homemade pizza - help from you experts!

[Wishing on a star]

Let's talk Pizza.

There doesn't seem to be a decent pizzaria in my smaller town... And, now I am vowed and determined to to make my own really GOOD pizza.

Are there any pizza experts here?

What types and specific brands of cheese are best?
I know that I want an excellent whole milk and high moisture mozzarella.

In searching, I saw one article where the Contadina Pizza Sauce won best ready-prepared sauce a year or two ago. What are the tips for a good fresh and not thick and overpowering pizza sauce?

I use Newman's Own sauces when I make pasta sometimes.

Any info and tips are welcome!

 

[DMickey28]

I have been working for years to get a good pizza since we live in IL, IN and FL with NO pizza like Boston/NYC pizza. Be right back with my tips!!

 

[damren]

I get my mozzerella from the deli, and have them slice it for me.
sometimes I get fresh mozzerella, but it usually gets eaten beforehand
love using feta
LOVE using ricotta (in a bag or pastry bag just smooshed out in different places with garlic and spinach! yum)

 

[Robinrs]

When I was UNemployed...not so much now that I'm working, I used to make my crust in the breakmaker, use a very high quality (can't remember the name, it had no HFCS and that's why I bought it) sauce and bought the mozz cheese aged from the cheese area in Whole foods. I also added veggies to the sauce to disguise it so my son will eat them!

I miss GOOD pizza, too but every now and then find a small shop in town that has someone in the kitchen who really knows how to make it.

 

[DMickey28]

Ok ... I had to put my toddler for a nap!

First, you NEED a pizza stone or unglazed tiles from the garden store. Something to put the pizza on that you can heat up in the oven first.

Second, a pizza peel really helps but a cutting board will work too.

Third, Corn meal helps getting the pizza off the peel/board into the oven on the pizza stone.

I have a dough recipe if you want that seems to be pretty good. I have tried a TON and this one is the best. I used WW flour last time but will try it with regular flour next time.

I also make my own sauce. Diced tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, salt and pepper. I grate some Romanao or Parmgiana cheese into it.

I use a combo of Mozzarella, Sharp Cheddar and Romano cheese for the cheese.

 

[NotUrsula]

IMO, it's all in the crust, and the key is good flour and FRESH yeast. I like the Wolfgang Puck crust recipe, and I use unbleached flour and orange blossom honey in it. I make it in the food processor.

I actually don't like really fresh cheese, because I hate the whole foot-long-strings-of-cheese experience. I just buy decent stuff from the deli, but nothing special.

We use the homemade red sauce that we use on everything, DH makes it in quantity and we freeze bags of it.

 

[RUDisney]

The best cheese, IMHO, for pizza is brick cheese. It melts well and when mixed with a little mozzarella, it tastes like pizza shop pizza.

I either buy the pizza dough at the grocery store or I use bread dough from the freezer that I've thawed and proofed or I buy a pizza crust from the store.

If I'm using uncooked dough, I spread the dough onto a cookie sheet and drain a can of diced tomatoes and use the tomatoes for my sauce. A little sprinkle of oregano and a larger sprinkle of basil or some fresh basil leaves and then the cheese goes onto the crust. My favorite topping is onions, so that goes on next. Bake at 425 for 8 minutes.

If I'm using a prebaked crust, the ingredients are the same but I cook the pizza directly on the oven rack without a pan.

My kids love this pizza. It's what we'll be having for dinner tomorrow night.

 

[Crystal0608]

I use a Pampered Chef stone and it makes a nice crispy crust. My fave dough is Trader Joes, though its a 45 drive so I only get to buy it on occasion. I like the Muier Glen pizza sauce out of most superbrand ones I've tried. I add fresh oregano and basil from my herb garden, but on top of the cheese instead of in the sauce. On the cheese, I like mozz though I've found one recently in Walmart that melted really well- it was in the hispanic section called Mexican string cheese, tasted like mozz and comes in a circle shape but unravels easily. I also like a little goat cheese on mine too. For toppings, my fave is sundried tomatoes, artichokes, and spinach.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Get a large heavy cast iron skillet. You can make a great deep dish pan pizza in it. The cast iron goes in the oven.

 

[DawnCt1]

My favorite is white pizza. I cover the dough with mozzarella, provolone and romano cheese, then I top it with sliced onions thin, red roasted peppers, chop up sun dried tomatoes, oregano and fresh garlic.

 

[Wishing on a star]

Thanks everyone so far!

I do like the Muir Glenn products that I have tried.
A little pricey, but superior to most of the others.
I'll have to see if I can find their Pizza Sauce!

I guess I haven't tried Brick Cheese - so I will have to check that out as well. I was thinking about some Provolone (smoked or non???) To add more 'cheesy' flavor. Fresh whole milk Mozzarella is probably a super mild cheese, right. So, some other added cheese flavors would probably add to it.

I have some Walmart brand Mozzarella right now (some of their dairy products are actually very good! We buy their all natural ice cream) And it is very good - but also probably kind of 'bland'.

A really good pizza that is not too greasy, salty, rubbery, is hard to find!!

I've wanted a good Pizza since we went on a short Princess Cruise....
Unfortunately - nothing else we ate onboard was that great - We found the food lacking and the service rude and pretentious.

 

[amid chaos]

Grilled pizza.

Spread homemade dough on greased cookie sheet.
When grill is hot, invert cookie sheet and leave on grill.
After a minute or two, remove the cookie sheet. Crust should have fallen on grill.
Cook till done and flip with tongs. Cook other side.

Return crust to cookie sheet, put on toppings and then place cookie sheet with pizza on the grill, close lid till toppings are done.

 

[lovemygoofy]

Thanks everyone so far!

I do like the Muir Glenn products that I have tried.
A little pricey, but superior to most of the others.
I'll have to see if I can find their Pizza Sauce!

I guess I haven't tried Brick Cheese - so I will have to check that out as well. I was thinking about some Provolone (smoked or non???) To add more 'cheesy' flavor. Fresh whole milk Mozzarella is probably a super mild cheese, right. So, some other added cheese flavors would probably add to it.

I have some Walmart brand Mozzarella right now (some of their dairy products are actually very good! We buy their all natural ice cream) And it is very good - but also probably kind of 'bland'.

A really good pizza that is not too greasy, salty, rubbery, is hard to find!!

I've wanted a good Pizza since we went on a short Princess Cruise....
Unfortunately - nothing else we ate onboard was that great - We found the food lacking and the service rude and pretentious.

I use Sargentos Mozzareall and Provolone combination that can be found in one bag. I do use the contadina sauce because it comes in a squeeze bottle and can be put in the frig.

I rub olive oil into my crust and bake slightly before doing the toppings and then baking.

 

[Michelina]

A super hot oven helps to get the dough nice and crispy. My crazy dh found instructions online on how to disable the oven lock so that he can cook our pizza on the self-cleaning mode. It makes the crust really yummy!

 

[Boo'sMom]

For me, its all about the crust. Fleischmann's now makes a pizza dough yeast, and the dough turns out AMAZING.....I can rave about this pizza dough all day long. I LOVE LOVE LOVE it.

www.pizzacrustyeast.com

 

[The Mystery Machine]

For me, its all about the crust. Fleischmann's now makes a pizza dough yeast, and the dough turns out AMAZING.....I can rave about this pizza dough all day long. I LOVE LOVE LOVE it.

www.pizzacrustyeast.com

Cool. I will be on the look out for that.

 

[clgwli]

I personally like more simple recipes for pizza dough that use only flour, a wee bit of olive oil, yeast and water. I will add a smidge of grated parm cheese now and then. I don't like overly sweet dough with sugar or the like.

For cheese I never use just mozz. I use a mix of several and when in a pinch I get the 5 cheese italian in a bag (has mozz, romano, asiago, provolone and parm cheeses). Pure mozz is just too heavy and cheesy for me. I sometimes add sharp cheddar as well.

I don't like chunky sauce but I do make my own. Add in rosemary powder and oregano along with a few other spices for "kick"

I don't like pizza stones at all for some reason. Don't know why but never had good luck, so I use standard pizza pans that allow for a slightly crispier crust. I also don't like corn meal but that is a totally personal preference.

To me it is about a simple dough with a mix of cheese. The rest is just extra. I make pizza very often and my family and friends just love it!

 

[dcentity2000]

Authentic Italian is the best!

That means thin base, mozzarella cheese, fresh tomato puree and a drizzling of olive oil

Cheddar and other cheeses are like a thick base - a sacrilege!



Rich::

 

[emer95]

I LOVE making pizza from scratch. I don't have a pizza stone, though. I may have to get myself one!
Pioneer Woman's cookbook has an awesome recipe for potato leek pizza. So unbelievably delicious.
I like to experiment with all kinds of fun toppings depending on what my family likes. BBQ sauce and sesame seeds on the edge of the crust, taco pizza for my hubby, spaghetti pizza for my youngest DD, lots and lots of veggies for me, plain old boring for my super picky DD. It's our favorite meal and we have it at least once a week.

 

[DVC~OKW~96]

For us, the key to a good pizza is in part, the fast rising dough. It's a simple dough, with no sugar. Water, salt, flour, yeast.

We like a medium thick crust, not thin, flat, crispy, and not thick like a hunk of focaccia or Sicilian style.

We like goat cheese, thinly sliced fresh spinach (chiffonade) finely minced garlic and tiny bits of anchovies. We use a touch of olive oil in which we've been soaking rosemary, oregano, and basil (bring the olive oil to a slow heat with those herbs in it. Let it cool and use as desired).

If we use tomato sauce, again we make a very simple smooth sauce from San Marzano tomatoes, basil, oregano, touch of garlic. On a pizza with red sauce, we may put hot sausage (Italian) mushrooms, peppers and onions that have been sauteed first (the sausage will have been cooked too).

We bake in a 500 degree oven on that pizza stone! LOL. Yes, we use a peel, and cornmeal. :yes:

We are particularly fussy about our pizza and feel that we make far better pizza than any we've ever had anywhere in Florida.