Secret to the Perfect pizza?

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that enjoys cooking.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Mirandgl said:
It is obvious in just a few short responses that PIZZA has a large variety of toppings and opinions.

I make my own dough and I also make my own sauce from home grown San Marzano tomatoes and our garden herbs. So I guess I would say the most important part is the crust and the sauce followed by the cheese. I can be happy with those three ingredients but I use a variety of toppings depending on my mood and what is in the fridge. I don’t make pizza a garbage dump for leftovers but some things I create a large portion with the anticipation of using on a pizza later. Meatballs would be a good example.

Would you post the recipe for your pizza dough?:)
 
Comunque, grazie a tutti. Vi ho usato. Vi ho sfonnato. So benissimo come si cucina una bella pizza...... sfonnando la pasta e spalmandoci pomodoro e mozzarella. Grazie ancora. Se non verrò bammato, ci rivedremo. FORSE.
Trad.
Enough, thank you all. I used you. I sfonned you. I know very well in which mode I can make a pizza.....sfonning the paste(of the capitane) e spalmando before the tomato. Thank already. If I will not bamm, we risee. Peraphs.
 
CSALT,

I would like to preface this recipe by saying that I am not fond of recipes that include specific brand items but this recipe was given to me by a friend who said it was TNT. I tried and true to my nature I made some adjustments to the quantities while maintaining the original ingredients. The ingredients that are important to this recipe IMO are the Malt and the Durum flour. The KA flours work great for me but using other brand flour is a subtle variance and you may find it works for you.

I use King Arthur flour and malt that I have to order online: kingarthurflour.com

I weigh my major ingredients while I use teaspoon and tablespoon for the lesser quantities. I hope this is not a problem for anyone.

140 Grams Italian-Style Flour - KA #3338
140 Grams French-Style Flour - KA #3334
70 Grams Durum Flour – KA #3456
1 Tablespoon Diastatic Malt Powder – KA #3413
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon EVOO
2 teaspoon DA yeast
8 Ounce Tepid Water = 1 Cup = @226 Grams

I use dough hook on my KitchenAid stand mixer. Add all the ingredients except the Durum flour to the mixer bowl and mix on low speed. Add the Durum flour gradually until the dough forms a ball and leaves the sides of the bowl. Test the dough ball with your finger. If it is sticky add additional Durum flour in very small amounts until the dough will not stick to your finger.

Run with dough hook for about 5 minutes at medium speed. Turn the dough out into a bowl that is lightly oiled with EVOO, cover and allow to rise in a warm draft free area for about an hour. The yeast and malt develop character during the rise time.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and form a crust. *I am totally inept at hand tossing pizza dough so I have developed my own crutch. I punch down the dough in the bowl and turn out onto a pizza pan that has been sprayed lightly with Pam, a food release product, and I form my dough to the shape of the pan. I invert the pan over a wooden peel that has been liberally sprinkled with coarse corn meal. I pinch the edges and add selected toppings.

Slide the pizza onto a pizza stone that has been preheated in the oven to 450F. Bake the pizza for about 15 minutes depending on your degree of doneness. (We like a well done pizza.)

This recipe will make a 16” crust that is about medium thick with nice rolled edges. I also lightly brush the exposed edges of the crust with EVOO before baking to keep the edge s from getting too crispy.

Enjoy!:chef:



 
There is no secret - keep it simple! Living with a family in Italy (not tourist filled, unauthentic Roma, Venezia & Milano, but a tiny town where no one spoke english and everyone bought their ingredients fresh every day) i learned that outside of Europe there are some serious misconceptions on what constitutes a pizza - what many people often call pizza is more like a bucket of compost dumped on a loaf of bread and drizzled with bbq sauce.

For real pizza, relax - it would be rather unitalian to measure out ingredients gram by gram - cook intuitively until the dough feels right between your hands. To all those people out there saying that the sauce is the key - some of the best authentic pizzas i had in italy were "pizza bianco" (i.e. white pizza - no tomato sauce!) Keep it simple, keep it thin, cook it very hot and very quickly, and use only a few ingredients - mozzarella and please no tasty cheese!
 
Last edited:

Hello Bridget

I do understand your philosophy and opinion but feel somewhat defensive about being a gram by gram guy. My grandmother cooked by a pinch of this and a dash of that but those pinches and dashes usually remained uniform each time she cooked an item. I frequently cook that way now but I sure had to practice those pinches and dashes before I had my intuition in hand.

A recipe is like a map. Place an Italian or any citizen of planet Earth in New York City and ask them to travel to the ocean. Heading west will take much longer than heading east. Once the general direction is known variation of routes can be more intuitive.

I think pizza has evolved to a point where a disagreement over the original source can be valid but not that variations or misconceptions share the name. The southern United States prides itself on BBQ. Some BBQ is made with a wet sauce and some use dry rub. Some sauce is tomato based and some is a mustard style; some good and some bad. It is a mater of personal preference what is the “best” but it all falls under the label of BBQ.

I hope your next slice of pizza is terrific, every gram of it. :)




 
Pizza is one of those thing that people get passionate about. as this thread attests.

The secret to great pizza is not the crust. It's not the sauce. It's not the cheese or the toppings. The truth is, there is no secret.

If you want a great pizza, you need good quality ingredients, good recipes and some technique to bring it all together. If that technique includes getting a "feel" for the dough, great. If not, measure in grams or ounces and read and use someone else's experience to get it right.

Some folks like a thick crust or a lot of toppings. Some like a thin crust. Some like their sauce sweet while others don't. Some like their pizza cooked on a stone and some like it cooked in a pan.

They are all right. These are opinions about the best pizza, not statements of fact. There are no wrong opinions.
 
Bridgett said:
To all those people out there saying that the sauce is the key - some of the best authentic pizzas i had in italy were "pizza bianco" (i.e. white pizza - no tomato sauce!)

In accordance with the Food & Drug Administration's (FDA) Pizza Identity Standards, in order to call it a pizza, it MUST contain tomatoes. Wolfgang Puck found this out, the hard way!
 
Mirandgl Very many thanks for the recipe. I'll try it as soon as I have time.
 
Caine said:
Al contrario, mio amica, the secrect to great pizza is a flavorful sauce!
Many pizza joints have come and gone because, althought their crust was just the right thickness, with just the right crustiness, and just the right internal texture, the sauce was troppo mezzo mezzo, which will not appeal to the true pizza aficionado.

Agreed...I think the sauce is super important...but I think just like crust sauce is about preference as well. If I don't like the sauce being used on the pizza there is no way I will eat it...haha but then again I am reallllly picky!
 
Andy M. said:
Pizza is one of those thing that people get passionate about. as this thread attests.

The secret to great pizza is not the crust. It's not the sauce. It's not the cheese or the toppings. The truth is, there is no secret.

If you want a great pizza, you need good quality ingredients, good recipes and some technique to bring it all together. If that technique includes getting a "feel" for the dough, great. If not, measure in grams or ounces and read and use someone else's experience to get it right.

Some folks like a thick crust or a lot of toppings. Some like a thin crust. Some like their sauce sweet while others don't. Some like their pizza cooked on a stone and some like it cooked in a pan.

They are all right. These are opinions about the best pizza, not statements of fact. There are no wrong opinions.

Great post Andy, and I could not have said it better. For example the couple of anti-pineapple posts. I thought dissert pizzas were pretty good (after I tried a few).

Just like on a previous post said sliced boiled eggs were good. I also woud not have thought that, had it not been a surprise restaurant add on.

One of the things all should consider is that no perfect pizza exists. Some like white, some like tomatoe sause, some (like me like tomato paste), etc. I think the important thing is that fresh ingredients are used, and you taylor to your *own* likes. Experimental cooking on something like pizzas is really fun for someone that likes to cook.

One of my favorite pizzas is primarily tart red cherries (with a cherry sause), on a good savory pizza crust, and criss-crossed with a lite powder sugar frosting over the top. I would never had thought to do one, except a tried a similar pizza at a lowly Dominoes (US pizza chain restaurant) when I did not have time for a regular lunch amount of time on a business trip.

Experiment with things you like!

Casper
 
Later today, I might be trying a new dough recipe that calls for mostly whole wheat flour mixed with all-purpose flour.
 
The best way to learn how to make pizza is to work in your favourite pizza place. I did and eventually got what it was. The dough varies from place to place and the sauce does as well but the main factor is to keep it as simple as a simple food is supposed to be. If you add lots of different things to a sauce you tend to lose individual flavours and end up with a confused palate. And of course the best ingredients possible (for some of us that would also mean tinned tomatoes).
 
CasperImproved said:
I thought dissert pizzas were pretty good (after I tried a few).

Unfortunately, the typical "Hawaiian" pizza with ham and pineapple toppings is not meant to be a dessert pizza. They're serious about it, and so are the people who eat it.

If you want a dessert pizzza, here's a real dessert pizza recipe, in honor of the 24th annual California Strawberry Festival this week-end.

GRILLED STRAWBERRY AND GOAT CHEESE DESSERT PIZZA

1 packet active dry yeast
¾ cup warm water
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp salt
2 Tbs vegetable oil, plus 1 1/2 tsp
1 Tbs heavy cream
1 pound fresh strawberries, rinsed and patted dry, hulled, and thinly sliced
¼ cup orange liqueur
2 Tbs sugar
8 ounces goat cheese, at room temperature
3 Tbs plus 2 tsp honey
1 Tbs Armagnac or brandy
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
8 fresh mint leaves, torn into pieces


To make the crusts, in a medium bowl, combine the yeast, water, and 1 Tbs of the flour. Whisk to blend. Let sit until the mixture becomes slightly foamy, about 5 minutes.
Combine the remaining flour and salt in a large bowl and stir to blend. Add the yeast mixture, 2 Tbs of the oil, and the cream. Stir well with a heavy wooden spoon until it begins to come together and pull away from the sides of the bowl. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 4 to 5 minutes into a smooth, but slightly sticky dough. Oil a clean bowl with 1 tsp of the oil and turn the dough in the oil to lightly coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and allow to rise until doubled in size in a warm, draft-free place, about 40 minutes.

Lightly grease a baking sheet with the remaining 1/2 tsp of oil. Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces and form into balls. Place on the greased sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until doubled in volume, about 2 hours.

Combine the strawberries, orange liqueur, and sugar in a medium bowl, and toss to coat evenly. Clean a grill very well with a brush, and lightly grease with vegetable oil. Preheat the grill to medium heat. Combine the goat cheese and 3 Tbs honey in a bowl and mash with a fork until smooth. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll each ball into a 10-inch round on a lightly floured pizza paddle or large chopping board. Transfer to the grill and cook on 1 side until golden brown, turning with a spatula to mark evenly, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the grill and place, cooked side up on, on a pizza paddle or large chopping board.

Spread half of the goat cheese mixture across each piece of crust using a rubber spatula. Spread half of the berries across the top, leaving the liquid in the bottom of the bowl.
Transfer the pizzas to the grill, cover, and cook until golden brown, rotating with a spatula to keep from burning, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to serving plates, sprinkle each with a pinch of black pepper and half of the mint leaves. Drizzle each pizza with 1 tsp of the remaining honey and serve.

Alternately, place a pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 500 degrees F.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll out into a 10-inch round on a lightly floured pizza paddle or large chopping board. Make "dimples" with your fingertips on the top of the dough. Spread half of the goat cheese mixture across the pizza using a rubber spatula. Spread half of the berries across the top of the pizza, leaving the liquid in the bottom of the bowl. Repeat with the remaining dough, goat cheese, and strawberries.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom