Homemade Pizza

[SeductivePig]

For those of you who make pizza at home, care to share any tips/experiences? I bought a kitchenaid a long time ago and have had great success making my own dough; at this point these are what I'm struggling with.

1) Dough flavoring - I can't seem to get a decent taste out of my dough - it doesn't taste bad, but it's just kind of bland. Any tips? Texture is great, comes out nice and crispy. I do keep a large batch frozen and let it thaw while I'm at work all day. I use a garlic infused olive oil as one of my ingredients, and use 2 TSP of salt and 2 TBSP of sugar; not sure if either is lacking.

2) Cheese - Biggest issue I face is lack of flavor, and cheese pull. I use 100% mozzarella pre-shredded, and I heard that shredding your own cheese is better for flavor. On top of that, most chain pizzas don't use 100% mozzarella; what's a good blend? The biggest annoyance I have right now is if I bite into a slice, I tend to pull off a bunch of cheese from the rest of it. With a blend, I don't think that problem would exist. I also can't really taste anything from pure mozzarella.

3) Garlic - How do you make garlic to layer on the outside of your crust?

4) Sauce - Any of you make your own sauce? I use premade Boboli right now which is great (same kind used in lunchables), but I kind of want to make a large batch on my own since it's probably cheaper.

Looking forward to hearing from you all.. I know there's some daily pizza eaters around here Personally I eat it for dinner every day as part of my diet.

 

[vi edit]

For the dough, here's the site I used to make mine. It's the best crust recipe I've used to date. So simple, but when I do pizza's on my grill they come out amazing.

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2012/07/basic-new-york-style-pizza-dough.html

I think cooking is half (maybe even more) the battle. Good crust needs to be done at HIGH temps. I mean really high temps. I can get my gas grill up to over 650 degrees. I let a pizza stone sit in there for almost 30 minutes to get up to temp. Toss a pie on there and it's done in a couple minutes with that perfect balance of browned & bubbly...yet not burnt crust with a nice chew to it. To me it's that high temp baking that brings out the flavor in the dough.

 

[vi edit]

And for sauce I use this if I make my own:

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2010/10/new-york-style-pizza-sauce.html

 

[SeductivePig]

For the dough, here's the site I used to make mine. It's the best crust recipe I've used to date. So simple, but when I do pizza's on my grill they come out amazing.

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2012/07/basic-new-york-style-pizza-dough.html

I think cooking is half (maybe even more) the battle. Good crust needs to be done at HIGH temps. I mean really high temps. I can get my gas grill up to over 650 degrees. I let a pizza stone sit in there for almost 30 minutes to get up to temp. Toss a pie on there and it's done in a couple minutes with that perfect balance of browned & bubbly...yet not burnt crust with a nice chew to it. To me it's that high temp baking that brings out the flavor in the dough.

I actually use a nearly identical recipe. Quantities are slightly different but proportions are exactly the same. Strange, I just don't notice much flavor in mine. And I agree with you on the temperature, initially I would cook mine at 350F for 24 minutes so the cheese wouldn't burn, now I do it at 450F for 8 minutes and it comes out great. Found out that they key to crispy crust is to make sure the pizza stone is already hot, cook it at high temp, and don't overload it with cheese.

 

[SeductivePig]

And for sauce I use this if I make my own:

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2010/10/new-york-style-pizza-sauce.html

Would you say this is better than what you can find premade? Cheaper?

 

[vi edit]

450 ain't nuthin. I'm serious about the heat. You simply can't replace the effect of high temps with more time at lower temps.

 

[vi edit]

Would you say this is better than what you can find premade? Cheaper?

It's all personal preference. Some people would say it's blasphemy to put sugar in pizza sauce. I like a sweeter sauce with a bit of zip to it. Don't care what traditionalists say.

It will be a bit more tangy than most canned sauces.

 

[Matthiasa]

1)
Dough needs a surprisingly high amount of of salt to it, if you are making enough to freeze you probably need to more than double what you are currently adding. Besides that you likely need to let the yeast stay active for a longer period of time (ideally 24+ hours), or you need to add more to begin with.

I'll say when making pizza crust and bread in general I use a mix of standard white flour and whole wheat flour but that is not standard practice.

2) Mozzarella isn't exactly known for having a strong flavor and will take on the flavor of anything stored with it. Try adding other cheeses like Parmesan, Pecorino, Asiago, etc. as well as fresh herbs on top.

3)At low heat, heat up minced garlic in olive oil for 5-10 minutes then brush on. However, if you let it go to long or at to high of temperature you simply end up with fried garlic. Fried garlic has its uses but pizza typically is not one of them.

4) For sauce it depends but usually I cook onions and garlic then add some kind tomatoes product. If the tomatoes are canned I tend to add a small amount of sugar to balance it out. Either dried or fresh herbs and crushed red pepper are also added but fresh herbs are obviously preferable. This can be blended for a smoother consistency when used on pizza.

 

[JM Aggie08]

Let your dough proof for 24-48hrs, and mix in some different flours.

 

[echo4747]

If you want a flavorful dough (or if you are into breadmaking) consider using a starter culture instead of supermarket yeast. It is a lot of effort but it is kind of rewarding. Link to some starters you can try:

http://www.amazon.com/Italian-Ischia-Camaldoli-Sourdough-Cultures/dp/B006TMLF98

 

[DigDog]

http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/

for all your dough needs.

also, woodsmoke and high temps. if you don't have those, be content with a thin crust which chars slightly on the edges.

 

[SeductivePig]

450 ain't nuthin. I'm serious about the heat. You simply can't replace the effect of high temps with more time at lower temps.

That's as high as my oven goes lol. I use the BOV800XL, and used to use the full size oven but it takes forever to heat up. Even that only goes up to 450.

1)
Dough needs a surprisingly high amount of of salt to it, if you are making enough to freeze you probably need to more than double what you are currently adding. Besides that you likely need to let the yeast stay active for a longer period of time (ideally 24+ hours), or you need to add more to begin with.

I'll say when making pizza crust and bread in general I use a mix of standard white flour and whole wheat flour but that is not standard practice.

Interesting, I'll try adding more salt then. Maybe double.. I use 2 TSP per the recipe. I also use 50% WW and 50% White, don't think that has an effect on anything.

2) Mozzarella isn't exactly known for having a strong flavor and will take on the flavor of anything stored with it. Try adding other cheeses like Parmesan, Pecorino, Asiago, etc. as well as fresh herbs on top.

Yea I just can't seem to figure out what to add.. so many options out there at Costco/Whole Foods.

3)At low heat, heat up minced garlic in olive oil for 5-10 minutes then brush on. However, if you let it go to long or at to high of temperature you simply end up with fried garlic. Fried garlic has its uses but pizza typically is not one of them.

Will try this.

4) For sauce it depends but usually I cook onions and garlic then add some kind tomatoes product. If the tomatoes are canned I tend to add a small amount of sugar to balance it out. Either dried or fresh herbs and crushed red pepper are also added but fresh herbs are obviously preferable. This can be blended for a smoother consistency when used on pizza.

Bold

Let your dough proof for 24-48hrs, and mix in some different flours.

Wow.. you mean let it rise the first time for 24-48 hours? I let it rise for 2 hours max, then cut it up and freeze it into balls. Put out a single ball in the morning in my refrigerator to let it defrost for 12 hours or so before letting it rise maybe 30 minutes before cooking it.

 

[vi edit]

Wow.. you mean let it rise the first time for 24-48 hours? I let it rise for 2 hours max, then cut it up and freeze it into balls. Put out a single ball in the morning in my refrigerator to let it defrost for 12 hours or so before letting it rise maybe 30 minutes before cooking it.

Oh yeah. Definitely. Let that stuff sit in the fridge for a day or two. Then pull it out and let it warm up for at least 2 hours before turning it into a crust. Dough has got to proof. There's lots of stuff happening in that time frame that really changes the texture and flavor of the dough.

 

[SeductivePig]

Oh yeah. Definitely. Let that stuff sit in the fridge for a day or two. Then pull it out and let it warm up for at least 2 hours before turning it into a crust. Dough has got to proof. There's lots of stuff happening in that time frame that really changes the texture and flavor of the dough.

But my dough gets to its max size in 2 hours..

So would this work: Let is rise outside for 2 hours, then stash it in the fridge for 24 hours, then freeze it after that?

 

[Matthiasa]

That extra time isn't really about letting it rise but to allow the yeast to help develop flavors in the dough. But yeah that is the general idea.

 

[Kaido]

For those of you who make pizza at home, care to share any tips/experiences? I bought a kitchenaid a long time ago and have had great success making my own dough; at this point these are what I'm struggling with.

1) Dough flavoring - I can't seem to get a decent taste out of my dough - it doesn't taste bad, but it's just kind of bland. Any tips? Texture is great, comes out nice and crispy. I do keep a large batch frozen and let it thaw while I'm at work all day. I use a garlic infused olive oil as one of my ingredients, and use 2 TSP of salt and 2 TBSP of sugar; not sure if either is lacking.

2) Cheese - Biggest issue I face is lack of flavor, and cheese pull. I use 100% mozzarella pre-shredded, and I heard that shredding your own cheese is better for flavor. On top of that, most chain pizzas don't use 100% mozzarella; what's a good blend? The biggest annoyance I have right now is if I bite into a slice, I tend to pull off a bunch of cheese from the rest of it. With a blend, I don't think that problem would exist. I also can't really taste anything from pure mozzarella.

3) Garlic - How do you make garlic to layer on the outside of your crust?

4) Sauce - Any of you make your own sauce? I use premade Boboli right now which is great (same kind used in lunchables), but I kind of want to make a large batch on my own since it's probably cheaper.

Looking forward to hearing from you all.. I know there's some daily pizza eaters around here Personally I eat it for dinner every day as part of my diet.

1. For dough flavor, you can go two routes to start out with:

1) Ferment your dough
2) Mix in dough flavoring

A lot of crusts do a 24, 48, or 72-hour fridge fermentation cycle. No-knead dough can also help out the flavor. Alternatively, here are a couple of dough flavorings to try: (I also use garlic salt & Parmesan sometimes)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GCDPLC6

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00P320VDG

2. For cheese, start off by buying the best mozz ball you can find. Whole Foods has some good fresh ones in little plastic tubs. Otherwise, just look for a squishy ball. The packaged stuff is generally pretty bland. Sometimes I'll mix it up & use other cheeses. 4-cheese Mexican blend pre-shredded isn't too bad. Along with pizza dough flavoring, you can also buy pizza flavoring, which can help make it taste more pizzeria-like. Here's a decent one:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DUF3CHU

3. For the garlic layer I use a brushed oil (olive oil or melted butter, or egg whites if you want it more brown) & then sprinkle on garlic salt. Garlic salt has a lot of pop to the flavor. Also, here's a secret for you: Pizza Hut's stuffed-crust pizza is basically just string cheese (mozzarella cheese sticks, the kind you peel) with the edge of the dough rolled over them. Just buy a ten-pack of sticks, let them get up to room temp (they won't melt if they're cold), roll them into the dough, and bake. Voila, deliciousness! You can also do this with hot dogs (a la the latest hot dog crust, haha). If you want to get creative, you can get stuff like Pillsbury dough & make Twisted Crust pizza too.

4. I typically use canned Stop & Shop (regional grocery store) pizza sauce. It's the best I've found off-the-shelf, surprisingly. I've tried close to 20 canned & jarred pizza sauces at this point and I think they're all gross, for the most part. I haven't made a homemade version that I like yet either. One tip here: a lot of places will add a swirl of olive oil on the pizza after the sauce goes on. Adds flavor & richness. I haven't found it to be a dealbreaker, but I add it sometimes, especially if I need more moisture.

Fresh basil is a fun ingredient to add. Also, if you like pepperoni, hit up the deli & get some thin-sliced salami; a good-quality meat tastes even better than pepperoni (slice it as thin as you can since sometimes it comes in a larger circle than pepperoni coins).

 

[sandorski]

Make sure the mozzarella is browned, gives it much more flavour.

 

[Kaido]

That extra time isn't really about letting it rise but to allow the yeast to help develop flavors in the dough. But yeah that is the general idea.

Yup. OP, you may want to start out with a no-knead recipe:

http://www.handletheheat.com/the-best-no-knead-pizza-dough-ever/

If you like potato bread, try out this no-knead potato bread pizza crust recipe: (it's the first one)

http://noknead.com/uncategorized/no-knead-pizza-crust.php

There's a bazillion ways to go with dough. Here's one that uses sugar in the crust:

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/blog/2015/01/05/best-pizza-youll-ever-make/

There's also a useful (and simple!) white sauce recipe at the bottom if you want to branch out with flavors, OP.

 

[Kaido]

But my dough gets to its max size in 2 hours..

So would this work: Let is rise outside for 2 hours, then stash it in the fridge for 24 hours, then freeze it after that?

Yes, but fermenting the dough gives the yeast more time to add flavor. 2 hours is edible, but the longer you let it knead itself at room temp & ferment in cold temps, the better the dough flavor will be. Check out this 72-hour dough:

http://www.bakingsteel.com/blog/72-hour-pizza-dough

You basically let it sit for 24 hours at room temp, then chill it for 48 hours (take it out of the fridge for an hour before you plan on using it). It requires some planning ahead. It lasts a few days, but you can just throw a container into the freezer (~up to a month), that way all you have to do is pop the container back in the fridge the night before you want to use it. This works great if you like having pizza a few times a week, which is easy to do with red sauce, white sauce, naked sauce (basically olive oil with garlic & oregano) to mix up the flavors, plus whatever different toppings you want. Sometimes we just do a faux Neopolitan (mozz & sauce), or a plain pepperoni, or shake things up a bit with grilled chicken, green peppers, and pineapple. Pretty decently healthy and, if you keep the dough rolling (fridge/freezer), pretty easy to make on a regular basis.

 

[Scarpozzi]

I wanted to make some pizza the other day and got out my kitchen aid mixer. I basically use this recipe for pizza dough...1 tablespoon of yeast, 1 1/2 cup of 110-115 degree water, and 2 tablespoons of sugar in the bottom of the mixing bowl. I let the yeast and sugar dissolve and start to foam up...about 10-15 minutes. I then add 3-3.5 cups of fresh flour. If the flour is old, it might not taste as good... I also will toss in a few pinches of kosher salt and perhaps some dried oregano for flavor...it's optional, but makes the crust more aromatic. You could also hit it with grated parm, but that may be overkill...it's good plain too. I then turn the mixer on a lower setting and let it come together. You can help it in the beginning, but it's important that as the dough forms the flour is well hydrated and starts to stretch...the gluten needs this dough hook action to reach a good consistency. After it forms a doughball, I pour in about 4 tablespoons of good olive oil or more. The key is to get the right consistency here and the oil will help the dough crisp up when it's baked. I forgot to mention...I usually do this long before I'm ready to make the pizza. I leave the dough in the mixer for at least 4-5 hours covered when in a hurry. Otherwise, I'll put it in the fridge for 1-2 days and let it rise in there. This is typically the way most pizza shops make their dough, but not for the reasons you think. Initially, it was done because they didn't want to make dough for every order, so they made it in large batches when they made their sauce and cut the veggies...it was all economies of scale. Ultimately though, the gluten actually benefits and the dough gets additional flavor as the yeast ferments. Just make sure you don't put too much sugar in the dough or leave it at room temp too long. Also store it in a container large enough to handle it doubling in size.

Don't use too much sauce...go light on the sauce and only use a moderate amount of cheese. If you use too much of either, you'll end up with a soggy crust. Also be aware of using too many water toppings like onions or mushrooms because they can really add moisture to the top of a pie. If you make enough pizzas, you may want to start freezing either your cheese or veggie toppings to help extract some of the water prior to baking. It can also help keep the top from browning as fast when the cheese/toppings going in colder to give your crust more time to cook before the cheese really starts to brown.

One final note....if you're in a hurry, you can use spices like onion powder, crushed red pepper, and dried oregano on the sauce or cheese layer for more flavor under the radar. Just be wary of using garlic powder or other things here because they tend to be overused and people will be onto your tricks....you can also ruin a pizza quickly with concentrated flavors. Fresh ingredients beat dried most of the time because they are more subtle and less concentrated.

I bake at 450-475 degrees. I used to use a pizza stone, but have a metal pan with holes in the bottom I use now...it requires less preheating than a stone and makes a nice crisp crust. Commercial pizza ovens are very hot, and this is why pizza tastes different.

Here's a picture of a pizza I made 2 days ago, if you look carefully you can see the PBR can in the top of the picture for scale....it's bigger than the picture makes it look...probably an 18" pie:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0By_m3eJnSuAJSW9KN0xqZDdFaTA/view?usp=sharing

 

[Kaido]

Wow.. you mean let it rise the first time for 24-48 hours? I let it rise for 2 hours max, then cut it up and freeze it into balls. Put out a single ball in the morning in my refrigerator to let it defrost for 12 hours or so before letting it rise maybe 30 minutes before cooking it.

One other thing you can do, aside from the various popular fermentation methods, is do a pan pizza with olive or another vegetable oil. I really like the crust on this one (similar to Pizza Hut's); it's my family's current favorite crust:

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2013/01/foolproof-pan-pizza-recipe.html

If you like a thinner crust pizza, the one that vi edit linked to is really good:

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2012/07/basic-new-york-style-pizza-dough.html

That one is pretty easy: mix the ingredients in a food processor, put it in a container or freezer bag, then let it rise in the fridge from 1 to 5 days (24-hour minimum). When you're ready to cook it, take it out of the fridge 2 hours before baking. If you do get into fermentation, I'd recommend getting some reusable containers like this: (good for room temp, fridge, and freezer)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00N2TADOY

 

[OutHouse]

Would you say this is better than what you can find premade? Cheaper?

yes, ive used this recipe for years. simple easy and taste great.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

Paging DrPizza....

 

[waggy]

Hyvee has pre-made pizza dough for $.99 one those in my cast iron pan with good cheese and i'm set.

it comes out thick and yummy

 

[Aikouka]

A friend of mine recommended using... I think it was cornmeal when spreading out the dough. It's pretty much exactly what they do at Domino's. Speaking of Domino's, I sat there one day when waiting for a pizza, and I was just trying to learn how they spread out the pizza from a ball into a nice, round shape. I've always had a lot of problems with it, but I've been practicing their technique a bit. Essentially, you you just constantly rotating it while spreading it apart at all the angles. It's probably pretty rudimentary to most people that make pizza, but it wasn't really something that I considered doing.

Anyway, dough usually isn't that flavorful in my experience. However, you can easily coat the dough prior to cooking it. I use a mix of extra virgin olive oil + basil leaves + garlic salt. Sometimes, I'll even toss a little Parmesan on after that. THAT will give you a good flavor.

As for letting the dough set, I just leave it be for about an hour, and it's fine. I use some Bobby Flay recipe that I found combined with some other recipe that tried to suggest letting it sit for a few minutes.