There’s nothing quite like the satisfaction of biting into a perfectly crisp, cheesy slice of pizza made right in your kitchen. While ordering from a pizzeria takes no effort, creating a restaurant-quality pie at home allows you to experiment, save money, and enjoy fresh ingredients. All it takes is learning a few essential techniques. Read on to discover tips for making restaurant-quality pizza at home.
Properly Stretch and Knead the Dough
The foundation of your pizza lies in the dough, so you must handle it the right way before adding sauce, cheese, and toppings. Kneading the dough by hand or with a stand mixer until smooth and elastic is key; this activates gluten, giving the dough its structure and chewiness.
When it’s time to stretch the dough, work gently and avoid overhandling. A common mistake when making pizza is overstretching or rolling out the dough with a rolling pin, which can lead to a dense and uneven crust. Instead, use your hands to stretch and shape it, letting gravity help as you rotate the dough. With practice, achieving a thin, even base will be easy!
Select Minimal High-Quality Toppings
When it comes to toppings, less really is more. Opt for a handful of high-quality ingredients that complement each other. Adding too many toppings makes the pizza soggy and overpowers the balance of flavors.
Before adding your toppings, make sure any vegetables are thinly sliced and meats are precooked, as pizza cooks quickly and doesn’t allow these ingredients much time to soften or brown. Using fresh, seasonal ingredients can elevate your pizza from homemade to restaurant-worthy.
Transfer Dough With Cornmeal
One of the trickiest steps in making pizza at home is getting your topped dough onto the pizza stone without sticking. Cornmeal is your secret weapon here. Before adding your stretched dough to a pizza peel, sprinkle it generously with cornmeal.
The grains create a slight buffer between the dough and the surface, allowing it to slide off easily when transferring it to the oven. Using cornmeal also adds a subtle crunch to your crust’s texture.
Cook Your Pizza at a High Temperature
One essential factor in restaurant-quality pizza is getting that perfectly cooked crust with a bubbly, golden top. The secret? High heat. Most professional pizza ovens operate at around 800 degrees Fahrenheit, but you can mimic that result by heating your home oven to 500 degrees or as high as it will safely go.
Quick cooking at high temperatures allows the crust to crisp up while the toppings stay fresh and vibrant. If your oven offers a broil setting, consider turning it on for the last minute or two to add a touch of char and caramelization, just like you’d find at a wood-fired pizzeria.
Making delicious, restaurant-quality pizza at home is easier than you might think when you perfect a few crucial steps. With the right techniques, you’ll soon serve pizzas that rival your favorite local pizzeria, customizing them to your liking.