A Giada-Approved Shortcut for Better Pizza at Home

If there’s anyone who knows about making pizza at home, it’s Giada. Which is why she’s the first to admit that it’s not always a super-fast answer to getting dinner on the table. But she has a smart tip that’ll change that.

From one of her recent newsletters: If you don’t have time for making dough, don’t despair! Many mom-and-pop pizzerias or Italian bakeries will sell you raw dough to be taken home and stretched in seconds, or take a look in your grocery store’s refrigerated case.

So smart! Because making the dough is the messy, time-consuming part, and stretching, tossing, and topping is the fun part (read: the part that doesn’t take that long and the part you can easily get your kids involved in).

I’ve actually done this a few times before and strongly recommend it. I’ve managed to get dough from a New York City pizza shop for around $5. And although it costs the pizza pros way less to make it (in terms of materials and even labor), it still feels like a decent deal to me — especially in the often-overpriced city.

Once you get it home, you just have to portion it out (if you’re making individual pies) and stretch it. Hint: Use lots of flour. Like, more than you think you need. Then top and bake.

I love that this tip makes it more likely for us all to make our own pizza at home — which sure beats takeout or something frozen from a box or a plastic wrapper. Try this for a random Tuesday night dinner after work or for a party.

• Breakfast Pizza
• Sausage Pizza, Topped with Crispy Kale
• Spinach, White Bean, and Taleggio Pizza
• Pizza Blanco

Is this something you’ve done? Would you do it?