We all enjoy that yummy pizza and would like to make one that is exactly like or better than the one we grab from the pizza restaurant in town. Well, that isn’t impossible but if truth be told, it is not easy as well. Because you need to be careful about the nutritional value of the foods you are serving to your family. You can, however, make a homemade pizza that leaves everyone yearning for more and leaving you looking like a true expert in this area.
All you need are the expert tips we shall share with you on this page plus the ingredients off-course and you will be ready to go. You will also need to understand the different steps to follow when making a pie and make sure that none of these are skipped otherwise your toppings might end up being unevenly cooked while the crust could end up being too crunchy or too soggy.
Definitely, this isn’t something you want and that’s why you should follow these 5 tips for homemade pizza.
1. Have the right dough
The first step when making pizza dough is to have all the essentials together. This will not only make your work easier but also help avoid leaving some ingredients out in the process. Some of the basic essentials you should have include flour, yeast, water, and salt.
You should make sure the flour-to-water ratio is gotten right in order to have a smooth dough. You can add some olive oil just to make things better. Once your dough is ready, the next thing is to put it in a fridge and leave it for some hours.
However, when ready to bake your homemade pizza, the dough should be removed at least one hour before cooking thus allowing it to warm a bit to a room temperature. Warming it to a room temperature goes a long way in relaxing the gluten which makes it easy to stretch the pizza into your desired shape with ease.
2. Heat your oven right
If you want to enjoy an amazing homemade pizza, owning a pizza oven is important. It is easy to get the best outdoor pizza oven without spending a lot of money and this gives you a great tool to go about your baking with ease.
Once you have the oven, make sure you have heated it to the right temperature which should be around 550°F. It is also important that you have a cooking surface that not only heats well but also stays hot. You can either go for a simple inverted sheet pan, a pizza stone or an oven rack that’s lined with simple quarry tiles.
Any of these will work just fine when it comes to heating and staying hot as you bake. Always give the cooking surface some sufficient time to preheat. In case you are using a wood-burning outdoor pizza oven, start your fire approximately one hour before you can start baking.
3. Use a thin tomato sauce layer
You don’t want your crust to be soggy and the best way to do this is to use a thin tomato sauce layer. It is also good to make sure that your fresh tomato slices are thin. You should also benefit from patting dry and salting.
You can also use grape or cherry tomatoes by first of all slicing or halving them before squeezing out any excess juices. The same thing applies to canned whole tomatoes. First split them up so as to release their water and then pat dry. Before using the diced tomatoes, make sure you squeeze them over a sieve to make them dry.
4. Precook your toppings
Many people place raw toppings on a pie and think they will become soft and tender within the few minutes they remain there. However, this is not easily achievable especially if you are using spinach, broccoli, and kale among others.
The best thing is to precook them. The sauté greens should be squeezed dry before they are finally scattered on the pizza. Salt and drain the zucchini and eggplant and then roast, sauté or grill them. You should also do the same to the fatty or raw meats.
Cook through the pancetta, bacon and Italian sausage but if you are using cured meats and thinly sliced veggies, then you can use them raw.
5. Use olive oil to brush the crust
Brushing the crust with olive oil before putting the pizza in the oven and after you’ve removed it is very important. It will ensure you have a great crunch, color, and flavor. You should also turn the pizza once it has started developing a crust at the bottom. This allows it to cook evenly. Once it’s cooked, transfer it gently to a baking rack instead of a flat surface. This will prevent against steaming thus keeping the crust crunchy and crisp.
With these 5 steps, it will be easy to make a yummy homemade pizza. You can add some tender herbs such as parsley, basil, and chives once your pizza is done. This will keep them flavorful and looking pretty.
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