A pizza party is always a great way to celebrate a special occasion!
In this guide, we are going to cover things you need to know to host a pizza party, from how to create and make your own pizza bar to decorations and more!
How Do You Host A Pizza Party?
The key is all in the preparation, which isn’t too difficult.
Here are the things you need to think about when hosting a pizza party:
- Pizza Dough – Store Bought Dough or Bases / Homemade dough
- Horgan’s Pizza Toppings
- Assembling Pizzas
- Baking the pizzas
- Pizza Party decorations (including tablecloths, cups, plates, and napkins)
- Appetisers and Desserts (if desired)
Pizza Dough for Pizza Parties
The key to the pizza party is of course your dough, which we have a recipe for so be sure to read to the end! This is probably the most difficult part of the pizza party.
The first thing is to decide how many pizzas you will need to make. Our dough recipe is eight 6″ individual pizzas or four 12″ larger pizzas. You may need to double it, or even triple it, depending on your party size.
For a pizza party, mini pizzas are the way to go most of the time. This lets each guest customise their favourite pizza!
You can also buy pre-made dough or pre-made pizza bases to make your party experience even easier.
If you are making the dough at home, the key here is to make the dough the day before and be sure to take it out of the refrigerator about a half an hour before you want to use it. The same goes if you bought the dough from a store. It is much easier to work with when it is closer to room temperature than when it is cold straight from the fridge.
What Toppings Can You Put On A Pizza?
This is the fun part! Horgans have a whole list of pizza topping ideas to help you get started. Some are classics like pepperoni or sausage, or you can be more adventurous such as breakfast pizzas with bacon, eggs, ham and cheese for that weekend brunch vibe.
If you’re looking for the tried and tested classic Italian style pizza party, here is our list of the most amazing pizza toppings to have at your pizza bar.
- Horgan’s Pepperoni Slices
- Horgan’s Blacky Ham Slices, cut into small pieces
- Castelli Italian Fresh Mozzarella
- Vergeer Grated Mozzarella
- Mutti Pizza Sauce
- Horgan’s Cheddar
- Sundried Tomatoes
- Rocket Leaves
Create bowls of toppings to put at your pizza bar, so guests can choose their favourites for each.
Baking Your Pizzas
If you plan on making individual pizzas, consider large cookie sheets without sides. This makes it easy to slide the pizzas on and off of the tray, so you can bake everything as quickly as possible
You’re going to have your oven 200 C, and it is going to take a while to bake all of those pizzas, so be prepared for a HOT kitchen!
Pizzas are also great cooked on the BBQ or an outdoor Pizza Oven.
What Appetisers Go With Pizza?
If you want to serve appetisers at your pizza part, the possibilities are endless.
Some of our favourite appetisers for a pizza party are:
- Breadsticks
- Salads
- Mini meatballs
- Bruschetta
- Garlic bread
- Vegetables in a vegetable tray
These all keep in line with the pizza and Italian theme of a pizza party.
What Is A Good Dessert To Serve With Pizza?
If you’re going to have dessert at your pizza party, some great simple options are a delicious tira misu, made with Castelli Italian Mascarpone, or a simple bowl of strawberries with mascarpone.
Pizza Party Decorations
Thank about keeping it red and white themed, think of the classic red and white checkered table cloths at an Italian restaurant.
Paper lanterns make a great touch if your party is in the evening.
For an extra bit of fun, consider aprons and chef’s hats for the guests to really get them in the pizza party spirit! Kids will love dressing up like pizza chefs!
Setting Up Your Pizza Party
When it comes time to have your pizza party, here are some tips and tricks for getting everything set up correctly.
Have a designated pizza bar for guests to stretch out their dough and put on their toppings. This will keep mess to a minimum.
Have a designated pizza runner! This person will pick up the pizzas at the pizza bar after they have been made, and bring them to the kitchen. Then, when they are cooked, bring them back out again. This keeps too many people out of the kitchen!
Be sure to assign someone to keeping track of the pizza toppings, and refill them when they are running low.
Now, here’s the easiest pizza dough ever to get you started with your pizza party!
PREP TIME 20 minutes
COOK TIME 15 minutes
ADDITIONAL TIME 1 hour
TOTAL TIME 1 hour 35 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 packet active dry yeast
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 cup warm water
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Flour for rolling out dough
Instructions
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, add the yeast, water, and sugar. Allow to sit for 5 minutes. Mixture will bubble.
- Add flour, salt, and 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the bowl.
- Using the dough hook attachment, mix until the dough forms a ball.
- Dust your counter or a cutting board with flour, and remove dough from bowl of mixer.
- Knead until smooth.
- Put the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a bowl, and use a paper towel to coat the bowl.
- Place dough in bowl, and cover. Allow to rise for one hour.
- Punch down dough. If you are going to refrigerate it for later use, now place it in the refrigerator, and remember to remove it 30 minutes before using.
- Knead dough again, and shape back into ball.
- Cut ball into either four pieces for 12″ pizzas, or eight pieces for 6″ pieces.
- Roll a piece of dough into a ball, then gently stretch it out with your hands on a floured work surface. Top with pizza sauce, cheese, and your favourite Horgans toppings!