TigerChef

For some of us, there’s nothing like a homemade pizza. For others, nothing comes close to the real thing from the true professionals. Well, now you can make real homemade pizza, with an authentic professional look and taste. Here’s how:

1. For the best result, use high-quality white flour. If you are looking to make it healthier yet still delicious, use half white flour and half whole wheat flour and combine it with an additional ¼ cup water.
2. In order to prevent the dough from sticking to the surface, sprinkle some cornmeal onto your baking surface prior to baking. You are better off with cornmeal than with flour, since corn granules are larger than flour, and therefore prevents the dough from sticking. It also adds a bit of a crunch to the crust.
3. Never stick pizza into an oven that has not been fully preheated. You want to make sure the oven has reached the desired temperature and is very hot.
4. Ever wondered why professionals use pizza stones? A pizza stone attracts heat and in return, it increases the temperature of the oven. In addition, the heat from the pizza stone makes the dough all that more crispy. Like the oven, always make sure your stone is preheated before sliding the pizza over the stone to achieve maximum results.
5. The thinner the pizza crust, the crispier the dough, so make sure to roll out the dough to its thinnest without causing it to tear.
6. It is important that you never overdose on the sauces and toppings. You want to make sure to spread a thin layer of sauce over the dough, leaving ½” near the edge sauce-free. Add the toppings of your choice, making sure not to overdo it. Otherwise the dough will lose some of its crunchiness, making it soggier and it can cause the dough to collapse from the weight of all the toppings.
7. As for the cheese, there are so many different types of cheese available, each with its own flavor and texture. In essence, it’s up to you to decide on which cheese sits best with you. However, mozzarella is the most popular cheese and wins first prize, hands down.

Filed under: How-To • General • Recipes

Tags: cheese, homemade, pizza, tips