We’re more than halfway through Passover and I still haven’t had a slice. I know what you’re thinking, “Just have some matzo pizza,” but that’s not the point! This is more of a personal test to see how far I can get without breaking. As you can imagine, it’s not easy. I’m exposed to so much incredible pizza when I’m running pizza tours, but I do my best to abstain. It got pretty bad on Sunday’s NYC Pizza Bus tour when people on the tour had to watch me scarf down walnuts and apple slices. How embarrassing.
Matzo pizza never really did it for me, but I’ve discovered that it has a lot to do with the nature of dry crackery unleavened bread. It has no flavor, boring texture, and tends to get soggy as soon as it meets sauce. That’s why I developed a set of best practices for making matzo pizza at home. These workarounds challenge some common thoughts about pizza construction, but trust me when I say they result in a much more enjoyable matzo pizza experience.
Top 5 Matzo Pizza Hacks
- Use a sturdy matzo. Most of the commercial options are too weak. I like The Matzo Project, but technically it’s not Kosher for Passover.
- Double stack your matzoh. Use shredded mozzarella in between the two layers. It will act as a binder and give improved both strength and texture to your fake pizza.
- Put your sauce on top of your cheese instead of directly on your crust. This is a great way to avoid soggification!
- Pre-cook your toppings and add them toward the end of the pizza’s cooking process. This will keep excess moisture away from the delicate cracker that is matzo.
- Use a toaster oven set to broil. This will melt the cheese and cook your toppings without overdoing the already cooked “crust.” Never use a microwave or you’ll get a soggy bottom and you’ll have to restart Passover.
