Sunny Anderson's 1-2-3 Rule For Making Perfect Pizza

As convenient as it is to snag a frozen pizza from Costco or your favorite pizza joint when you have a hankering for a tasty pie, plenty of folks never bother with making the dish at home. It can seem like a lot of work for something that can so easily be delivered right to your door. But Sunny Anderson's 1-2-3 rule for the perfect pizza might make some who think making at home is too challenging change their tune.

The Food Network star knows her stuff, but she's not one of those people who needs everything culinary to be bougie. The 1-2-3 rule keeps things as simple as can be. Grab a premade crust and top it with one cup of pizza sauce (Don't substitute marinara for pizza sauce), two cups of mozzarella cheese, and three of your favorite toppings.

The toppings can be whatever you like, from the commonly overlooked arugula pizza garnish to the most popular pizza topping, pepperoni. As long as they aren't batting for dominance on your palate, and the flavors create a cohesive profile, anything is fair game. You don't have to stick to traditional pizza sauce either. Swap out tomato sauce for a tangy barbecue, or create a white pizza with a cup of Alfredo sauce. The world's your oyster as far as flavor combinations, but the 1-2-3 rule ensures everything on your pie will be perfectly proportioned.

Of course, simple gastronomic endeavors can typically be upgraded if you're willing to put in a bit of extra effort. If that sounds like you, you're in luck. Sunny Anderson also has a 1-2-3 rule that gets you a homemade dough for the base of your perfect pizza — without having to follow a complicated recipe.

Start with a base of three cups of self-rising flour and toss that into the bowl of a stand mixer. Add two cups of Greek yogurt, and add some flavor to the dough by incorporating one big ol' tablespoon of a garlic and herb seasoning blend. Using the paddle attachment, mix those ingredients until just combined (It should be somewhat sticky). Then swap the paddle for a dough hook, add a touch more flour, and let it run until you have yourself a ball of dough.

All that's left is to take a rolling pin and roll out as perfect a circle as you can, on a lightly floured surface. Then you simply follow the previous 1-2-3 rule to top your pizza, making sure to leave a little room around the edges. Bake your creation in an oven preheated to 400 degrees Fahrenheit for eight minutes and check the color of the crust. When it's golden brown, you're all set. If not, give it another few minutes or so, and your perfect homemade pizza is ready to serve.