Though its origins lie in the hills of Sicily, pizza has become a decidedly American standard. According to PMQ Pizza Magazine, 35 percent of Americans go out for pizza at least once a month. It’s for that reason that, in 2014 alone, pizza sales nationwide reached over $38 million. Chefs would be wise to add a tasty pie to their repertoire, but cooking tasty pizza is a true art.
“Roughly 35% of Americans go out for pizza at least once a month.”
Here are three handy tips to becoming a pizza cooking master:
1. Flour power
For many people, a great pizza depends on the crust. According to PMQ, there are a few things to keep in mind when crafting perfect crust. You need the right flour: ablend with high protein for deep dish pizzas, and one with lower protein for thin-crust style. But flour’s only part of it, and tasty crust also depends on how it’s cooked. For dough that rises nicely and has a crispy exterior, try cooking at a lower temperature for longer. Lastly, dough doesn’t need to be overtly complex or contain any added ingredients. If you want to improve texture and color, add in some powdered egg whites.
2. Fold it all up
Many chefs have different ingredients they rely on to add unique flavors to the pizza. They include various spices, herbs and even sugar. To really make the most of these additions, though, it’s a good idea to fold them into the dough. Once everything’s been properly mixed, you can place your ingredients and then mix it all together once more. Just don’t use too many ingredients, as this can overwhelm the dough. Similarly, try to avoid over-mixing the dough and ingredients together, as this can make the dough overly stretchy and ruin the final taste.
3. Get your ingredients right
Chef Simone Franchi loves pizza so much, he started mobile pizza catering service called Pizza Party. Speaking with Lifehacker, he explained that the quality of the ingredients can make all the difference. While he opts for San Marzano tomatoes, he said even canned peeled tomatoes can be good if you do your research and find the best option available. Franchi also believes that it’s important to experiment with spices and other ingredients to find what tastes best and what cooks effectively.
Bon Appetit suggested poaching all ingredients in olive oil. This’ll make them easier to manipulate while improving the individual taste.
