Big, Juicy, Cheap & Easy: A Pizza For The People

Everybody loves pizza. Right?
 
Sure, some people can’t eat it. But I’d wager that despite whatever food allergy demon they’re suffering, they still wish they could eat pizza.
 
But right now, in the best economy of the last century, budgets are tight and wallets are full of cobwebs. And there are probably folks who can’t afford a decent pizza.
 
And let’s face it: a Screamin’ Sicilian might be OK for a frozen pizza, but it really isn’t the same thing as buying a decent pie made by a good local joint, much less an artisan pizzeria.
 
So, what if the good local joint could be one’s own home, without any special training or equipment?

 
I’ve been looking at local pizza prices for feeding a family of four.
 
A carry-out pan pizza from a chain is 20 bucks without toppings, and saying it feeds a family of four is stretching it. But we’ll give them the benefit of the doubt.
 
The local independent delivers about the same amount of pizza but in a larger diameter, New York-style pie for the same price.
 
A take and bake from the local big box store is about 10 bucks. And you know it’s not a great pizza.
 
So I was thinking: What would it cost for a Free The Pizza pan pizza recipe that requires no special equipment beyond a half-sheet pan and no special knowledge and no kneading? (Nobody who’s not “into it” wants to knead.)
 
 
I did the math—and wow.
 
For the same 10 bucks as the take and bake pizza from the big box store—including several organic ingredients—a total beginner can make a pizza that will be amazing to the family and even to him or herself.
 
So I’ve done it.
 
I’ve been experimenting with this recipe for a couple of weeks.
 
I’ve been taking photos and eating the pie. (I think I’ve gained about three pounds.)
 
I’ve even compared it with a $30 artisan version from a pizzeria in New York, and it’s a favorable comparison. (Not blowing my own horn here. Just being realistic. His pizza is really good. Mine’s not bad.)
 
 
So today’s blog post is short.
 
I’ve been busy finishing the free e-book. 
 
The e-book is also short. (And it's probably full of mistakes.)
 
And if you’d like one, if you’d like to give it away, if you’d like to send it around the world…
 
Have at it.
 
Especially if you know anyone who envies the homemade pizza you make but doesn’t have the focus to actually make it themselves, or has no interest in buying the gear, or just simply doesn’t have the time, coordination or the cash—this is the way.
 
Even if you’d like to try making a no-knead grandma-style pan pizza yourself despite no particular budgetary constraints, have at it.
 
Use it. Share it. Post it. Brag about it. Whatever.
 
 
And especially if you know anyone who’s budgetarily challenged.
 
In a time of stress and madness, everyone can use a little pizza joy in their lives.
 
And as you know, making a great homemade pizza is really satisfying.
 
It also gives everybody a dopamine buzz, which is so worth the effort involved.
 
In fact, I went to Google and asked Google Chef Generative AI, “Does pizza give you a dopamine rush?”
 
The answer is as follows:
 
“Yes, pizza absolutely gives a dopamine rush, triggering the brain's pleasure and reward system through its combination of fat, salt, carbs, and cheese, leading to feelings of happiness and craving, similar to addictive substances, say researchers. The smell, taste, and texture activate dopamine-producing neurons, making you feel good and encouraging you to want more, as seen in studies on ‘addictive-like eating.’”
 
 
OK, maybe it’s not the most flattering paragraph.
 
But I love “feelings of happiness” and “triggering the brain’s pleasure and reward system.”
 
And here’s something else: the act of making it at home leads to a sense of accomplishment.
 
I also know people who have tight budgets because they have jobs like “schoolteacher” and “librarian” and “artist.”
 
Those people don’t have a lot of freedom to go snag a $30 pizza anytime they feel like it.
 
 
If they could make a killer pizza anytime they feel like it, how great would that be?
 
Moreover, this pizza makes for great leftovers.
 
Taking this pizza from the fridge, dropping it into a hot oiled cast-iron skillet until the bottom is toasted, then sliding it under the broiler until the top is bubbly and caramelized?
 
It’s almost better the second time around.
 
(I’ve been calling it twice-fried pizza. That’s not exactly accurate by the industry definition of twice-fried pizza, but it works for me and I like it.)
 
This pizza also freezes well. I’ve been very satisfied with the results when I take a frozen slice, pop it directly onto the rack in a 450-degree oven, and wait a few minutes.
 
Or let it thaw, and then do the twice-fried routine.
 
 
This is not my favorite pizza.
 
But it is my favorite easy pizza.
 
And that might even be better.
 
The free e-book is ready for download right now.
 
If you’re interested getting it for yourself or to share, go ahead and click the link.

And I encourage you to share this link far and wide. This is not an effort of commerce.
 
This is just dopamine-driven mealtime fun. 

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Did Santa forget to bring you a pizza oven? That might be a lucky accident. Because you don't really need one, especially if you're just starting out. It's much easier to start by making pizza in your home oven. I endorse baking pizza on steel. But if you need to do it on the cheap, you can start with a big, upside-down cast-iron skillet and my silly little book: Free The Pizza: A Simple System For Making Great Pizza Whenever You Want With The Oven You Already Have. When you’re just starting out, it’s much easier and more productive to learn about pizza in a way that demystifies everybody’s favorite food—including the flying in the face of the belief that great pizza is possible only with a special oven. Speaking as a guy who has two portable pizza ovens sitting in a shed, and who used to have a 1,200-pound wood-fired oven in the kitchen, the best oven on which to learn pizza is a regular home oven with a few simple tools. And the Free The Pizza book is designed specifically to take a newbie from zero to pizza in as short a time is possible. It’s also a lot more fun than the heartbreak of a tiny, cruel oven in the yard. Want to make a pizza at home? Homemade pizza success happens with Free The Pizza at Amazon. ​