Receta 5 Easy Tips for a Painless Pizza Making Experience
I don't recall what prompted me to start making my own pizza (maybe it was having to pay over $20 for delivery) but I'm very happy I did!
I'll admit, the first time I bought fresh pizza dough (I have no urge to make pizza dough from scratch) I was nervous about using it. I also wasn't sure about what I was doing so that first pizza making experience didn't go very well. Since then, I've learned some inside tips about making pizza and once you know them preparing a homemade pizza is very simple and painless.
It's now one of my favorite things to make! Follow these five easy tips and you might fall in love with making your own pizza too!
Warm Up before Stretching
Fresh pizza dough is really difficult to stretch when it's cold. I've found that if I pull it out of the fridge and give it at least two hours to warm to room temperature, it's much easier to deal with and stretch. It's sticky stuff so be sure to dust your hands in flour.
The dough I buy comes in a 750g / 26 oz. bag and the first time I made pizza with it I used a standard round baking sheet. That wasn't a good idea. There was far too much dough.
I now use an 11 x 17 baking sheet and it works perfect!
Once the dough is stretched on the baking sheet there are a couple quick things you can do to ensure it cooks properly.
The first is to lightly brush the dough with olive oil to create a water barrier between the dough and the toppings. This prevents moisture from getting into the dough so the top of the crust fully cooks and isn't doughy after cooking.
The second step is to pull out the meat tenderizer and start smacking the dough.
My brother-in-law (who is in the pizza business) taught me that tenderizing the dough prevents the dough from bubbling up when it cooks. I like doing it because it's a chance to get out some daily stress. Some days I smack that dough harder than others.
Break Out the Parmesan
Once the pizza dough is lightly oiled and tenderized it's time for the sauce. I use a 7.5 oz. can of pizza sauce which works perfect to just cover the dough. Once the sauce is on, I like to break out the Parmesan and lightly sprinkle it on for extra flavor.
Add Your Toppings
I forgot to buy pepperoni at the store so as a substitute I cut up a few slices of Genoa salami. I slapped them on the sauce along with chopped green bell peppers, sliced red onions and shredded mozzarella cheese.
My kids have taught me to cut suspect toppings like onions in larger pieces...they're easier to pick off.
Fresh pizza cooks fast! By fast I mean 10 minutes in a 425 F oven. To give it that authentic pizza look, I like to broil it for the last two minutes to lightly brown the cheese. It makes it look extra delicious!!!!
Give your pizza about 5 minutes before slicing...
And enjoy your homemade pizza pie!
Homemade Genoa, Bell Pepper and Onion Pizza
Fresh pizza dough topped with Genoa salami, green bell peppers, red onions and mozzarella cheese.
Time to prepare: 15 minutes
Time to cook: 10 minutes
Fresh pizza dough 750g / 26 oz.
- Olive oil
- 1 can (7.5 oz. / 213 ml) pizza sauce
- 2 tbsp finely grated Parmesan cheese
- 5 slices Genoa salami, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- Sliced red onion
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Bring pizza dough up to room temperature and stretch over an 11x17 baking sheet that has been lightly covered in oil. Lightly brush the top of dough with olive oil and tenderize with a meat tenderizer.
Evenly spread on pizza sauce and sprinkle on Parmesan cheese. Top with salami, bell pepper, red onion and mozzarella cheese.
Bake in a 425 F oven for 10 minutes. Broil for the last 2 minutes to brown the cheese.
You may want to also try...
English Muffin Mini Pizzas
Layered Tortellini Pizza Bake