Excellent Artisan Pizza at Home

When it comes to pizza most experts, that are pizza critics, believe that it's all about the crust. To make an excellent pizza crust can be done at home with simple pizza dough and a recipe that is easy to follow but yet critical in following instructions to make sure you get that same great pizza crust.

You must…

1. Make sure that the temperature of your oven is at the highest heat it will reach. A typical home oven does not exceed 500°F to 550°F but that can be enough.

2. You must use a quality baking stone and you must give it time to reach its full heat and saturation. A baking stone that is quality is a thick stone that has good heat retention and therefore the heat transfers. Any baking stone though is better than no baking stone. They do not have to be very expensive and you can even use quarry tiles from a local building supply store that are just a few dollars and are quite satisfactory.

Most of making a good pizza crust then comes with just practice. When you make enough of them you end up with a good feel for the dough and for the baking characteristics between your oven and a baking stone. Probably the most efficient and productive method is a wood fired pizza oven.

If you happen to be trying to please everyone in making a pizza you need to make sure that the toppings are everyone's favorite. You can make an exceptionally good pizza that will please most everyone so you should give it a try.

Preparing Homemade Pizza

Prep time: 10 minutes;

Cook time: 7-10 minutes;

Yields: 12 to 14 inch pizzas;

Ingredients:

• bread flour 2 1/4 cups
• salt 1/2 tsp.
• instant yeast 1/2 tsp.
• olive oil 3 Tbs.
• luke warm water 3/4 cup (105°-115°F)

your choice of toppings cheese, sausage, mushrooms, chicken fillet, vegetables

This pizza dough is very fast and easy.

Directions

To make a pizza dough, place the flour in alarge bowl and gradually pour in:

- salt
- instant yeast
- lukewarm water
- olive oil

Use the fork to mix in the flour from the side and then bring it together with your hands to form a slightly sticky dough. Knead the dough on the flour of the dusty surface for about 5-10 minutes, or until soft and elastic.

After, divide the dough into 2 parts and roll out for two medium pizzas.

Place pizza bases on an oven tray.
Spread evenly sauce and filling.
Sprinkle with grated cheese.
Put the pizza in the oven, preheated to 200°C-220°C, for about 7-10 minutes, until the edge is lightly browned.

Notes

If you don't have a pizza peel you can prepare pizza on the back of a cookie sheet that is sprinkled with cornmeal.

Try some semolina flour in your next pizza as it makes the crust chewy and gives it a nutty flavor.

You can also prepare a crust on top of upside down cookie sheets that have been lined with parchment. You can slide the paper and the pizza onto the oven grill once the pizza has been on the stone for half a minute the parchment paper will slip right out from underneath.

For a Super Thin and Crispy Crust

You will need some special equipment:

- A dough Docker, which is a fork that can be used but it puts a lot of holes in the dough quickly.

- A pizza screen.

- A pizza stone.

Instructions:

- You will need to preheat the oven to 450°F

- Roll out your favorite pizza dough and make sure it is very thin.

- Place the dough on a pizza screen or if you're using a pizza stone on a pizza peel.

- Use the dough darker or a fork to pierce the Indo and make sure there are many holes, as this will keep the crust from puffing up.

- Make sure your oven is heated up completely and place the dough in the oven.

- Cook for three minutes.

- Take the crust out of the oven and flip it over and put it back in the oven for three more minutes.

- The crust should be light brown and crispy when it is removed.

- Top it with your favorite toppings and put it back in the oven for another 5 to 8 minutes.