Mastering the Art of Consistently Delicious Homemade Pizzas
Love turning pizza from a kid's snack into a grown-up masterpiece? Me too. Here are a few pizza-crafting pointers that might just transform your kitchen into a slice-of-heaven factory.
Ferment that dough, baby!
Good pizza is all about flavor, and trust me, crust ain't exempt from that rule. For a tasty twist, let your dough take a 24-72 hour cold fermentation spin in the fridge. Just like a good sourdough loaf, the bold flavors developed during this period will give your crust a characteristically tangy taste.
Pimp out the crust, mate!
Don't let the middle of the pizza hog all the limelight while the crust chills in obscurity. Brush the outer edges with oil, add your flavor of choice, and don't be afraid to get a little adventurous. Spoiler alert: Not everyone kisses their crust goodbye, so why should you? Find inspire from garlic powder, sesame seeds, garam masala, or even a thin layer of mayo along the edge. Yes, mayo. Go on, give it a whirl.
Ditch the sheet pan for a pizza stone or steel.
You don't need a home kitchen modeled after a brick oven to make killer pizza. Say goodbye to that flimsy metal sheet pan and embrace a pizza stone or steel. They'll retain heat and vaporize any excess moisture to give you a perfectly crisp and charred bottom every time.
Get your oven and baking surface piping hot.
Just like a baseball player wouldn't go up to bat with a broomstick, don't chuck a pizza into an oven that's not properly preheated. Preheat with the baking surface of your choice for at least 20 minutes. That'll ensure your crust gets a nice golden complexion.
Don't forget the pizza peel.
Pizza peels are the unsung heroes of the pizza world. Wood or metal, and with a wide surface and a convenient handle, they make it easy to transfer your pizza in and out of the oven without it collapsing. And no baseball player wants their bat to collapse, right?
Keep it light on the toppings.
Our goal here is balance, not to create a topping history of pizza. Resist the urge to pile on, and remember that every bite should have a taste of every ingredient. Season the crust and hold back on the saucy overload to keep your dough from sagging and sticking like teenagers at a sleepover.
Quality over quantity.
Don't skimp on top-notch, flavorful ingredients when creating your pizza dream team. Remember that less is more, so every ingredient packed with flavor will more than make up for it.
Use the power of cornmeal.
Cornmeal will keep your pizza dough sliding off the peel like a glub of butter off a teflon pan. Sprinkle a generous layer on the peel before you stretch your dough, and add more as you go along to prevent any chance of a pizza-peel tragedy.
Par-cook that busywork.
Par-cook your veggies and meats to ensure they're flavorful and cooked through, and to prevent any unwelcome pools of liquid from forming on your pizza. Tomatoes, zucchini, mushrooms, onions, bell peppers - sauté them until they're tender and still have a bite. For meats like sausage, pepperoni, chicken, or bacon, cook them ahead of time for a better textual and flavor experience.
- To create a unique homemade pizza, consider a lengthy cold fermentation process for your dough, which will give it a characteristic tangy taste.
- Instead of ignoring the crust, enhance its flavor by brushing it with oil and adding seasonings, such as garlic powder, sesame seeds, garam masala, or even mayo as a compromise to eliminate the need for a traditional sauce.
- To achieve a perfectly crisp bottom, jettison the sheet pan in favor of a pizza stone or steel to retain heat and vaporize excess moisture during baking.
