4 Delicious Pizza Recipes You Can Make at Home

In the world of "national holidays," Saturday, February 9 is National Pizza Day — not that most of us require a calendar to sneak a slice (or three) into our day.

While we all have our favorite pizza spots — from cheap and easy slices on the go to gourmet wood-fired options in a cozy restaurant near home — it can be just as much fun to make pizza at home. And, no, we're not talking about the frozen kind. To help you upgrade your home pizza night this weekend (or any given day you feel the craving), we convinced some of our Loews Hotels chefs around the country to share their favorite pizza recipes. Time to fire up that oven...

Because every chef has their own take on making pizza dough, we've included just one dough recipe here. You can also speed up the process at home by using store-bought dough. (Just don't tell our Chefs!)

Chicago Style

The Ashburn Classic

When we asked The Ashburn's Chef de Cuisine Jose Garay for his favorite pizza recipes, a Chicago-style pie was naturally at the top of his list. You can try the Ashburn Classic — featuring crumbled sausage, Provolone and peppers — at Loews Chicago O'Hare.

Pizza Dough ingredients

- packaged active dry yeast (about 2 ¼ tsp.)
- 1 cup warm water (100° to 110°)
- 1 ¼ cups cold water
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 tsp. sugar
- 1 tsp. salt
- 26.1 oz (about 5 ½ cups) unbleached all-purpose flour, divided
- cooking spray

How to make it:

1. Dissolve yeast in 1 cup warm water in a small bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Combine 1¼ cups cold water, oil, sugar, and salt in a small bowl; stir with a whisk.
2. Weigh or lightly spoon 9 ounces (about 5 ¼ cups) flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, yeast mixture, and cold water mixture in bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix on low 8 minutes or until dough begins to form. Let rest 2 minutes; mix on low 6 minutes or until dough is smooth. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 2 minutes); add enough of the remaining 19 ounces (about ¼ cup) flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands (dough will feel sticky).
3. Divide the dough in half, and place each portion in a large zip-top bag coated with cooking spray. Seal and chill overnight or up to 2 days. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour before using.

Pizza Recipe ingredients

- 1 x 7 oz pizza dough ball
- 4 oz crumbled sausage
- 5 oz Provolone cheese
- 2 oz diced green peppers
- 2 oz diced red onions
- 2 oz Giardinera peppers

 How to make it:

1. Set the oven at 420°F.
2. Place all-purpose flour in a mixing bowl; place the pizza dough ball on it and coat it with flour, using both hands to stretch the ball until it's 12 inches in diameter.
3. Add the desired ingredients, placing the cheese last.
4. Place the pizza on the center of the oven and turn it occasionally to prevent from burning.
5. It usually takes 8–10 minutes to cook. When the pizza is done, place it on a cutting board and start by cutting the pie in half and continue until you have 8 equal slices.

Miami Flavor

Cuban Pizza

At Loews Miami Beach Hotel, a brick oven is one of the centerpieces at Bar Collins — and this Cuban Pizza on the menu is a unique way to sample the local flavor of Miami and still get your pizza fix. The culinary team at the hotel prepares all its pizza ingredients from scratch – including the dough and pizza sauce. For your own easy version of this Cuban Pizza, feel free to buy the dough, tomato sauce and prepared pork loin at the store.

Pizza Recipe ingredients

- 10 oz dough ball
- 3 oz of diced ham
- 3 oz of diced pork loin
- 2 oz of Cuban Mustard (1 oz yellow mustard + 1 oz mayonnaise)
- ½ cup of tomato sauce
- 12 oz of shredded mozzarella
- 10-12 pickle slices

How to make it:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350°F.
2. Place baking sheet or pizza stone in the center of the oven.
3. Coat a cutting board or tabletop surface with flour.
4. Flatten the dough ball slightly with your hands, and begin rolling the dough into a 12-inch wide pie crust. Leave a ½-inch wide indentation from the edge where you don’t flatten the dough. This will become your crust.
5. Continue to stretch the dough and push outward. Once your dough is flat, add ½ cup of tomato sauce.
6. Swirl sauce with the back of a spoon or ladle to evenly coat the dough, leaving the edges empty for the crust.
7. Sprinkle cheese evenly over the sauce.
8. Add the diced ham and pork loin on top, and place pickles in between the pork.
9. Bake at 350°F for about 12–15 minutes until the crust is golden brown and to desired crispiness.
10. Take the pizza out of the oven, and drizzle the Cuban mustard over the top as desired. Slice and serve!

An Italian Favorite in Orlando

Green & White Pizza

Loews Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Orlando is a celebration of all things Italian, so naturally, a number of delicious pizzas are on the menu at Sal's Market Deli. Here's an easy recipe to recreate the la dolce vita spirit of the Italian coast (as imagined in Orlando) at home.

Pizza Recipe ingredients

- Pizza dough
- White ricotta cheese sauce
- Green olives
- Caramelized white onions
- Crispy bacon, chopped
- Baby arugula
- Black pepper vinaigrette

How to make it:

Form your chosen pizza dough into pizza shape.

Add desired amount of sauce, cheese, and toppings.

Bake at 350°F until golden brown.

Top the pizza with baby arugula and black pepper vinaigrette

A Vegan Option in Minneapolis

The Herbivorous Butcher “Meat Lovers”

The Herbivorous Butcher

Chef Timothy Fischer of Loews Minneapolis Hotel loves to use local ingredients, and for this vegan "Meat Lovers" pizza, the local element is courtesy of the hotel's Flavor by Loews Hotels partner The Herbivorous Butcher.

Pizza Recipe ingredients

- The Herbivorous Butcher cheese-free dill Havarti, shredded
- The Herbivorous Butcher cheese-free Feta, shredded
- 2 oz The Herbivorous Butcher meat-free capicola
- 2 oz The Herbivorous Butcher meat-free ham
- 3 oz The Herbivorous Butcher meat-free short ribs
- Tomato basil sauce
- 12 oz Breadsmith pizza dough

How to make it:

1. Preheat convection oven to 400°F.
2. Portion out 12 oz of Breadsmith pizza dough and roll into desired shape.
3. Spread marinara sauce over crust in an even layer.
4. Add toppings and use the shredded dill Havarti and Feta to lightly cover the vegan meats.
5. Bake pizza for 8–9 minutes.

So, what will it be? Share your #NationalPizzaDay creations on Twitter or Instagram — and use #LoewsHotels #AWonderfulPlace so we can check out what you made. Bon appetit!