By Mackenzie Carpenter
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Here's a quick way to enjoy sensational pizza at home without having to taste-test frozen pies, deal with slow delivery people or make the dough from scratch, which can be time-consuming and anxiety-provoking. (Why isn't the yeast bubbling? Has the dough risen enough or is the kitchen too cold? Is there enough time before dinner to punch it down and let it rise a second time?)

The results are as good as anything you'll do yourself -- pizza crust that's not too soft or bready, but with a yeasty, nutty flavor and a nice chew.

There's one condition: You have to get yourself to Trader Joe's and buy their bagged pizza dough at 99 cents a pop. (Whole Foods Market, Shop 'n Save and Giant Eagle, are you listening?)

You'll need the following equipment, which can be purchased at supermarkets and kitchen stores: a pizza stone, parchment paper, cornmeal, and a pizza paddle. While you can always bake the pizza on a cookie sheet, I think the pizza stone yields far superior results, ensuring a crisp yet chewy crust.

Take the pizza dough home (I buy two bags for two pizzas for a family of five), and stow it in the refrigerator until you need it (up to a week after purchase). When you're ready, preheat the oven to 550 degrees, or as high as your oven will go. Place the pizza stone on the top rack, and don't forget to turn on any kitchen fan or ventilator.

Cut the parchment paper in a circle, about the size of your pizza (I can roll mine out to about 13 inches before the dough gets too thin, although you may have a different experience) and place it on the pizza paddle, which will serve as your work surface. Sprinkle the parchment with cornmeal, about two tablespoons.

Take the pizza dough out of the plastic bag and place it on top of the cornmeal-sprinkled parchment. Don't throw that plastic bag away -- spread it out on top of the dough and use it as a barrier when rolling the dough, to keep the dough from sticking to your fingers.

Once the dough is flattened out into a disk covering the parchment, you can add toppings. I paint my dough with a tablespoon of olive oil, and sprinkle it either with chopped garlic, tomato sauce and pepperoni (my kids for some bizarre reason loathe cheese), or spread pesto sauce, cooked, shredded chicken (I get my grilled chicken strips at Trader Joe's, but any kind will do) and thinly sliced strips of ham on top.

Don't overload the pizza with too much topping in the middle, because it will take longer to cook, resulting in a pizza with burned edges and a soggy middle. Better to keep the toppings lighter in the middle and slightly heavier around the edges.

(Note: If your family isn't ready to eat, or if the oven isn't sufficiently heated, you can always leave the pizza out for a half hour or so until you're ready to bake.)

Open the oven door. There will be a blast of heat, so be sure you're wearing your mitts. Gently pull the top rack -- with the stone on it -- one third of the way out of the oven. Then, carefully tip the paddle and slide the pizza onto the stone, parchment and all, preferably in one clean movement. This step may take some practice -- sometimes I haven't tipped the pizza onto the stone correctly, resulting in dough that hangs over the edge of the stone. I then have had to push it in so it covers the stone completely, which bunches up the pizza dough somewhat. But you'll get the hang of it.

Shut the door. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes (oven heat tends to vary) or until the edges start to turn dark brown and the topping has developed a nice crust. Open the door, pull the rack out by one-third, gently slide the pizza paddle under the whole pie, with the parchment still sticking to it underneath, and then pull out of the oven and onto a platter.

Let it cool for a minute or two, then using a pizza roller, slice into pieces, and serve.

This sounds complicated, but after the second or third time you'll be doing it without a worry.