Growing up, my parents loved to throw backyard parties with all of our friends. So, I naturally picked up this trait as well. One thing that I believe helps to make a backyard party even more fun is when you get everyone involved in the cooking process. A few years ago, my parents installed a wood fired oven in our backyard and we soon became the go-to home for summer because we would have pizza making parties!

But, you can just as easily make your own pizzas in your oven!

We try to make our own homemade pizza dough when we know that we are going to be having a party, but if we decide to make pizzas spur the moment, we go to Whole Foods to purchase pizza dough that they just made that day.

Make sure to preheat your oven to 550 degrees or even higher. The hotter your oven is, the better.

Step 1:

Roll out your pizza dough into an 8 to 10-inch circle, making sure to use plenty of flour so that it doesn’t stick. Working with one serving of the dough at a time, form it into a large disk with your hands and lay it on the baking sheet. Use your hands or a rolling pin to flatten the dough until it is 1/4-inch thick or less.

Step 2:

Once you have the pizza shape laid out, evenly spread 1tbs of extra virgin olive oil, making sure to cover the entire pizza, with a spoon.

Step 3:

Spread 3tbs of pizza sauce on the pizza, making sure to leave ½ inch of dough around the edges without sauce for the crust.

Step 4:

If you’re like me and love love love cheese, then generously sprinkle mozzarella cheese all over the pizza. Add any other toppings that you enjoy. Here are some of my favorites:

·      Prosciutto and Fresh Arugula

·      Grilled Chicken and basil

·      Classic Pepperoni

·      Caramelized Onions with Pancetta, Rosemary and Gruyere cheese (no red sauce for this pizza, just olive oil)

Step 5:

Time to cook the pizza! Place the topped pizza in the oven and bake for 5 minutes. Rotate the pizza and bake for another 3-5 minutes. Make sure to keep an eye on your pizza so that it doesn’t burn.

Step 6:

Let the pizza cool for 2 minutes before cutting. Serve and enjoy!

XOXO,

Rachael Claire