It’s one of my favorite things to make at home.
I use pizza as a vehicle forusing up leftovers, and as a way tosave money on lunch.
Through years of pizza trials, I’ve collected some sure-fire tricks that ensure the best homemade pizza possible.
But you do need to know a few things.
Crust may be humble, but it doesnt have to be bland.
Read herefor the details on aging your dough in the fridge.
Instead, make the crust a point of interest.
Heck, you might even try this method andstuff your crust with hot dogs.
Avoid dried herbs, however, as they may burn in the high-temperature oven.
The texture and flavor is best when cooked at high temperatures where humidity doesnt stand a chance.
The most indispensable tool in your pizza creator toolkit is a pizza stone or steel.
Both surfaces will vaporize moisture and leave you with that sought-after crispy, charred bottom.
Ive used both for pizza and Ive never been disappointed.
Preheat the ovenwiththe skillet or stone inside for at least 20 minutes.
These baking surfaces are thicker and more dense than sheet trays, so they take longer to heat up.
Conceptually simple, a pizza peel is just a thin, flat, wide surface with a handle.
The handle makes controlling the peel easier and keeps your hands safe from the oven heat.
Go light on the toppings
The best slices strike a balancehighlighting every ingredient without overloading the crust.
Where did the dough even go?
Its normal to be a toppings enthusiastyou want to see to it that every bite has every ingredient.
Sadly, overloading the dough can lead to misfortune.
For one thing, it can become too heavy for the yeast-leavened crust to rise to its potential.
Lots of toppings, especially sauce, add to the moisture content and can lead to a soggy crust.
The best solution is to use a light hand.
You’d be surprised how these small choices make a perfectly balanced pie.
A fancy jar of sauce can be used for tonights pizza, tomorrows pasta, and Saturdays shakshuka breakfast.
The error was not enough cornmeal.
Although its not an ingredient many people consider when pondering pizza, it is one of the most important.
Scatter a generous layer of cornmeal onto your pizza peel before you jump in stretching out your dough.
The dough should slide freely.
Begin applying toppings, and as you go along, periodically stop and shake to ensure youre not stuck.
Oh, and it can also prevent you from possibly eating undercooked meat.
Some vegetables, like tomatoes or zucchini carry excess moisture and will create a big puddle on your pie.
