Food & Drink

The secret to great-tasting homemade pizza

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  • Dec 21st, 2008 10:56 am
Deal Fanatic
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Jun 30, 2007
8910 posts
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Toronto
it takes a bit more time to prepare but a pizza stone makes great tasting pizza every time. I saw it takes longer because you have to preheat the stone. You can buy pizza dough from certain bakeries and make your own really fresh tasting great pizza.
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Dec 22, 2005
3286 posts
46 upvotes
Ottawa
I got a pizza stone last year as a gift and couldn't believe what a difference it made to pizza crust. Makes it nice and crispy without completely drying it out.

You can find them for $10-$20 at a lot of places, great kitchen investment IMO.
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Apr 25, 2003
1731 posts
13 upvotes
Toronto
Tried the fast, high-temp method, just using my cheapo metal pizza wheel and store-bought pre-formed crust. Unfortunately, it didn't leave enough time for the inside of the crust to bake, so I had to drop down the temperature and leave it in for quite a while longer. Does this not happen with dough?
Sr. Member
Jul 23, 2007
852 posts
8 upvotes
I often do my pizza on the bbq. Read about it in the Weber cookbook and it is amazing. Highly recommended.
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Jun 27, 2003
1458 posts
796 upvotes
North York
So I have a pizza stone (cheap round one with removable metal handles $12), and I prefer to use fresh dough (or frozen ones that are thawed). Do I need to put flour on top of it first (so that the dough doesn't stick)? Do I preheat the stone and at what temp and how long (the box that came with it didn't mention anything about preheating for cooking instructions)? Do I pre-cook the dough first before adding toppings (which I usually do if I cook in on the BBQ, since the dough is so floppy)?
Sr. Member
Nov 24, 2005
697 posts
7 upvotes
Southwestern Ontario
royaljelly wrote: So I have a pizza stone (cheap round one with removable metal handles $12), and I prefer to use fresh dough (or frozen ones that are thawed). Do I need to put flour on top of it first (so that the dough doesn't stick)? Do I preheat the stone and at what temp and how long (the box that came with it didn't mention anything about preheating for cooking instructions)? Do I pre-cook the dough first before adding toppings (which I usually do if I cook in on the BBQ, since the dough is so floppy)?
Put the stone in the cold oven and pre-heat the two together. Dust the stone with corn meal before putting the pizza on it. I use a peel to put my pizza on the stone, dust with corn meal before putting the pizza on it. Takes a little practice to flick the raw pizza off the peel.
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Dec 13, 2002
2939 posts
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Xax wrote: Tried the fast, high-temp method, just using my cheapo metal pizza wheel and store-bought pre-formed crust. Unfortunately, it didn't leave enough time for the inside of the crust to bake, so I had to drop down the temperature and leave it in for quite a while longer. Does this not happen with dough?
Hey hope you don't mind but I'm going to answer your question over in the '2 minute pizza' thread: http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/show ... ost7563435

For the pizza-stone owners, the post also contains a link to a video from the 'In Search of Perfection' pizza episode in which the chef determines that the heat radiated by a pizza stone is NOT sufficient (on its own) for successful '2-minute' under the grill pizza cooking. But I'm sure they're really good for the more traditional home-oven method!
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May 7, 2006
2771 posts
59 upvotes
Vancouver
RenegadeX wrote: I've previously written 2 *detailed* home-made pizza posts, which you may be interested in:
- My 'Best-Ever!' thin-crust pizza recipe [link]
- "In Search Of Perfection: 2-minute Pizza!" [link]

:)
Hey RenegadeX,

I've been checking out your pizza techniques and recipes... Amazing. Thanks a lot for the posts & tips.

You rock :)
Deal Expert
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Mar 7, 2005
18841 posts
1953 upvotes
Elmira
pizza stone is probably the most important part for using a home oven
Newbie
Mar 9, 2007
19 posts
We (well, my husband) smokes our pizza in the BBQ. Amazing!
Deal Guru
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Mar 23, 2005
13432 posts
297 upvotes
Midland
axeray wrote: As others have suggested, keep it simple and put the cheese on the top.
I don't like when I order a pizza and put the cheese over the toppings.
The pepperoni is soggy. I like the cheese on after the tomato sauce and the toppings on top.
"Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent." - US President, Calvin Coolidge
Deal Addict
Nov 12, 2004
2681 posts
1482 upvotes
Hometown
A pizza stone is an absolute must, but DO NOT cheap out and slam the pizza into the oven the second the light goes out. Wait at least 20 minutes for the oven to equalize and be hot enough. This is crucial to having a crisp unburnt bottom of the crust. Also if you can get a local bakery to sell you silicon paper make you pizza on the silicon paper and use a peel or the bottom of an inverted baking tray to transfer you pie onto the stone in the oven. The silicon paper will make tranferring it in and out so much easier and if desired you can still use cornmeal under the crust.

I like wholewheat dough for the crust, some bakeries do sell it as well or just make up a batch in your bread machine.

After that you need a highly spiced homemade sauce, the more you make the sauce to your taste the more you will enjoy the pizza. Do not be afraid to take a store bought sauce and adjust with more garlic or a bit of oregano or hot peppers.

I hate runny cheese so I use a high quality low fat mozzarella so it actually browns a bit. Toppings must be of high quality as mentioned to get good results.
Deal Fanatic
Jul 7, 2004
6948 posts
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^^ Yeah, I'm so stupid> I make it on my BBQ and let it heat up for like 45mins. Well ihad some left over dough and it was freezing out, so we did it in the oven and I totally forgot to heat the stone up, I didn't even have it in the oven during pre-heat. didn't turn out too well.
Deal Addict
Mar 11, 2005
1593 posts
50 upvotes
plumbum: thanks for the tip about frying pizza in olive oil.

- Ma JiE
Sr. Member
Oct 16, 2008
576 posts
16 upvotes
ok here's my simple solution

For a very thin and crispy crust I use the store bought pita shells for the crust. They have two sizes, the personal size is just right. For a slightly thicker, (but not a thick crust by any means), you can use Naan bread from the "Suraj" brand, both being available at any supermarket.

Then I put typical canned pizza sauce, then the pre-shredded cheese from a bag, any type will do , but I like monterey jack jalapeno. THen you put on your toppings, and then a very thin coating of extra cheese.

Bake at pretty much any temperature from 250 - 400, just enough to get the cheeze melted and crust hot and crispy. I normally use my toaster oven and it gets done in about 10 mins.
I used to be me!
Member
Nov 9, 2007
342 posts
158 upvotes
Scarborough
fugazi11 wrote: I often do my pizza on the bbq. Read about it in the Weber cookbook and it is amazing. Highly recommended.
one of the best ways--
as long as you're getting some kind of bottom heat element to crisp the crust, and air to circulate over the top and caramelize everything.

Remember when i was a kid and baked frozen pizza and the crust would come out.. bready, wet, and soggy.. eww...

A good pizza stone, bake on the lowest rack without a cookie sheet/pan, fireplace is AMAZING (something to try over the holidays as a late night fix), the grill, you can also put it in a large pan (or wok) and then crisp up the bottom over the stove!

Quality ingredients! a good dough--olive oil, good yeast (beer), fresh herbs and DEFINITELY not that fake plastic cheese that is designed to look stringy-- go for the real stuff at the deli counter.
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Feb 1, 2008
5026 posts
1788 upvotes
Niagara Falls, ON
we've been making pizza for a verry long time. I found the keys to be the sauce and dough.

If you can, make the dough yourself, even a cheap bread machine works great. Forget the pizza stone too. A cheap lightly oiled pan makes crisppy pizza every time.

The best store bought sauce so far has primo/unico basil and garlic.

BTW, even a bad pizza is still good.

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