Homemade Pizza - Tips and Tools For the Best Results

Pizza is popular, no doubt about it. It's a simple food that evolved from the fast flatbreads, or focaccia, eaten in Italy as a quick meal.

We used to have it at home on Saturday nights, or even for lunch on school days. In those days, the pizza was made from a box mix. Those remain available. You can also buy frozen dough and canned sauce separately.

Breakfast Pizza

We like to make our dough from scratch, and use a canned sauce for convenience. After making thousands of pizzas over the years, we've learned some tips and tricks!

For a great homemade pizza:

Coat the dough lightly with olive oil before putting it in a bowl to rise. This prevents the surface from drying out. Use fresh ingredients, especially the cheese, meat and peppers. We like meat on pizza, but it can make it too greasy. To avoid this, precook the meat and drain well on paper towels before adding to your pizza. Bake in a hot oven, 500 degrees or hotter if your oven goes that high. Those lucky enough to have an outdoor, wood-burning oven, trying baking your pizza there. Be sure to turn the pizza during baking for even cooking. Use double potholders or thick oven mitts to handle the hot pizza, especially if you're using a ceramic baking stone.

If you cook much, you probably have most of the tools in your kitchen to make a pizza already. In addition to measuring cups (liquid and dry) and measuring spoons, here are tools that will help if you're just starting with homemade pizza:

Bowl - Use a heavy Pyrex glass or ceramic bowl to retain warmth and allow your crust to rise evenly Cover - A clean cloth or dish towel keeps out cool drafts, and prevents the dough from drying out on the surface Ceramic pizza stone - best for even baking Metal baking sheet - light weight and easy to store Pizza cutter - Choose a model with guarding between the handle and the blade to prevent cuts

Armed with a few tools and easy techniques, you'll be making great pizza at home in no time!

Homemade Pizza - Tips and Tools For the Best Results

If you liked these suggestions, please visit our blog at http://diaryofadishie.com - for more info on tools, tips and recipes (pizza and others) on cooking from scratch, using vintage cookware, and mixing vintage and new dinnerware, china and glassware in creative table settings. Plus, tales from our dish-hunting travels at Kimbesa's Closet.

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