How To Make Homemade Pizza With Store-bought Dough

There are so many possibilities when it comes to cooking pizzas. This post will let you know how to make homemade pizza with store-bought dough for pizza night any time you want.

Pizza, being a versatile recipe allows you to use any ingredients that you want and get the same results every time. The secret is to know the proper process of making one.

In order to do that, you are going to fail first. The process of learning how to perfect pizzas is a trial and error way where you will find details you might have missed every time you cook one.

So be patient and do not be too hard on yourself. You will learn that you need to repeatedly make failed attempts first before actually getting close to the type of pizza perfection you want.

The results may vary but that is a good thing since it will be more clear where you messed up. Cooking at home will give you this opportunity so you can make any type of pizza you want.

With that being said, making pizza also takes a lot of time so you might not have the opportunity to make the ingredients all at home. So you need to find a way to shorten the time of cooking.

Using store-bought pizza dough can be the best option that you have. It gives you the perfect dough while also allowing you to bring versatility to the toppings that you want to use.

Store-bought pizza dough can also be great for people who are just starting out with their pizza endeavors. It will give you a better view of the consistency that you need for your pizza.

So if you want to know more about the process of making pizza in the comfort of your own home while also using store-bought pizza dough, then read on as we get into the details of the process.

 

Buying The Pizza Dough

I am lucky enough to live in a place where there are a lot of pizzerias around. It is also beneficial that some of them sell balls of dough so I no longer need to make my own pizza dough.

But if you do not have such a place, then you can go to your local stores and ask for premade pizza dough. These are usually frozen dough that you need to thaw first before using.

These are great options so do not worry about the brand. As long as it has the consistency of pizza dough, you can make it out to be one of the best pizzas later on when it is cooked.

These pizza doughs will last for several days in the refrigerator so if you are shopping, you can get a couple or three balls of dough and store the unused ones in the refrigerator.

Depending on the date that they were made, the store-bought pizza dough can last for up to 4 days in the refrigerator. So get a ball ready for a pizza meal within that week.

 

How To Rise Store-bought Pizza Dough

Making pizza at home with store-bought pizza dough involves letting it rise as the first step. Most people struggle with this part and make the pizza often rubbery or soggy on the bottom.

It is difficult to stretch a pizza dough that was frozen or is cold. So you need to let it rise first by letting it sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.

Use a paper towel to cover the ball of dough and let it sit on a window. You can also use a heated towel from the dryer but do not use a wet one to allow the growth of the dough to happen.

After it has doubled in size, you can start stretching it to shape it to the size of the pizza that you want. Make sure to do it by hand to avoid ripping it or flattening it too much.

Remember, the pizza dough does not need to be a perfect circle. You can adjust the shape itself when you already have a baking pan or pizza stone ready by pulling it to the shape of the stone.

 

Stretching The Store-bought Dough

The next step is to stretch the dough by hand. This will be a bit difficult for store-bought dough since they are hard so you really need to let it rise and warm up first before stretching it.

Once you attain a soft dough, sprinkle some flour on your work surface and then lay the dough on it. From there, start massaging the dough and press it outwards from the center.

The flour will prevent the dough from sticking to the surface. Use some on your hands too so that the dough stays in shape and prevents it from sticking to your hands as well.

Using a rolling pin will only lock the moisture that you need to escape the dough. So when stretching, use your hands and press on the dough to make it thinner for a crispy pizza crust.

 

Preheat The Oven

Let the dough rest a bit and while doing so, preheat the oven to the desired temperature. If your oven cannot reach the required temperature, you can let it preheat to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

This temperature is perfect for pre-cooking the dough. So once the oven reaches this temperature, put the dough in and let it cook for about 4 minutes to make it more firm.

If you are using a pizza stone, then preheat that in the oven as well. If not, you can sprinkle some flour on a cookie sheet and let the pizza cook there to get a crispy crust.

 

Arrange The Pizza

After you have pre-cooked the dough, bring it out of the oven and start arranging the pizza. Put the sauce but do not overdo it as it can still make the pizza crust soggy later on.

Just put a thin layer of the sauce and then place the toppings evenly over the pizza. Brush the edges of the pizza with a thin layer of olive oil to help it become even crispier.

While doing this, turn the heat up in the oven until it reaches a temperature of around 475 to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Be as creative as you want with the toppings that you put in the pizza.

 

Cook The Pizza

Do the final baking by placing the pizza in the middle rack of the oven. Let it cook for about 7 to 10 minutes or until the crust has browned and the cheese is melted over the toppings.

Make sure that you let the pizza rest on the counter for a little bit before slicing and serving it. Garnish it with some fresh basil leaves and a little bit of salt and enjoy it!

The crust should have turned into a crispy base for the pizza. The toppings would have been cooked perfectly with a creamy cheese over them to bind the flavors together.

 

Conclusion

Cooking pizzas with store-bought pizza dough is a great way to remove the hassle of waiting for a day just for the dough to properly rise. It also gives you more freedom in terms of toppings.

Since you are making it at home, you have all the choices with the toppings that you want to be put on your pizza. So experiment with what you have to make the best pizzas.

You just need to remember that using store-bought pizza dough means that you are going to need to pre-cook it to make it crispier and sturdier to hold the toppings in place.

Do not overdo the sauce as it might make the crust soggy. Be sure to also use the freshest ingredients to make the pizza as tasty as possible and for it to also cook faster.

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