Baking Pizza in a Big Green Egg or Conventional Oven

Homemade pizza! Sounds awesome, right? Fresh pizza crust, covered in sweet and savory homemade sauce, topped with beautiful sheets of mozzarella cheese, and cooked in a Big Green Egg, or a Conventional Oven… It’s truly one of my favorite meals to prepare, and I wanted to share it with the world! Therefore, I wrote a trilogy of super simple, step-by-step, pizza blogs;
Blog 1: Pioneer Woman Pizza Crust
Blog 2: Homemade Pizza Sauce
Blog 3: Baking Pizza in a Big Green Egg or Conventional Oven

In case you haven’t already noticed, this is “Blog 3” of the trilogy. The victory lap, per se! In this blog I will show you two methods for preparing and cooking the pizza;
Method 1: Big Green Egg / Brick Oven Style
Method 2: Conventional Kitchen Oven Style

INGREDIENTS:
The first ingredient you’ll need is pizza crust. Get my recipe for Pizza Crust HERE.

The second ingredient you’ll need is pizza sauce. You’ll need 1 to 2 cups of sauce, depending on your personal preference. You could also use Basil Pesto, or any other sauce of your liking. Get my recipe for Homemade Pizza Sauce HERE.

Now, you’ll need whatever toppings you like on your pizza. You can use sausage, pepperoni, bell peppers, onions, olives… Whatever you like. Here are my “go-to toppings”;
Fresh Mozzarella Cheese
Fresh Parmesan Cheese
Fresh Swiss Cheese
Red and Orange Bell Peppers
White Onion
Baby Bella Mushrooms

INSTRUCTIONS:
Start by cutting the bell peppers, white onion, and mushrooms. Then grate the parmesan and swiss cheese. Finally, slice the fresh mozzarella cheese. The amount of each topping depends on your personal preference. What do you like on your pizza?

Now, it’s time for the pizza crust…

One of my favorite things about this dough is that you can easily grill it on a Big Green Egg or bake it in a conventional kitchen oven. I’m going to start by explaining the Big Green Egg Method…

METHOD 1 – BIG GREEN EGG / BRICK OVEN:

(1) Bring your Big Green Egg to 500 degrees. I used a Mini Max for this recipe, but any size Big Green Egg would work! place your dough on a clean surface and stretch it out into a desired shape.

(2) Now, put a handful of cornmeal on a pizza peel…

(3) … and spread it around evenly. The cornmeal will keep the crust from sticking to the pizza peel.

(4) Pick up the stretched pizza crust, and sit it on the pizza peel. Use your fingers to press the dough until it is thin and even.

(5) Now, it’s time to start adding the good stuff. So, add your pizza sauce…

(6) … and spread it around on the crust.

(7) Pile on a nice layer of mozzarella cheese.

(8) Followed by some white onions…

(9) Some Red and Orange Bell Peppers…

(10) Then some Mushrooms!

(11) Sprinkle on a little Swiss Cheese…

(12) Followed by some Parmesan Cheese…. and that’s it! You’ve built a pizza!

(13) Then, slide the pizza off the peel and onto the pizza stone of a Green Egg… Close the lid and let the pizza cook for 8 to 12 minutes.

*12 minutes later*

(14) Using protective gloves and a pizza peel, carefully remove the pizza from the Big Green Egg…

(15) And ENJOY!

It’s truly stupendous!

METHOD 2 – CONVENTIONAL KITCHEN OVEN:

Pre-heat the oven to 500 degrees. If you are using a baking pan or rimmed baking sheet lightly drizzle it with olive oil. I used a pizza stone, so olive oil wasn’t required. Using your hands, stretch the dough to a desired shape…

… then use your fingers to to press the dough thin and even.

Beautiful, isn’t it?

And now the dough is ready to be pizzafied! Add your pizza sauce and spread it around…

Now, complete Step 7 through Step 12 from the “Big Green Egg Method” section of this post. Building the pizza is exactly the same for both methods… Add mozzarella cheese, followed by onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, swiss cheese, and parmesan cheese…

Then pop the pizza in the oven for 8 to 12 minutes… Eat and ENJOY!

Cook Long and Prosper.

Sincerely, the Uncustomary Housewife