Started making pizza 20 years ago. I love to make pizza with family and friends.
I try to keep it to 2 beyond cheese & sauce. But if I'm only making 1 pizza for distinctly different and opposing tastes, I'll top it 2 ways on 2 halves, which brings it to 4 toppings. When I do that, I take out my pizza rocker knife to slice it up. That way, as opposed to with a cutter wheel, the flavors of toppings on one side aren't rolled into the other half. Anchovy and garlic are 2 toppings that can ruin a pizza for someone who really doesn't want them on their pizza!
kirkharrod's Margherita looks closer to classical style. Need to see more green to get the Italian color theme going.
Even bad pizza is good (except for one inedible white pizza with lots of vinegar in the sauce), but I weep for you Boboli Hutters. Have courage. Try again. It's quite do-able and very rewarding. I can show you how.
I ziplock it as soon as it's kneaded, and immediately throw it in the freezer. Just make sure the air is all out so you don't get dry spots. It can be good to recheck after 10 or 15 minutes in the freezer to remove any new gas generated by the fermentation before the cold suspends yeast activity. I prefer oil-free dough.
I go with the cast iron pan in my grill, build the pizza on a perforated disk and slide it onto the hot cast iron. Turns out crusty without burnt spots. Really good, and notably different than indoor pizza. Nice to enjoy it in a cool house, too.
Lots more of them at http://www.pizzahomechef.com/pizza-school
Glad I saved you some trouble!
Yep, the bag of Red Star yeast at Costco is a deal.
I've made thousands of pizzas and I've never had the yeast fail. So I don't proof my yeast when I make pizza dough. In fact, the only way it might fail is by proofing it with water that's hot enough to kill the yeast.
So I just add the yeast to the flour, salt and water and turn out authentic pizza that elicits pleas for dinner invitations.
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Use a wooden peel. Keeps things drier and so less sticky. I also weigh in on the side of cornmeal. Start with lots to ensure the ball bearing effect, then slowly cut down the amount as you get comfortable with the action. Also, the faster you work building the pizza the less time for the dough to settle in and stick to the peel.