What kind of Pizza do you like?

I like the pizza with a thick crust on the outside edge,  red sauce, sausage or pepperoni and lots of vegetable like the Supreme Pizza at pizza place, then topped with mozzarella.

Dear hubby like line crust lots of red sauce, pepperoni then topped with mozzarella.  This is the kinda pizza I fix....

I prefer a thinner crispier dough on the edges of my pizza but I want to be able to fold it a little in hand. A good red sauce is important, if the sauce is tasteless it brings the whole slice down. I've had some white sauce or oil based slices but can't say I would go out of my way to try them again.

From there, the world is your oyster. I really enjoy all sorts of pizzas but I have never been a picky guy. I'm particularly partial to local specialty pizzas.

I grew up with both an Italian-American pizza place as well as a Greek-American pizza place in town. My uncle would bring me out to eat every once in a while when I was around seven or eight and slip me some cash. We bonded over diners and eateries including plenty of pizza spots.

I would like to take a minute and shoutout the Poly Dough thread on Permies. I have read that some folks including Paul have made pizza with it!

I like being asked this question.  I just do!  

My two favorites are:  

1.  Pepperoni, Mushrooms, Green Olive, and Extra Mozzerella.
2.  Canadian Bacon, Pineapple, and Jalapeno Peppers.

And, like Timothy, I like a thinner, crispier crust.  I'm not a deep dish person at all.  To me, that's like trying to eat a loaf of bread in one sitting.  And I love leftover, cold pizza straight from the fridge.

We have a pizza place in my area called Papa Murphy's that I really like.  They put the pizza together for you and you take it home and bake it yourself.  (Which means no tax on it since it's considered groceries and not a prepared, restaurant meal.)  They have a specialty pizza that I get once in awhile - Chicken, Bacon, Artichoke.  If you order it online, you can always find a 20% - 25% off promo code to use, which really makes it affordable and covers the tip if you have it delivered through Door Dash or whatever it is.  I've only done that once, myself.

Yes, pizza, all of them.

Josh Hoffman wrote:Yes, pizza, all of them.

That's true.  Pizza is never the wrong answer.  Neither is cake, but I digress.  
I'm still searching for a really good, quick pizza dough recipe, as well as a pizza sauce recipe.  

Emmett Ray wrote: I'm still searching for a really good, quick pizza dough recipe, as well as a pizza sauce recipe.  

Your mileage may vary: I take a small can of organic tomato paste and about 1 1/2 Tbsp of my homemade garlic scape pesto. Mix them together and spread. If there's leftover, it freezes well and can get tossed into some other 1-pot meal like a stew.

Emmett Ray wrote:searching for a really good, quick pizza dough recipe, as well as a pizza sauce recipe.  

Easy dough. It is a medium to thin depending on how you roll it.

4 cups flour
1.5 cups warm water
1 t yeast
1 t sugar
3 t honey
2 t salt
4 t olive oil

Mix and rest for 10-15
Divide into 3 balls
Let rise an hour

Make the pizza.

Emmett Ray wrote:as well as a pizza sauce recipe.  

You'd have to mail me an index card with a drop of your blood on it and a pledge never to share the recipe. I can message you the address.

Ok I have to give two answers. On our honeymoon we hiked the Appalachian Trail ( actually, 2x …we made it the second time). Anyway, somewhere around Moose Lake in Maine we stumbled upon a tiny pizza shop.  We told them we wanted everything on it …that is what we got. It seemed to be about as tall as it was wide.   Sausage, ham, pineapple, …I haven’t an idea what all they put on it …it was incredible.  Of course, the fact we had just spent maybe 3 weeks without a decent meal  didn’t hurt the flavor.

In terms of what I like now, thin crust, heavy on mushrooms, olives, black pepper.

Really nice, very quick pizza base? Garlic naan bread from Costco! We keep some in the freezer for emergencies!

For slow pizza base, a beer dough in my bread machine is lovely. Which surprised me because I don't drink beer, (and almost nothing else alcoholic either.)

Josh Hoffman wrote:

Emmett Ray wrote:as well as a pizza sauce recipe.  

You'd have to mail me an index card with a drop of your blood on it and a pledge never to share the recipe. I can message you the address.

2 T olive oil
4 or more cloves of garlic chopped or minced
1 t oregano chopped
1/2" bunch cilantro (store measurement). A small handful picked fresh chopped
1 t salt
1.5 cups heavy cream
5-6 T flour, maybe more depending on many factors

Heat oil, salt, garlic, oregano, cilantro for several minutes

Add 4 T flour and
Add heavy cream

Stir and mix more flour over time to thicken. Amount of flour over time will depend on consistency desired.

Use a whisk. Be attenuative and patient and vigorous. It will make a beautiful green cream pizza sauce

If you source these ingredients from a grocery store, the sauce is great.

If you grow them and/or source locally, it is out of this world.

How I like my pizza? It depends. 🤣
I grew up in the Chicago area & south eastern Michigan, where they viewed pizza the same way Chicagoans did. But, Chicago style pizza isn't only one style - and my favorite depends on my mood. There's thin that's usually hand tossed, but cut in squares; thick crust, that's sort of like pizza built on a foundation of focaccia, and stuffed, which has a softer thin crust in a cake type pan, filled with cheese & other toppings, then more thin crust, with about 1/4" of red sauce on top, then topped with parmesan &/or Asiago.

Fillings/toppings run the gamut - mushrooms, broccoli, spinach, bell peppers(any/all colors), onions, artichokes, banana peppers, garlic, pineapple(some think that's sacreligious), Italian sausage, pepperoni, bacon, ham, chicken, anchovies (no thanks), lots o' MOZZ, white sauce, red sauce, or plain olive oil...

Any or all, finally topped at the table, with even more parmesan &/or red pepper flakes. Pizza, in the Chicago area isn't merely food - it's a way of life. (Don't EVEN get me STARTED on hot dogs).

Before we get into this question. . . "pizza with everything" turned out to be just that - including a couple of eggs on top.  We didn't go back.
I prefer a thin crust and make it from scratch because we are out in the sticks where no one delivers anything.   Tomato sauce made by thawing 2 or 3 ice-cube tray frozen blocks of tomato paste diluting with some water to spreading consistency and spreading on the rolled out crust. Sometimes garlic added.  Topped with cheese, capsicum, pepperoni and whatever else - usually anchovies and black olives.  Cubed chicken works too, and portobello mushrooms - meaty, with brown skin on the tops  -  the white mushies exude too much moisture and have to be cooked first.
Since 'greens' don't fare well in the oven I thaw tiny blocks of spinach and either add them to the crust or to the tomato sauce.
Tomato sauce alternative - pesto, the basil kind,  that gets cheese (mozzarella mostly) and a topping of prawns (shrimp in your language?)
Unfortunately there's no emoji for kissing fingers in the Italian fashion!  
My only difficulty is getting the underside of the crust to brown up. Partial solution is to put another tray into the oven while it is getting to temperature, and place pizza & pan on top.  Sometimes it works fine, others, not so well.    I've been wondering about the top of the woodstove, and covering the pizza pan with the wok lid . . . if this is something you've done,  how did it work?  

Jay Angler wrote:

Emmett Ray wrote: I'm still searching for a really good, quick pizza dough recipe, as well as a pizza sauce recipe.  

Your mileage may vary: I take a small can of organic tomato paste and about 1 1/2 Tbsp of my homemade garlic scape pesto. Mix them together and spread. If there's leftover, it freezes well and can get tossed into some other 1-pot meal like a stew.

That's easy enough to try, thanks.  Garlic scape pesto is almost a staple item for me.  

Jay Angler wrote:Really nice, very quick pizza base? Garlic naan bread from Costco! We keep some in the freezer for emergencies!

For slow pizza base, a beer dough in my bread machine is lovely. Which surprised me because I don't drink beer, (and almost nothing else alcoholic either.)

YES!  Except the ones I used were from Trader Joe's  (Already frozen.)  Best quick pizza base!  I forgot about those actually.

Josh Hoffman wrote:

Emmett Ray wrote:searching for a really good, quick pizza dough recipe, as well as a pizza sauce recipe.  

Easy dough. It is a medium to thin depending on how you roll it.

4 cups flour
1.5 cups warm water
1 t yeast
1 t sugar
3 t honey
2 t salt
4 t olive oil

Mix and rest for 10-15
Divide into 3 balls
Let rise an hour

Make the pizza.

Honey and sugar?  Okay.  I'm picking up what you're dropping.  I really am desperate for a good dough recipe, so I'll give it a shot.  Grazie!  (I don't know why I'm thanking you in Italian.  I lived in Italy for awhile and, to be honest, I wasn't impressed with their pizza.)

Josh Hoffman wrote:

Emmett Ray wrote:as well as a pizza sauce recipe.  

You'd have to mail me an index card with a drop of your blood on it and a pledge never to share the recipe. I can message you the address.

It wouldn't be the first out of the ordinary requirement I've agreed to to get a recipe.  I've signed NDAs back in the day.  And I'm desperate to up my pizza skills.  I'm a pretty good cook, actually.  I get asked to cook quite a bit.  But pizza, for whatever reason, just hasn't been my strong suit and I'm determined to conquer it!  I mean, when I moved into my first place in California, the kitchen was really nice so I decided to make an Apple Pie.  (I hate pie and never made one before.)  My neighbor came over to introduce herself as the pie was coming out of the oven.  She took one look at it and dragged me and the pie to the State Fair and entered it in the pie contest.  I won first place.

My pizzas are better than frozen ones, but that's about it.

Josh Hoffman wrote:
2 T olive oil
4 or more cloves of garlic chopped or minced
1 t oregano chopped
1/2" bunch cilantro (store measurement). A small handful picked fresh chopped
1 t salt
1.5 cups heavy cream
5-6 T flour, maybe more depending on many factors

Heat oil, salt, garlic, oregano, cilantro for several minutes

Add 4 T flour and
Add heavy cream

Stir and mix more flour over time to thicken. Amount of flour over time will depend on consistency desired.

Use a whisk. Be attenuative and patient and vigorous. It will make a beautiful green cream pizza sauce

If you source these ingredients from a grocery store, the sauce is great.

If you grow them and/or source locally, it is out of this world.

I've been cooking for a very long time now and can pretty much know what a recipe is going to taste like just by reading the recipe.  Did you create this?  I'm impressed by the measurements, especially that the oregano is more of a background flavor than the cilantro.  (Cilantro, cream and garlic are a great combo and one of the rare times that the garlic is best not roasted.)  I'm impressed you didn't go with the obvious by adding some avocado into it.  

I'm absolutely going to try this recipe exactly as is.  Thanks very much for sharing it!  

I heart pizza.  The sauce I don't like on pizza is cream sauce, I like oil based, or red sauce, but with red sauce it can't be overly saucy because that's too messy  for me and overwhelms the flavour.

Re. toppings for meat I like pepperoni, Canadian bacon, bacon, sausage and, more off the beaten path, lamb.  For veg. I like most things.  And definitely mushrooms, but I'm counting those as veg. for this conversation.  The oddest topping I've found that I like is sliced-thin apple, on the right oil based crust with a touch of sweetness..  I'm not picky on crust, thick, thin, stuffed with mazerella, etc.  I haven't found any gluten free pizza crust I like, so far it has to involve flour for me.

I like pizza. All crusts and all sauces have a place in the pizza pantheon and I'm glad. The only risk is  too much oil -- I'd rather not have to soak it up with paper-towels before eating. I prefer upscale pies. And I'd prefer to eat whatever a pizzeria specializes in, but if they don't have that, I'll start with onions, jalapeno, and pineapple -- whatever people want to add to that is fine.

Emmett Ray wrote:I've been cooking for a very long time now and can pretty much know what a recipe is going to taste like just by reading the recipe.  Did you create this?  I'm impressed by the measurements, especially that the oregano is more of a background flavor than the cilantro.  (Cilantro, cream and garlic are a great combo and one of the rare times that the garlic is best not roasted.)  I'm impressed you didn't go with the obvious by adding some avocado into it.  

I'm absolutely going to try this recipe exactly as is.  Thanks very much for sharing it!  

Thanks, Emmett. I hope you like it. It comes out very creamy and works really well as a pizza sauce.

It was a product of a lot of experimentation and timing. When we were fine tuning it, we had an early bumper crop of cilantro but we were running low on the oregano. We found that we like the lighter amount of oregano when we made it that time. I have kept it that way since.

I appreciate pizza especially as a tasty way of preparing green vegetables. Ramp or fiddlehead pizza I remember as being especially good (though it has been nearly a year since I have tasted it!) Wild mushrooms also go well.

My favourite pizza sauce is last night's left over spaghetti sauce including the ground meat (usually elk, but sometimes bear). Then top it with all the meats and vegetables. finally a very minimal layer of mozzarella.

Unless I missed it, is it just a local thing to put artichoke hearts on pizza??? They are totally awesome... maybe it's just a girl thing, come to think of it, as I know several guys who aren't keen.

Supposedly Artichoke hearts are quite nutritious, but the plants take up a lot of space, and seem a bit marginal in my ecosystem, but they are a short-lived perennial.

Tim Siemens wrote:My favourite pizza sauce is last night's left over spaghetti sauce including the ground meat (usually elk, but sometimes bear). Then top it with all the meats and vegetables. finally a very minimal layer of mozzarella.

First, excellent signature.  I completely agree.

Secondly, yes to leftovers.  Leftovers straight out of the fridge are one of my favorite foods.  Turning them into something else, like you mentioned, is pure fun.  I think my favorite meat is bison.  I've never had bear meat but I'd like to try it.  A friend of a friend is a bear hunter who renders bear grease down until it looks remarkably like a jar of water.  I gotta try that!

Thirdly, none of us are perfect.  A "very minimal layer of mozzarella"?  Son.... 😔😆

Jay Angler wrote:Unless I missed it, is it just a local thing to put artichoke hearts on pizza??? They are totally awesome... maybe it's just a girl thing, come to think of it, as I know several guys who aren't keen.

Supposedly Artichoke hearts are quite nutritious, but the plants take up a lot of space, and seem a bit marginal in my ecosystem, but they are a short-lived perennial.

Lifetime movies of the week are a girl thing.  Artichokes are definitely not.  There's a phenomenal channel on YouTube that I watched from the beginning called Great Depression Cooking with Clara.  She was fantastic!  In the last four years, her subscribers have reached over a million due to today's economic hardships.  Here's her artichoke recipe that I still make today.  Her "Poorman's Meal" is actually really good, too. For those interested, she even has a pizza recipe.  (Check out her bread recipe video.  Just... wow!)

Jay Angler wrote:Unless I missed it, is it just a local thing to put artichoke hearts on pizza???

It's a common ingredient all over the US as far as I know*. Also, a delicious one!

(*At least, I've had it in California, Missouri, Minnesota, and New Jersey -- if it's a weirdo thing in the deep south, I guess I wouldn't know.)

Christopher Weeks wrote:

Jay Angler wrote:Unless I missed it, is it just a local thing to put artichoke hearts on pizza???

It's a common ingredient all over the US as far as I know*. Also, a delicious one!

(*At least, I've had it in California, Missouri, Minnesota, and New Jersey -- if it's a weirdo thing in the deep south, I guess I wouldn't know.)

Yup - made it into my list of options, above, last night. 😊 I like them, occasionally, on mine - and sometimes, just eat them from the jar.

I like a thin sourdough crust, sauce as close to the edges as possible, plenty of grated mozzarella, cooked at as high a temperature as I can manage to safely get in my wood stove. I make fairly small pizzas as they are easier to handle and I can fill my trays with them rather than leaving a bunch of empty space around the edges as would happen from one bigger pizza.

We always put greens on our pizzas, usually dandelions. Makes them more nutritious, and we like the taste. I usually serve pizza with a little dish of olive oil mixed with red pepper flakes for people to drizzle over their slices before eating.

I've been cooking for a very long time now and can pretty much know what a recipe is going to taste like just by reading the recipe.  Did you create this?  I'm impressed by the measurements, especially that the oregano is more of a background flavor than the cilantro.  (Cilantro, cream and garlic are a great combo and one of the rare times that the garlic is best not roasted.)  I'm impressed you didn't go with the obvious by adding some avocado into it.  

I'm absolutely going to try this recipe exactly as is.  Thanks very much for sharing it!  

Hey Emmett, did you try this and what did you think? What could make it better?

We have a weekly pizza day, typically Saturday, where we make 9 pizzas and 2x if we have company. We have a lot of room for trying things out so let us know if you have a suggestion. Or anyone else. We typically make 3 with that sauce, 3 with crushed tomatoes, 3 with buffalo wing sauce (I know, I am a displaced hillbilly).

Black olives and pineapple. Artichoke hearts are also welcome. No cheese required.

Thick, fat, oily, soft crust, if you please. Classic, perhaps a bit on the chunky side, marinara sauce loaded with heady, traditional spices.