How to Make Easy Homemade Pizza

Do you love pizza? Do you order takeout pizza or go to pizza restaurants frequently because making pizza at home is just too much work? I do love pizza delivery on busy nights, but I also enjoy creating homemade pizzas as well. Creating homemade pizza doesn't have to be difficult, and it can be a lot of fun.

I have to admit, the reason that I find making homemade pizzas pretty easy is that I cheat when it comes to the crust. I don't make my pizza crust from scratch. I love to cook, but am not gifted when it comes to creating anything at all that involves yeast. I used to make pizza crust in a bread machine with some success, but I discovered that there are some great alternatives to homemade dough.

My favorite homemade pizza crust alternatives include:

• Boboli (my favorite is the whole wheat crust, but all varieties are teriffic)
• Tortillas (perfect for "taco pizza")
• French Bread (people buy frozen French bread pizzas; why not make your own?)
• English Muffins (perfect for a quick snack)

Notice that these "convenience crusts" are all items that you can easily find at your local supermarket! No matter which type of convenience crust I use, I simply top the crust with my favorite sauce and pizza toppings, pop into a preheated oven (350 degrees) and bake until the cheese is melted and the toppings are warm and bubbly.

Sauce

There are several different options for sauce, which I vary based on what I have in my refrigerator or pantry. Homemade marinara sauce, bottled pizza sauce, and canned or jarred marinara sauce work equally well. Pizza sauce tends to be a little thicker than standard marinara sauce, so you may want to add tomato paste to the sauce that you use.

Toppings

One of the great things about making pizza at home is that you can be really creative when it comes to toppings. You can use up leftovers from your fridge, or put together toppings especially for pizza. Each person in your household can select his or her own toppings when you make pizza at home. Preventing arguments over what type of pizza to order is one of the great benefits of making your own pizza at home.

Standard Topping Ideas: sausage, pepperoni, Canadian bacon, bacon, onions, mushrooms, peppers, mozzarella cheese, cheddar cheese, black olives

Creative Pizza Toppings: grilled chicken, barbecue chicken, spinach, diced tomatoes, broccoli, browned hamburger meat, black beans, pineapple, ham, smoked sausage