Editor’s Note: Maria Lichty, creator of the Two Peas and Their Pod culinary blog, has partnered with Thermador to contribute blog posts on an ongoing basis. Lichty, based out of Salt Lake City, recently finished a complete kitchen remodel, and replaced her former appliances with Thermador.

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We love making homemade pizza, especially for parties. We make the dough and sauce ahead of time and set out a large selection of toppings for our guests to choose from. We have our guests build their own pizzas when they arrive. It is fun and gets everyone involved. We used to be able to only cook one or two pizzas at a time (in the summer we would use our grill), but now we can cook four pizzas at once with our new Thermador double oven.

The ovens also cook the pizzas more efficiently — they don’t take as long to preheat and they reach a much higher temperature, which is key when it comes to cooking pizza. You want the oven as hot as possible to create the best crust.

Pizza is the perfect party food. Everyone loves it and has a great time creating their signature version. We plan on having a lot more pizza parties now that our kitchen is complete. 

Our Favorite Pizza Dough Recipe

—1 package of yeast

—1 cup luke warm water

—1 teaspoon salt

—1/4 teaspoon sugar

—1 3/4 cup white flour

—1 3/4 cup semolina flour

—1 tablespoon olive oil

To make the dough:

1. Mix yeast in 1 cup of warm water with a pinch of sugar and let sit for about 5 minutes.

2. Mix all of the dry ingredients in a stand mixer and create a volcano shape with a hole in the middle. Pour all of the wet ingredients into the center and mix until well incorporated. You may have to add a little more water depending on the climate you are in. Add a teaspoon at a time until it is slightly tacky.

3. After well incorporated use the mixer’s dough hook and knead for 10 minutes.

4. Remove dough from mixer bowl and place in a greased bowl. Cover with a towel and let rise for about an hour or until the dough doubles in size.

To make the pizza:

1. Preheat an oven to 550 degrees or as high as it will go.  Place a pizza stone in the oven to heat up.

2. After the pizza has risen. Punch down the dough and divide it in half. Place dough balls on a lightly floured surface. Roll out the pizza dough into two circles, about 1/4 inch thick. Place dough on a pizza peel or baking sheet that has been lightly dusted with corn meal. Add pizza sauce, cheese, and your choice of toppings.

2. Gently slide pizza into the oven onto the pizza stone. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the pizza crust is golden brown and the cheese is melted. Remove pizza from oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Slice and serve.

This recipe makes 2 large pizzas