Pizza is one of the most delicious foods in the world, but getting it from a restaurant can be an expensive habit.
If you’re someone who prefers to eat pizza on a regular basis, here are some tips to make the best pizza right at home.
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Use toppings sparingly
Making pizza is an art that requires knowing how to combine the right toppings to create the desired flavor. You might think that more toppings make a better pizza, but that’s not always the case. In fact, some of the tastiest pizza isn’t overloaded with chunky toppings, and instead, uses thinly sliced pieces sparingly.
The flavor of a pizza isn’t just about the toppings, although fast food chains like Pizza Hut and Domino’s place a heavy focus on loading up. These pizza pies can be tasty, but nothing beats a traditional Italian pizza with thin, long slices of onion and red bell pepper, and other toppings sparingly distributed between the pieces. It allows you to taste the crust, dough, cheese, and sauce. Going light is how you get the full flavor experience pizza has to offer.
Use a wood-fired oven
Whenever possible, default to using a wood-fired oven to bake your pizza. Baking pizza in your backyard is easy with an outdoor pizza oven, and all you need is split firewood to fuel it up.
Wood-fired pizza has a characteristic smoky flavor that enhances the taste of the whole pizza. It’s also the best way to get a crispy crust without burning the edges and keeping the dough soft inside. Traditional ovens tend to burn toppings and dry out the dough.
Another benefit to using a wood-fired pizza oven is the high temperature. It doesn’t take long to cook a pizza this way, which means you can eat faster, but also, your toppings will retain more nutrients.
Preheat your oven
When you see instructions to preheat your oven, you may not want to do it if you’re really hungry, but your pizza just won’t taste the same otherwise. Always preheat to the right temperature, even if you’re just baking a frozen pie.
How hot should your oven be? Technically, regardless of what a frozen pizza might recommend, the hotter your oven, the better. We’re talking 900°F (500°C) plus. Most likely, you can only get your oven up to 500°F, which is sufficient, but you’ll get a better flavor from the high heat of a wood-fired pizza oven. However, if you don’t have one, heat your oven up to 500°F.
Use a pizza stone
You’ve probably seen pizza stones and wondered if they’re designed to keep the cheese from dripping all over your oven. While that is certainly a benefit, it’s not the purpose. A pizza stone is designed to retain the heat so it distributes evenly throughout the bottom of the pizza.
When pre-heating your oven, be sure to heat your stone, too, so it’s nice and hot when you put the pizza in to bake.
Let your dough warm up
Cold dough doesn’t stretch well. When you try to work with cold dough, you have to work it harder, which makes it tougher. To avoid this, take your dough out of the refrigerator at least a half hour before you plan to make pizza. Give it time to warm up to room temperature and then shape it into your crust.
Never roll your pizza dough
Pizza dough should be stretched and never rolled. If you’ve ever wondered why your homemade pizza tastes a little flat, it could be the result of rolling. Instead, shape it with your hands, pull the ball from the center, and make a round shape. It doesn’t need to be perfect to be delicious!
Use tomato sauce sparingly
Adding too much sauce will make your pizza dough soggy. Go easy on the tomato sauce and as long as it has flavor, your pizza will taste great.
Avoid fresh mozzarella
This sounds contradictory to great pizza, but fresh mozzarella is full of water that will just drip out as your pizza cooks and make everything soggy. Part-skim mozzarella is the best option, unless you’re willing to drain and dry your cheese.
Cook your veggies first
If you enjoy heartier vegetable toppings like broccoli, spinach, and zucchini, make sure to sauté them first. These tasty toppings won’t cook enough to be tender if you put them on your pizza raw.
Add herbs to a cooked pizza
If you’re going to put herbs like basil, parsley, chives, or arugula on your pizza, add these toppings after your pizza has been cooked or they will wilt and become soggy.
Enjoy your homemade pizza pie!
Last, but not least, the best tip for enjoying a pizza at home is to eat it and savor every bite.
