Pizza making tips
make better pizza at home
Making pizza is simple, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy.
We’ve all had that moment when we thought we did everything right but then the dough didn’t stretch. Maybe you once had a pizza stone but it broke and you haven’t gone back. If your pizza came out of the oven a big soggy mess, you are not alone. We are here for you.
This is your resource center for home pizza making information. We’ll help you turn typical household ingredients into pizza you can be proud of. Start with these helpful links and let us know if you still have questions. Maybe one day your pizzeria will be a stop on the tour!
Pizza Making Videos
How To Make Pizza Dough
This video will guide you through the dough making process. The exact measurements are different from the recipe below, but the technique is the same.
Stretch Your Pizza Dough
You’ve spent all this time crafting and fermenting the perfect dough, now you’ll need help transforming it into a pizza “skin.” Watch carefully!
Top & Bake Your Pizza
You’re almost there! Your pizza dough is stretched and now all you have to do is get it topped and into the oven for a successful transformation.
Recipes
Dough Formula (makes 4x 12 inch doughs)
WATER: 460g or 2 cups
YEAST: 2g instant / 1.5g active or 0.5 tsp
FLOUR: 700g or 5 cups (All Purpose is fine, Bread Flour is better)
SALT: 18g or 3 tsp
OIL: 10g or 2 tsp
2. Add salt to the water. Stir to combine.
3. Incorporate flour into your water slowly, adding yeast as you mix in your last bit of flour.
4. Allow the mix to sit, covered and at room temperature, for 20 minutes.
5. Add half of your oil to the dough and spread it across the surface with your hand.
6. Incorporate oil into the dough by kneading until it no longer feels slick. Add the other half of your oil and repeat the kneading process.
7. Knead on a lightly floured surface for about 5 minutes.
8. Let the dough rest, covered and at room temperature, for 5 minutes.
9. Knead for another minute or two until the exterior of the dough is smooth.
10. Divide the dough into 4 even pieces and fold each into a tight, seamless ball.
10. Store dough balls in lightly oiled containers inside a refrigerator for 1-4 days.
11. Let dough come to room temperature for 2-3 hours before use.
Basic Sauce
TOMATOES: 1x 28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes
SALT: 6g (one big pinch)
2. Add salt to tomatoes.
3. Crush the whole tomatoes by submerging them in the tomato liquid from the can until the texture is fine and consistent.
4. No need to cook, they’ll cook on the pizza! Season with oregano, garlic, etc as needed directly on each pizza.
Tips & Tricks
Freezing Your Dough
1. Once you’ve made your dough, let it rise either covered and on the counter until doubled in size or overnight in the refrigerator.
2. Knock the gas out of the doughs you want to freeze and fold them into fresh dough balls, pinching shut all the seams.
3. Wrap each ball tightly with cling wrap.
4. Store on a flat surface in your freezer.
5. When you want to use the dough (within 3 months), let the balls sit in your refrigerator at least 24 hours to thaw.
Baking Bread with Leftover Pizza Dough
1. Let dough ball sit on a sheet of parchment paper, covered with an overturned bowl that’s three times the size of the dough.
2. When the dough has almost doubled in size (a couple hours in warm temperature, longer in cold), preheat your oven to 450 F (bonus points if you preheat with a pizza stone for > 45 minutes.
3. Put a pan of water onto the lower rack of the oven to create steam that will give you a crunchy crust.
4. Dust the dough ball with a small amount of flour. Using a sharp knife or razor blade, score the top of the dough ball.
5. Slide the scored dough, parchment and all, onto a baking sheet (or use a peel to slide it onto a pizza stone).
6. If you didn’t put a pan of water into the oven for step 3, you can spray the inside of the oven with water now for a similar effect.
7. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the exterior of the bread browns to your liking.
8. Let the bread cool on a wire rack for at least an hour. DO NOT cut into the loaf right away or it will be gummy.
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