Pizza is great—this is a universal truth that no one can deny. Plus, what’s easier than picking up the phone and waiting for the delivery guy to show up at your door within minutes?
But let’s face it, these mass-produced pies are nothing compared to fresh-from-the-oven, made-with-love homemade pizza. The best part is that you can enjoy your homemade pizza crust at its freshest! Crusty and crisp at the bottom and at the edges, but sturdy enough to be a vessel for delicious toppings like tomato sauce, cheese, and a sprinkle of fresh herbs.
These tips will guide you through the surprisingly simple process of making a good pizza crust at home. You can start off with this simple basic pizza crust recipe:
1 Make sure that the yeast and salt do not come in contact with each other before mixing your dry ingredients together.
Salt can prohibit yeast from doing its job, so your dough will not rise as much as it was meant to. Our tip is to mix in the salt with the flour to coat the grains of salt, and then to mix in the yeast.
2 Preheat your oven.
This is very important—your oven needs to be ultra-hot by the time you need to throw in your homemade crust. It helps to have a baking stone (so that it gets crisp under) to place the pizza on, but a baking tin and a hot oven can definitely do the trick. Put your temperature up to 475-500°F!
Get a baking stone at True Value branches.
3 Use bread flour.
If you love crisp-on-the-outside and chewy-on-the-inside pizza crust, then hunt down a bag of bread flour for your dough. This will give your dough a good rise and your baked crust a chewier bite.
4 No rolling pin? No problem!
Use an old wine bottle to roll out your dough—it works like a charm! Remember to keep your pin and surface lightly dusted with flour to keep the dough from sticking.
5 Control yourself when it comes to toppings.
You will probably want to go overboard with your toppings—you’re at home anyway, right? However, the best pizzas are made with good thought and control, and simple ingredients when it comes to what goes on top: keep it at 2 to 3 toppings so that your crust isn’t weighed down too much that it gets soggy.
