My dad’s birthday was a few days ago, and he asked for homemade pizza to celebrate. We invited several of his friends and had a great get-together, enjoying pizza, karaoke, and lots of laughs. But honestly, we were still left craving more, so around 8 PM, we decided to make some simple sheet pan pizzas using just sauce, cheese, and some bell peppers we had in the fridge.
Truth is, we didn't have much of a budget to add more ingredients. We tend to think that loading a pizza with toppings makes it taste better, but honestly, the right balance of quality ingredients and careful preparation can result in a simple yet delicious pizza.
Since we were out of cheese, we rushed to the nearest supermarket just past 8 PM, trying to beat the 9 PM closing time. My car was actually acting up, but that didn't stop us; the urge for pizza was stronger. I drove with extreme care to make it there and back without ruining our late-night craving mission.
Before we left, my brother had the smart idea to start blooming the yeast so we could jump straight into making the dough when we got back. It turned out great, though we want to try a 12-hour proof next time to get a more pliable crust. Still, despite the rush, it came out really well.
We assembled our late-night squares with just sauce, cheese, and a bit of pepper. We got four pizzas out of a kilo of flour (which yielded about 2 kg of dough after the rise). You could argue it’s easier to just buy them, and sure, we would’ve loved to just order delivery and hit the spot that way, but with how little we spent, we never could have afforded the same amount: four large pizzas for seven people.
They turned out truly tasty, and I’m not just saying that. I don’t know if it was just how hungry we were or if they were genuinely well-executed, but the flavor was on point. Even though we didn't end up eating until after 10 PM, we satisfied the craving and ended the night happy and full.
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