Pizza - Basics For The Home Pizza Maker
Pizza is one of the most popular foods in the country. It's not hard to see why. With bread, cheese and a variety of toppings from pepperoni to pineapple to anchovies, there are hundreds of combinations to choose from. Making your own pizza is very easy and much less expensive than delivery. It tastes great too.
Start by making the pizza dough. With basic ingredients of water, flour, salt, oil, sugar and yeast, it is not at all difficult to make. When you realize how easy it is, you will never want to buy store-bought pizza dough again. Most pizza dough recipes make enough for two pizzas. When making them, you can wrap one and put it in the freezer for later use. Double wrap the dough, first in plastic wrap, then in a zippered freezer bag. This ensures that the dough will not be exposed if it seeps through the plastic wrap. Having the dough in the freezer is just as convenient as premade dough from the store.
For dough that is easy to work with, chill it in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight. Once the dough is chilled, sprinkle the surface of your work area with flour or cornmeal. Then begin to work the dough into the shape of your cooking vessel with lightly floured hands. Shape the dough into a flat disk. From the center, gradually push the dough out while spreading your fingers, making the dough larger. Continue in this motion until you have the desired size for your pizza.
Many people prefer baking pizza on a pizza stone in order to get a crisp crust and softer top. This requires heating the stone thoroughly in the oven for around 30 minutes before baking your pizza. Another device pizza can be baked on is a pizza screen. It has holes in it that allow the bottom of the dough to cook and it does not require a long warming time in the oven. The holes allow more thorough cooking and result in a crisp crust.
When the pizza is topped and ready to go in the oven, be sure the oven is completely heated. High temperatures are best for cooking pizza. Ten minutes is usually sufficient time for a pizza to cook. Once the pizza is cooked, allow it to rest for several minutes, then slice and enjoy.
