Pizza is one of the most popular dishes in America, and it’s not surprising considering how it runs the gamut from a gourmet meal to comfort food and everything in between. But when was the last time you felt the pleasure of making your delicious pizza?

We’ll show you how some delicious and easy homemade pizza recipes from scratch, starting with a basic dough recipe and then adding different sets of toppings. Let’s get right to it!

Basic pizza dough

What you’ll need:

1. 1 tbsp of sugar

2. ¼ ounce packet of active dry yeast

3. 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, and extra for brushing the dough

4. ½ tsp salt

First, you’ll have to whisk the sugar in a bowl with one ⅓ cups of warm water, while sprinkling the yeast on top. Set aside for 10 minutes or until foamy, then stir the olive oil in. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour and salt, then make a little well in the center of the mix to pour in the yeast mixture you did before. Stir with a wooden spoon until a rough dough is formed.

Transfer the dough from the bowl into a lightly floured surface and knead until it’s smooth and elastic (this should take no more than 5 minutes), and further fust with more flour if necessary. Separate into two dough balls and set aside. Brush two large bowls with olive oil and add a dough ball into each one. Coat them with more olive oil all around and wrap the bowls in plastic.

Let the dough double in size, which should take about 1 and a half hours, then spread out and voilá, homemade pizza dough recipe.

Homemade Margherita pizza

What you’ll need:

• 1 dough ball
• 2 finely chopped roasted garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup of your favorite pizza sauce
• 8 ounces of mozzarella cheese, sliced
• 2 of your favorite tomatoes, sliced
• Fresh basil
• Fresh ground pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 475°F (246°C). Mix some olive oil with chopped garlic and brush over your rolled out dough. Push dents into the dough with your fingers, and top with pizza sauce, mozzarella slices and tomato. Bake for about 15 minutes until the crust is lightly browned or the cheese is bubbling.

Remove the pizza from the oven and top with fresh basil and pepper. Slice and serve hot!

Salami, arugula and mushrooms pizza

As before, here’s what you’ll need:

• 1 dough ball
• 2 finely chopped roasted garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup of your favorite pizza sauce
• 8 ounces of mozzarella cheese, sliced
• ⅛ cup of grated parmesan
• 9 ounces of cherry tomatoes, sliced or halved
• 2 flat mushrooms, sliced
• 6 ounces shaved mild salami
• ⅓ cup of fresh arugula

As with the last recipe, you start by preheating your oven to 475°F (246°C). Repeat the same olive oil and chopped garlic mix that you’ll brush over your rolled out dough, then create dents into the dough with your fingers. Top your pizza with sauce, but before adding the mozzarella slices, sprinkle your grated parmesan evenly over the pizza. Now you can top with mozzarella and cherry tomato. Finish your toppings with shaved salami and mushrooms, then bake for about 15 minutes until the crust is lightly browned or the cheese is bubbling.

Remove the pizza from the oven and top with fresh arugula and pepper. If you don’t particularly enjoy arugula, you can also use basil. Slice and serve hot!
There you go! These are super simple recipes that even the most rookie pizza chefs can make and enjoy for their next pizza night. If you’re just starting, it’s OK to make a little mess, just have someone ready to clean it up the next day.