much for your pocket, you can go half Mozzarella and half Quickmelt cheese to still get that yummy stringy quality on your pizza. Again, there are so many cheeses out there to choose from, so your can be as creative as you want. It all depends on your preference. 

Bake in a preheated oven at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Baking time will depend on the thickness of your crust.

Once you’ve taken your pizza out of the oven, you can jazz it up by topping it with some freshly chopped basil. Yum!

Pairs well with beer, American football, UFC and boxing. :-)

~Mich :)