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Today there are many different styles of "pizza" with flavours as varied as the regions and pizza joints in which they're made. Differences in dough type, crust thickness, cheese and other toppings (traditional versus gourmet) all add to the uniqueness of each pizza.

Dough preparation
 

1.	Combine the unsifted flour salt, sugar, and dried yeast in a large bowl. Mix the ingredients with a wooden spoon then make a "well" in centre of the mix.
2.	In a separate container, combine the warm water and olive oil and mix them to disperse the oil.
3.	Gradually pour the water and oil mixture into the "well" made in the flour. While pouring, stir the centre of the well with the wooden spoon to gradually combine the flour with the water until all the water has been added.
	Alternatively, some people prefer to mix the yeast and sugar with a little of the warm water first to get the yeast going and then add that with the rest of the water. Both methods seem to work fine.
4.	Flour your hands and continue mixing until a large ball of dough is formed. The dough should be soft and workable. If it's too sticky, add a little flour. If too dry, add a little water. Make adjustments in small amounts so that you don't overcorrect.
5.	Transfer the dough to a clean, flat, floured surface, and knead for at least five minutes.
6.	Return the dough to the basin, cover it with a towel and leave to proof (rise) in a warm place for at least an hour.
7.	The ball of dough should have roughly doubled in size. Transfer it back to the clean floured surface and punch it down a few times to remove the large air bubbles. Form the dough into 4 or 5 smaller balls.
8.	If there is time, cover the balls with a towel and allow them to proof for at least a further 15 minutes. You can omit this step if time is limited.

Alternatively, you can use a bread machine on the dough setting, which saves a lot of effort and produces excellent results. Simply add the ingredients to the bread machine in the order listed above, set it to the correct setting and press start. In around 1.5 hours you'll have perfect dough!

Rolling out the dough

Place a ball of dough on a clean flat floured surface. Use your hands to flatten the ball into a circle of about the same diameter as your hand. Now use a rolling pin to evenly flatten and stretch the dough to the approximate size of the pizza (each ball makes a thin crust pizza of about 30 cm or 12 inches in diameter). Note that using a rolling pin actually toughens the dough and can cause it to tear which is why the pros in the pizza joints use their hands to stretch and spin the dough to the right shape.

What you do next will depend on whether you're cooking on a pizza stone (see below) or on a conventional pizza tray. If you're using a pizza stone, transfer the flattened dough to a flat floured tray (or flat pizza paddle). Otherwise, grease a conventional pizza tray first with a little olive oil before transferring the dough to it. In either case, be ready to add the toppings immediately. (Note: For a thicker pizza base, use two or three balls of dough per pizza.)

Toppings

Sauce: One of the simplest ways to make a tomato-based sauce is to use a can of crushed peeled tomatoes. Strain the contents of the can through a fine strainer to remove some of the excess liquid and apply the crushed tomatoes directly to the pizza base.

For a richer flavour your can make a simple napolitana sauce. Lightly fry one clove of crushed garlic in two tablespoons of olive oil (do not brown the garlic) in a small pot. Add one 400g can of crushed or diced tomatoes. For an even richer sauce, add a tablespoon of tomato paste. Add 4-5 chopped basil leaves (optional), ½ teaspoon of sugar and ½ teaspoon of salt. Simmer for 10 minutes or until the sauce reduces slightly and becomes richer in colour. Allow the sauce to cool before spreading over dough.

Alternatively you can buy a jar of your favourite ready-made napolitana pasta sauce and use it straight from the jar.

Cheese: Most pizzas are made using grated mozzarella cheese because of its mild and stringy characteristics. You can substitute a portion of other cheeses to enhance the flavour.

Other toppings: The table below lists some other ingredients typically found in pizzas:
 

Herbs and seasonings	Garlic, chilli, olive oil, oregano and basil.
Fruit and vegetables	Tomato, pineapple, black olives, mushroom, capsicum, onions.
Meats	Ham, salami, cabanossi, pepperoni, and prosciutto.
Seafood	Prawns, calamari, mussels, smoked oysters, octopus, scallops, anchovies.

You can have fun assembling your own pizzas and making your own creations.

Assembling the pizza

Apply the sauce to the pizza base. You'll only need about 1-2 tablespoons per base. Too much sauce can make the pizza too rich, produce excess liquid, and cause the toppings to slide off. Next, apply the cheese sparingly. Too much cheese can make the pizza overly rich. A couple of handfuls of grated cheese could be enough. (Note: Some seafood pizzas, like the one in the photo on this page, do not use any cheese at all!) Then add the meats or seafood, fruit and vegetables, and finally the seasonings. Some chefs also like to drizzle a little olive oil on top.

Cooking

Place the pizza stone on the middle shelf of the oven and preheat it to 230°C (450°F) for 15-20 minutes. Sprinkle the pizza stone with semolina or cornmeal (do not oil the pizza stone!) and carefully slide the pizza onto the hot stone. Reduce the temperature to about 200°C (400°F) and cook the pizza for about 15-20 minutes. The crust should turn golden and start to form some air bubbles. The toppings should be sizzling but not burnt.

If you do not have a pizza stone, preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) for 15 minutes and cook the pizza on an oiled tray for 15-20 minutes. Again, the crust should turn golden and the toppings should start to sizzle but not burnt.

Here's a tip: try the griller!
 

You can actually use the griller for a very quick cooking method that gives great results on thin base pizzas. Preheat the griller for 10 minutes on high with the tray in the middle position. Grill one side of the rolled out pizza dough like you would an Indian Naan bread. Monitor it continually as it will only take a minute or two to go golden and start  forming large air pockets. Carefully remove the hot base (avoid any hot steam escaping from the air pockets), turn it upside-down, and quickly add the toppings (sauce, cheese and other ingredients) on the uncooked side. Place the pizza back under the griller (toppings side up!) and cook for a further minute or two. The pizza in the photo to the right was cooked using this method.

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