Tasha and I gave my mother a bunch of pizza making related items for Christmas.
We did not remember to write this up before hand, but we wanted to summarize how we make pizzas to give her a bit of an idea how to use all the new tools she has. Before I could put this together, she told me that she has already made some pizza with some good results, so I'm not sure she needs my advice, but I thought I'd write it up any way.
My tips on making homemade pizza:
I'm not an expert on the topic, I've learned by doing. Starting with some initial attempts with
Tasha on our early dates, to making pizza for 10 in sugarloaf, but not a whole lot has changed in my
ingredients, but I have learned a few key fundamentals that help make a darn good pizza at home. It starts with dough. I don't do anything special for dough, I actually do the opposite. I buy bags of
pre-made bread dough and use that with pretty good success. I'm sure fresh dough would
be better, but frozen doesn't seem to hurt the process. I've also had good success with trader joes
garlic herb dough.
For sauce, I'm not picky at all. I've used nearly anything, olive oil, thin sliced
fresh tomatoes, bruschetta topping or a hearty marinara. Just remember to not use too much sauce, or the dough won't cook under it. When it comes to toppings, this is where your pizzas can shine. My favorite pizza is margarita (fresh tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and fresh basil), which comes out
great at home and is so simple. My tip for toppings is use less than you think you need. Cook
anything you are going to put on before you top the pizza. I'm not willing to try to cook something
like sausage, or hamburg on a pizza. Make sure your toppings are dry. Peppers, onions, mushrooms,
give off a lot of water when cooking, so make sure to cut them thin. Anything from a jar should be
well drained. Anything frozen, should be thawed. When it comes to what you put on, go wild with the
toppings. It's hard to mess up a pizza.
Some suggestions:
Tomatoes - Fresh, cherry, or sundried (either in oil, or dry. If dry, rehydrate in warm water first)
fresh herbs (basil, rosemary, thyme, etc)
garlic / onions / shallots / chives
Cheeses - fresh Mozzarella, goat, parmesan, provolone, blue. I like to put a good mix of cheeses on
my pizza, I've been told you can go without cheese, but I'd never do it.
Sauces - none, any pasta sauce, olive oil, pesto, alfredo
veggies - mushrooms (shitaki, button, portobello), peppers (hot, red, roasted, or green), artichoke,
asparagus, fresh tomatoes,
Here's how I make a pizza:
1. Preheat your oven with your pizza stone in it. I cook my pizzas pretty hot, 400+, but you may want to try a lower temp and slower cooking, to see what works for your thickness / style of pizza.
2. Thaw your dough. Working with frozen dough is impossible. Better yet, make your own fresh.
3. Stretch your dough, and let it rest a few minutes. This will help it from shrinking. I use either
olive oil, or flour to keep it from sticking to my hands. Be sure to dock your dough (prick it with a fork) to release the trapped air bubbles or you will have bubbly pizza.
4. Put corn meal under your dough on your peel. Put a fair amount, this is what keeps the pizza from
sticking when sliding onto your stone. I try to slide it around on the peel before I even top it.
5. top your pizza as described above, but don't put too much on. You end up with a soggy, undercooked, toppings. Don't forget to season the pizza, a little salt and pepper goes a long way.
6. Slide the pizza onto the stone horizontally, not on an angle. It's kinda like a shuffle board motion.
7. Keep an eye on your pizza, but don't open the oven. I like my pizza fairly well done, the
toppings get brown, and cheese gets toasty.
8. When finished, remove with peel, and put on a rack to cool for 5 minutes. This allows the pizza
to set up, without getting soggy on the bottom. Then put the pizza on your cutting board and slice, don't cut the pizza on your peel.
