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HOW TO MAKE PIZZA

PIZZA DOUGH AND SAUCE RECIPES PIZZA TOPPINGS

Almost everyone seems to love pizza.  Most people always favor the type of pizza that was served in the local pizzeria in the neighborhood where they grew up.  Homemade pizza will not duplicate the pizza from professional ovens unless, of course, you have a professional home pizza oven.  But where homemade pizza is different it can still be outstanding.  Once you have a few guidelines for making pizza, you will realize that the varieties exceed anything that you can get at your local pizzeria.

Here are a few tips to remember:

THE OVEN

Oven temperature is most important to the success of your pizza. The hotter your oven the better. It takes a hot oven to make a crisp, brown crust without drying out the top.  Ideally, you want an oven that reaches 500-degrees F.  If your oven does not go that high just use its highest setting. Preheat your oven to 500-degrees, allowing 30 minutes rather than the usual 10.

Countertop Pizza Oven

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT

Two pieces of equipment help make excellent pizza: a pizza stone and a peel.  A stone provides intense bottom heat that burns off moisture, giving the crust a firm, crisp texture.  Place the pizza stone on the bottom shelf in the oven when you turn it on so that it has the full 30 minutes of time to preheat.  The pizza peel is a large, flat paddle made of wood or metal.  The peel allows you to slide the pizza directly onto the stone.  You can use a baking sheet with no sides almost as easily.

Kitchen Collection 15 Inch Ceramic Pizza Baking Stone

HOW TO USE A PIZZA PEEL

First dust the peel with semolina, flour, or fine cornmeal.  Place the dough on the peel.  Jerk the peel back and forth to make sure the dough is loose.  Now add the toppings and open the oven door.  When you are transferring your pizza from the peel to the pizza stone on the oven, hold the peel at a slight angle, toughing the tip of the peel to the back edge of the pizza stone.  Give it a jerk as you pull the peel back, easing the pizza onto the stone.  When the pizza is done, slide the peel back under it and take it out of the oven.

Kitchen Collection Extra Large Pizza Peel

THE DOUGH

Pizza dough is basically a bread dough enriched with olive oil.  There are numerous recipes for pizza dough.  Some people like their crust thin and brittle while others prefer it more thick and spongy.  Most people do like a pizza with a crunch to its crust.

Most of our recipes are for the thin-crust variety.  If you prefer a thicker crust, use 1-1/2 the amount of dough indicated, roll it about 1/2-inch thick, and allow for additional baking time.  The number of pizzas that each dough recipe yields are approximate.  The amount will depend on how thin or thick you roll out your dough.

MAKING THE DOUGH WITH A MACHINE

Although most of our dough recipes describe how to make pizza dough by hand, you can use a heavy-duty mixer, food processor or bread machine.

If you use a mixer, combine the dry ingredients with the liquids using the paddle attachment.  Once the dough begins to come together, switch to the dough hook, adding just enough flour so that the dough forms a ball without sticking to the sides of the bowl.  Kneading should take about 5 minutes.

If you use a food processor, add the dry ingredients and pulse to blend them. With the machine running, pour in the liquid.  In a few seconds, the dough will gather into a ball and pull away from the bowl.  If the dough is too soft, add flour a little at a time until a ball forms.  The dough should be smooth and elastic in about 1 minute1.

Pizza dough can also be mixed and kneaded in a bread machine following the manufacturer's instructions.

Bread Machines

THE TOPPINGS

Be generous with the toppings, but remember that a heavily covered pizza dough will be more difficult to slide into the oven.  Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese are the most common pizza cheeses.  Try using a blend of mozzarella and fontina or mozzarella and asiago for a sharper accent.  Our other topping recipes will provide you with many other ideas.  Since a

pizza cooks very quickly at a high heat, follow the instructions given with each recipe to determine if some of the topping ingredients need to be pre-cooked before baking.

Pizza Crust Mix

BAKING THE PIZZA

Thin to medium crust pizzas will bake in about 10-12 minutes in a 500-degree F oven.  Follow the directions given in each topping recipe.  Some cheeses can be baked for the entire time.  Other cheeses are better added during the last 2-3 minutes - just long enough to heat them and bring out their flavors.  If you are using a specialized pizza baker, follow the manufacturer's instructions.

GRILLED PIZZA

Turn on grill to medium heat.

Lightly oil a grill rack.

Stretch pizza dough on a flour or cornmeal-coated pizza peel.

Let grill rack heat before adding the dough.

If you are adding a sauce, be sure that it is warm, as it won't have time to heat on the grill.

Close the grill lid.  Grill until the bottom of the dough browns, about 5 minutes.

Remove dough to pizza peel.

Flip the dough over, so that the brown side is up, and add the toppings.

Return to grill rack and grill 5-8 minutes, until crust is brown and cheese is melted.

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