having a party...need recipes for pizza dough & ideas for toppings

[hmwnick]

I'm having a casual dinner party & want guests to make your their own individual pizzas. I plan to make the dough ahead of time & let them + the toppings. Needed:
-a really good recipe for a thin crust pizza.
-some ideas for tasty toppings (maybe something unusual)
-ideas for side dishes to accompany the pizza

I'm sure there are some excellent chefs out there, please share your expertise!!!

 

[#1 Disney Fan]

Tasty toppings... how about a whole bunch of different kinds of cheese (mozarella, cheddar, feta etc). Some different funky ideas could be things like various kinds of peppers (red, yellow, orange), sundried tomato, grilled veggies like zucchini, broccoli, etc.

Sounds like a really fun dinner party idea!

 

[CJMickeyMouse]

I don't have a crust recipe (would love to have one though!!) but for toppings I think all of the regulars plus pineapple.... add cheddar cheese with the mozzarella.... you could have all the makings for taco pizza too... I don't know how elaborate you want to get.

You could do fruit pizza for dessert, either on baked crust or make it ahead with the cookie dough crust - or if you want to stay with the theme of make your own, sundaes with all the toppings are always fun. Don't forget whipped cream and cherries!

Have a great time and I hope someone can help us BOTH out with a crust recipe!! This sounds like something we could do for a housewarming party in our new home!!

Thanks for the great idea!

 

[bfeller]

We just did the make your own pizza dinner while we were on our Girls only Weekend. My favorite ingredients that I had not tried before were artichoke hearts and grilled chicken.

 

[lynetteSC]

Well, at this Pampered Chef party I went to recently, we had a crust made from a can of crescent rolls! It was jsut the dough rolled out and baked ... kinda VERY tasty! Don't know how thin it would be though ...

All above toppings sound great!!!

Good Luck with your party!!!!

 

[Kteacher]

I make pizza every week for my family. I've been doing it for so long I don't use any measuring cups, but for the crust I dissolve about a teaspoon of sugar in about a cup of warm water. Add one envelope of yeast. Let this sit until the yeast bubbles. Mix about 3 1/2 cups flour with one tsp. salt . Add yeast mixture to this, and then add two teaspoons of olive oil. Mix and add flour if it's too sticky. Turn out onto a floured surface, cover with a towel and let it rise for about one hour. For toppings I like sundried tomatoes ( the oil packed kind), feta cheese, and a little rosemary. You really can put whatever you like on a pizza- grilled veggies, cajun spices, I've done just about everything. If you don't want to bother with pizza crust, Boboli crusts are great too. Have fun!

 

[minniecarousel]

For the dough, I use the recipe that came with my bread-maker.
For toppings, I'd cook some stuff ahead of time. We prefer sauteed peppers, onions, mushrooms (seperately).

 

[Rafiki Rafiki Rafiki]

Amen on that bread maker idea...I have a mozzarella crust recipe that makes a beautiful crust. It's in the More Bread Machine Bounty Cookbook.

 

[WebmasterAlex]

while I sometimes make a home made crust for a party like this I would be sorely tempted to run to our local supermarket...they sell pizza crust in ball form in the bakery..just roll it out...
one of my favories.. pesto sauce, shrimp, fresh mozzerella (the kind that comes packed in water, dry it out first!) and some cherry tomatoe slices... some scallions or very thin green onion slices are awesome too!
One cool trick is to cook pizza on the grill.. if you have a charcoal grill put the fire on one side..for a gas grill just light one side...
oil the grill and throw the dough with no toppings on the side without the coal... when the bottom is brown flip it and cook the other side (the dough should be thin for this) take it off the grill, add the topping (lightly! this is a thin crust crisp pizza) and throw it back on the grill till the toppings melt....
very cool! A great appetizer if you are grilling the main course too.

 

[Minnie824]

Well, I usually buy the Chef Boy R Dee kit, but you still have to sort of make the dough . As for toppings, what I put on my pizza is unusual - bologne! It really is good too. Just cut up a slice into little squares. Yum.

 

[Disfan1]

Or you could buy the Boboli pizza crusts... I buy them from one of the bread outlets here for 1/2 off! Works out great since I ususlly use it the sane day I buy it.

 

[Maria64]

This may not be what you're looking for but it's really good......

*Mix either canned crab, or Louis Kemp crab delights
with cream cheese (to whichever consistency you desire)
*Spread on toasted english muffins.
*Freeze (they bake better when they're frozen)
*Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or untill bubbley
****Enjoy****

 

[hmwnick]

keep the great ideas coming!!! I have never tried the Boboli crusts before, are they good? I wonder if Sam's wholesale sells them?

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Sounds like fun! I am sure you can dig up a pizza dough recipe somewhere. Its easy...My mom even whips up super deep dish pizza in her cast iron skillet, she cooks it in the oven.
I don't Boboli crusts, ick. I have to have regular pizza dough.
As far as really thin crusts and "cheating" pizzas, I have used tortilla shells with my kids. But that is more for a snack than a dinner.
I would suggest a couple of different brands of sauces, possibly. I like Chef Boyardee sauce. I just like the tang.
Make sure you have the old standbys, CANNED/jarred mushrooms, black olives, pepperoni, ham, bacon....mmmmm.

Side dishes of course would be salad, maybe wings or cheese poppers.

This thread is delicious, good luck.

 

[mum4jenn]

If you are near a Super Walmart they sell a mix for a pizza crust that is very good. It makes enough to make about a 12 inch pizza depending on how thin you want it, The packages here are only 33 cents!!!!! We used to get the Boboli or Mama Mary crust but the Walmart crust is much better. I would recommend though that you pre brown it slightly though if you want a crispy crust.

 

[femmegirl]

I have an idea for the pizza crust... I use it whenever I make homemade individual pizzas... I use different flavored pitas. You can get them in different sizes and when you bake the pizzas it tastes like thin crust pizzas.

 

[mickey65]

There is a pizza place I go to that has a Tai pizza. It has bean sprouts and mushrooms and a tai sauce on it...it is very good!

Other toppings....ham, bacon, olives.

Side dishes.....veggies and dip, salad, cheese fingers....and other finger foods.

 

[POLLY ANN]

For dough, how about pre-made frozen dough at the grocery store? I think Rich's is the name of frozen dough I have used for stuffed bread.

As far as toppings, I think everyone has given some great ideas and can't think of anything to add!

A make your own pizza party sounds like alot of fun! Have a good time!