Pizza night at home may be something you do as a family, whether it’s once a week or once a month, but we hope it’s something that you do indulge in. With these tips on how to make it family night and some ideas on the proper tools to make it easy, homemade pizza night will be something you’ll all want to repeat. And remember, you always need more cheese than you think.
Looking for a delish diversion to do with the fam-jam? Setting up pizza night at home doesn’t take much effort seeing as you’re able to delegate some of the work, which is a stealthy benefit of the whole family time thing. Teens can set up playlists, young kids can wash veggies and set the table, which may even give you time to try your hand at making our homemade pizza dough recipe and tomato sauce—it’s easier than you think!
We’ve got lots of suggestions for you, natch. Recipes, tools, and a few fun ideas for the pizza party afterparty. Don’t be a weirdough! Get ready for the cheesy delight of family pizza night. And some extra-tasty puns because we know what you like.
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How everyone can personalize their pizzas
A great idea, especially when you have kiddos participating in the party, is personal-size pizzas or customized slices. Either way, kids get to decide what they want and will maybe even try something new.
For personal-size pizzas, simply shape the dough into smaller portions and keep a careful watch as the pies may take a minute or three less time in the oven. For personalized slices, here’s how to make it easy: Roll out enough dough for a full pie, cover with sauce and a little cheese, bake until the cheese just starts to melt—this will give you a great base with a bit of solidity. Remove from the oven, slice, distribute on parchment sheets, and let everyone go bonkers with toppings. Slide those slices back into the oven and—presto! A pizza that contains multitudes.
Either way, you can set up a topping station with everything you desire; fill ramekins or a muffin tin with all those delicious bits. Consider this a no-pressure sitch for kids to experiment with pizza toppings they might otherwise resist trying. And, come on…you can try something new, too. Barbeque sauce on pizza? Sure. Shredded chicken pizza? Why not? And this might be the night you realize how awesome capers are.
Love triangle, er, rectangle
Weighing in at nearly 7 pounds, this large rectangular slab is perfect for using in the oven or even on the grill. It can withstand temps up to 1450°F, so you’ll be able to cook pizza nearly anywhere you can imagine. It also draws moisture out of the crust, so your crust won’t be soggy. Just crisp, golden perfection.
It's all about the delivery
Nothing is going to make you feel more like a true pizza boss than sliding a cheesy, bubbling pie onto a beautiful wooden peel and delivering it to a table of hungry admirers. With its slanted edge that slides under the crust, this beauty is an impressive way to get your Neapolitan from the flames to the famished.
When you knead a little help
Rolling out the dough requires a gentle touch. You want to spread it out but not crush it into submission. This small scaled roller (left) can be used right in the pan, letting you make final adjustments to your crust. It’s perfect for little hands, too. The docker (right) is useful for avoiding those topping-shifting crust bubbles that make everything disastrously slide.
Serve it with style
This red-hot beauty delivers a crisp crust, even on the barbeque. Made from durable ceramic, you can cut and serve from it, without worrying about grease stains or scratches. Bake, slice and serve in style.
Round and round we go
If an artistically unsymmetrical, stretch-and-go crust isn’t your thing, a double thickness silicone mat with pre-measured circles might appeal to your inner pizza perfectionist. It saves on clean-up and helps to maneuver those delicate doughs.
History in the baking
A tapered, handleless rolling pin lets you get more in touch with your dough. Literally. A particular favorite of ours, this classic tapered roller affords you a more delicate hand when working with any kind of pastry or dough. If you’re looking to roll out thin yet airy crusts, this may be the secret you’ve been seeking.
Give me a pizza your pie
When all is said and done—you’ve proofed, kneaded, rolled, sauced, and baked—and it’s time to serve, a few slick swipes with a pizza wheel serves up slices fast. Because there’s no time to waste once your pie is out of the oven. Famished fans are waiting.
Sling us a pie, you're the pizza fam
If you’re ready to get down to business—and we mean serious pizza-making business—this kit has the simple tools you truly need. A stainless steel peel that's perfectly functional for shimmying the pizza out of the oven, a 15-inch baking stone, a serving rack, and a cutting wheel is what you knead (see what we did there?) to start slinging pies. Well, that and a little practice. Red-checkered tablecloth not included.
There's so mushroom in here
Gotcha. It's an extra-extra-large pepperoni pizza blanket to wrap yourself up in after stuffing yourselves with homemade pizza. Nothing but 60-inches of ultra-soft flannel means more than one of you can snuggle up together.
No knead to be a pizza aficianadough
Bring your pizza game to any outdoor party thanks to Ooni Koda’s award-winning, portable design. Crafted for ultimate speed, convenience, and ease of use, Ooni Koda fires out jaw-dropping pizzas in 60 seconds flat. No assembly, no mess, no fuss. Cooking outdoors with gas has never been so simple (or so beautiful). Your family time is precious, so make it count.
The Ooni pizza oven you picture here is not the $399 propane only model.
Thank you for catching that, SZ! You were totally right, we had the Karu oven pictured instead of the Koda.