It is day 2 of Pizza Madness, and today is nothing short of revolutionary! Okay, so it is not like we are taking over the world. Today we talk about how you can get professional-like results with your pizzas. How do the pros do it? Read on…
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Make and perfect your own dough. This goes without saying. The professionals revise their dough until it is perfect. Then they execute it flawlessly day in and out. Why do you think you go back and pay them 25$ for a large pie? Consistency is the key here, as well as flavor.
Use quality ingredients ~ you will not be sorry!
Use quality ingredients – a little goes a long way. Sure, roll your eyes. Let me tell you a quick story: I just about failed Home Economics in grade 7 because I thought the pizza we were making needed 1 kg of cheese. It was a mess. Use what you can afford, and make it good. After all, you are saving money making it yourself, right? Take it to the next level. Use buffalo mozzarella, a quality pepperoni, or even some roasted free-range chicken. You will not be disappointed.
Use a pizza stone... you will have consistent temperatures
Use a pizza stone. I repeat: Use a stone. There are a lot of good ones out there. The one I hear is the best? Pizza Therapy’s Amazon Page! I agree that it is a wonderful pizza stone! Why use a stone? Look – go to all the good pizzerias, the ones with a deck oven. They will all have one thing in common. They will have stones on the floor of the ovens.
Use one of these, and you are making pizza like the pros
Use a pizza peel. Not only would you look cool, but you actually have more flexibility with the peel. The pizza rests on the paddle, and you slide it on to your stone with the pieel with a shaking motion. A lot easier than fighting with a pan.
These dimples will carry the sauce, and your toppings will not slide off!
Dimple your dough before adding your sauce. My mother would kill me for giving away that secret. The dimples pool out the sauce, so the ingredients won’t slide off on your first bite. Cuts down on the cost of the undercoat of cheese to make all the ingredients stick.
You will use this board for baking projects all over.
Use a wood pastry board. Get a real nice one, and you will use it for more than just pizza, I promise. There is nothing better to knead your dough on.
Albert’s Addition to the Tips:
Make your dough the day before you will be making your pizza. Let the dough proof in the fridge for at least 24 hours. This tip comes from master pizzaiolo and bread guru Peter Reinhart. Allowing your dough to proof in the fridge imparts a better flavor in the dough.
Make sure your oven is hot, hot, hot. If you are using a pizza stone, pre-heat your oven for at least an hour. Crank up the oven as hot as possible. The oven temperature should be at least 260°C (500°F.) The hotter the better. You want your pizza to cook quickly. Don’t over do it, but make sure the bottom is starting to change color.
Put these tips into practice, and you will be making pizza like the pros!
Do you have any tips on making pizza?
The Finished Pizza - All Dressed Of Course!
***UPDATE***
Thank you Albert for your advice, I have added the points to the list!
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
These are some great tips Chef.
Here are two more additional tips:
1) Make your dough the day before you will be making your pizza. Let the dough proof in the fridge for at least 24 hours.
This tip was given to me by master pizzaiolo and bread guru Peter Reinhart. Allowing your dough to proof in the fridge imparts a better flavor in the dough.
2) Make sure your oven is hot, hot, hot. If you are using a pizza stone, pre-heat your oven for at least an hour. Crank up the oven as hot as possible. The oven temperature should be at least 500 + F. The hotter the better.
You want your pizza to cook quickly. Don’t over do it, but make sure the bottom is starting to change color.
I wish you the absolute best in all of your pizza adventures.
pizza on earth,
albert grande
http://pizzatherapy.com
Thank you Albert, I have updated the post to reflect your points. I cannot believe I forgot about them.
I have a question, can I use any stone? I have a nice one from pampered chef, and I’ve been making my pizza on that. I enjoy it, but I think I need to have the oven hotter, now that I read these tips. My recipe always called for a 400-425 degree oven. And the dough was indeed soggy in the middle! So, I’ll give the higher temps a try next time and let you know how that turns out, thanks for the tips!
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Cassandra