Everyone loves a pizza party! But this is no elementary school birthday party; this is a full-out feast of grown-up pies, best enjoyed with everyone pitching in for pizza creation together. Invite eight to ten of your friends over, open a few bottles of wine, and spend the evening assembling, topping and baking your pies. Split up the prep work on the day of dinner by assigning each guest to bring a pizza toppings. This is a meal to eat in stages, as each new pizza comes out of the oven, cut into small slices so everyone can have a taste.
For this menu, you want wines that pair easily with a variety of foods and don’t cost too much per bottle, so you can serve them generously for a crowd. Serve both red and white wines so guests can choose their preference. You can round out the menu with a green salad and a simple dessert, such as cookies or brownies or ice cream.
Some Party Suggestions:
Do make the dough beforehand and freeze it in individual round portions or pan size portions.
Defrost the dough overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature about two hours before guests arrive.
Don’t buy the premade crusts, they just don’t taste the same as homemade dough. Purchased pizza dough is ok.
Do encourage your guests to stretch and roll out their own dough.
Do offer up interesting pizza toppers to create unusual pizzas or assign guests certain toppings to bring and share. The ingredients should be able to stand the intense heat of the oven, stay moist or crisp and complement the basic taste of the base.
Do interact with your guests. If you stay at the oven all night, you won’t have fun. Share the work.
Here are some pizza party ideas and they mix and match perfectly.
Pizza Margarita
Super simple, but unbelievably flavorful, this classic is made from buffalo mozzarella, cherry tomatoes and fresh basil.
Caramelized Red Onion Pizza with Capers and Olives
There’s no tomato sauce but this succulent pizza is always a hit. Onions are cooked until soft and caramelized and spread on top of mozzarella slices. The olives and capers make the sweet onions more savory.
Pear, Pecorino and Taleggio Pizza
This is a new twist on pizza, but the flavor combinations work well together. Almost like a dessert course, the pears and cheese melt together. For a heartier meal feel free to add some Italian sausage scattered throughout.
Sicilian Shrimp and Tomato Pizza
Topped with whole cherry tomatoes, shrimp, garlic, red pepper flakes, grated Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley, this pizza will add a kick to your party. Make sure to offer plates as it’s a little sloppy but well worth it.
Pizza Party Menu
Rather than making five different kinds of pizza dough, ignore the dough portions of each of these pizza recipes, and make four batches in advance of your pizza party. Then use the recipes simply for their toppings, or improvise your own unique topping combinations.
The key to making pizzeria-quality thin-crust pizza is a blazing-hot oven. The best way to replicate the intense heat of such an oven at home is by using a baking stone and cooking under the broiler. The stone absorbs and radiates heat, crisping the bottom of the pizza, while the broiler renders the toppings golden brown.
Allow the dough to come to room temperature before shaping. I usually take my pizza dough balls out of the refrigerator at least two hours before I need them.
Weigh the dough for individual pizzas; generally 6-8 ounces in size. Pan dough usually weighs 1 pound.
Thirty minutes before you need to make your pizza, lightly flour the ball, then press it into a circle about 1 inch thick. Cover with a kitchen towel until needed.
Use your hands and instead of a rolling pin to shape your crust. This will help to create a light crust with air pockets. The rolling pin pushes all the air out and will give you a flatter, less tender pizza crust. Use the base of your palm and fingers and keep turning the circle of dough as you gently stretch it.
Brush olive oil around the edges of the pizza dough before you add the sauce and toppings to ensure a golden brown crisp crust.
Italian Pizza Dough For The Party
This may not be your perfect dough recipe, but for me, it creates dough that is soft enough that I can press into a pizza pan with my hands and allows the crust to rise nicely during baking. It is also a very tender to the bite crust that has just enough chew to it, but it doesn’t toughen up when it cools. The other non-traditional aspect of this dough is that white wine is used along with the water to help keep the dough tender. As for yeast, I use SAS brand Rapid Rise Yeast also called instant yeast) for all my bread baking and it has never let me down and it doesn’t require proofing. This dough also freezes very well, so I often make a double batch and then weigh the balls, oil them, and wrap them in plastic wrap. I then store them in an airtight freezer bags in my freezer for future use.
Makes 4 large or 6 individual pizzas
Ingredients:
- 3 cups All-purpose Flour, level with knife
- 4 cups Italian Flour (00 flour), level with knife
- (If you do not have access to Italian flour use 7 cups all purpose flour or 2 cups white whole wheat flour and 5 cups all purpose flour)
- 1 cup Dry White Wine
- 2 cups Warm Water
- 2 1/2 Teaspoons Rapid Rise Yeast
- 1 1/2 Teaspoons Salt
- 2 tablespoons Olive OIl
Directions:
In a large electric mixer bowl mix together the two flours, the white wine, yeast, salt, and olive oil.
Slowly add in the warm water, stirring with the paddle attachment as you go until the dough comes together in a ball.
Switch to the dough hook. Knead until the dough is very smooth, about 5 to 7 minutes.
Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl covered with plastic wrap and let double in size.
Divide the dough into 8 ounce portions for individual pizzas or 1 pound portions for pizza pans and roll each in a ball.
Place the balls on a lightly oiled baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed if using on the same day or wrap and freeze for the day of the party .
Remove the dough balls from the refrigerator 2 hours before needed, allowing them to completely come to room temperature before using.
Making the Pizzas:
Lightly flour dough balls; transfer to a floured 9″ x 13″ baking pan; cover with plastic wrap. Meanwhile, place a baking stone on bottom rack of oven, about 13″ from heating element; heat broiler and stone for at least 1 hour.
Put 1 piece dough on floured wooden pizza peel or pizza pan; flatten with your fingertips.
*For baking directly on the stone:
Pick up dough and, using your knuckles and backs of your hands, gently and evenly stretch out dough, working from center outward and rotating as you go in order to make a circle of dough; let weight of dough stretch edges until circle of dough has reached a diameter of 12″.
Sprinkle pizza peel with more flour; transfer dough to front edge of peel. Brush edges of dough with extra-virgin olive oil; sprinkle dough with 1⁄4 cup grated grana padano cheese, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Add toppings (see pizza recipes below).
Transfer pizza to baking stone by resting end of peel on far edge of stone, holding peel at an angle, and gently pulling it back so that lip of dough catches stone and dough slides onto it. Cook pizza, rotating every 2 minutes with a long metal spatula, until edges are golden, 6–8 minutes. Transfer to a board; slice and serve. Repeat with remaining dough. Makes four 12″ pizzas.
*If baking in a pizza pan follow directions for pressing dough into the pan and place the pan on the baking stone. Bake about 12 -15 minutes in an the oven heated to 500 degrees F.
Soppressata, Tomato and Olive Pizza
- Pizza Dough, recipe above
- 1⁄4 cup oven roasted sliced plum or cherry tomatoes
- 6 thin slices soppressata
- 10 pitted black olives
- 2 tablespoons grated grana padano cheese
- 1 tablespoon. olive oil
Directions:
Make pizza dough according to instructions.
Dot dough with tomatoes, soppressata, and olives. Sprinkle with cheese; drizzle with olive oil.
Transfer pizza to a baking stone and cook pizza, under the broiler, rotating every 2 minutes with a long metal spatula, until edges are golden, 6-8 minutes.
Transfer pizza to a board; slice and serve.
Broccoli Rabe, Goat Cheese, and Lemon Zest Pizza
- Pizza Dough, recipe above
- 1⁄4 cup broccoli rabe, cooked and chopped
- 2 oz. crumbled goat or feta cheese
- 2 tablespoons. grated lemon zest
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Olive oil
Directions:
Make pizza dough according to instructions.
Cover dough with broccoli rabe, goat cheese, lemon zest, and salt and pepper; drizzle with olive oil.
Transfer pizza to a baking stone and cook pizza, under the broiler, rotating every 2 minutes with a long metal spatula, until edges are golden, 6-8 minutes.
Transfer pizza to a board; slice and serve.
Prosciutto, Chili and Onion Pizza
- Pizza Dough, recipe above
- 1⁄2 cup sauteed onions
- 1 chili pepper, thinly sliced
- 4 thin slices prosciutto
- Grated grana padano cheese
Directions:
Make pizza dough according to instructions.
Spread onions and chili over dough.
Transfer pizza to a baking stone and cook pizza, under the broiler, rotating every 2 minutes with a long metal spatula, until edges are golden, 6-8 minutes.
After baking, drape prosciutto over top and sprinkle with cheese.
Transfer pizza to a board; slice and serve.
Mushroom and Fontina Pizza
- Pizza Dough, recipe above
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 6 oz. mushrooms, sliced
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, plus 4 sprigs for garnish
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 3 medium shallots, peeled and sliced
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 3 plum tomatoes, seeded and coarsely chopped
- 2 cups freshly grated fontina cheese
- 1⁄4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Directions:
Make pizza dough according to instructions. Place pizza stone on bottom rack of the oven and heat oven to 500 degrees F.
Heat 2 tablespoons. of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté mushrooms, thyme leaves, salt, and pepper. Cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Set aside. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and cook until wilted, 5 minutes. Add vinegar slowly, cook for 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, cook for 2 more minutes, and season with salt and pepper.
To assemble pizza, stretch dough into a 12″ round on a pizza pan, pinching edge to form ridge. Cover with half the fontina, all the mushrooms, and all the tomato mixture. Top with remaining fontina and parmesan. Place pan on pizza stone and bake until crust is golden, about 15 minutes. Garnish with thyme sprigs.
Have Fun !
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