Basic Pizza Technique

One of my favorite things to cook is Pizza. It’s a relatively easy way to try interesting flavor combinations and is always tasty and delicious. Because I’ll be posting many different ideas for pizza, this post will talk about the core recipe and principles that I always try to follow with any pizza, regardless of the ingredients.

The absolute most important rule with pizza is restraint. No matter what ingredient you are placing on a pizza, put less than you think it needs. If you think you have enough sauce, you have too much. Stop when you have  50-75% of the amount you think you need. Same goes for cheese. Some people like more cheese than others, but everyone should put less than they think they need.

When it comes to toppings, don’t overwhelm the pizza. Tasting every topping in every bite is unnecessary; better is a balanced mix of flavors throughout the pie. Yes, it can be hard to hold back when actually topping a pizza, but the consequences of over-topping a pizza are soggy, uneven pies. Subtly-topped pies, on the other hand, cook evenly, allow for all the unique flavors to shine and don’t sit like a brick in your belly.

Step 1:
Preheat the oven to 475. This is the minimum temperature. High heat is absolutely crucial to good pizza. The best commercial pizzerias cook at 800-900F, and though home ovens rarely get to this temp, make sure you go no lower than 475 for nice crust and bubbly cheese. Start at 475 and experiment with higher temps. Your oven’s optimal temp will likely be slightly different than mine.

Step 2:
Roll the dough as thinly as possible. This is more of a personal preference. I prefer my crust as thin as possible (without becoming cracker-like). This is the Roman-style, where paper thin crust barely holds its toppings, and which make Neopolitan pizzas look like deep-dish, but that’s the way I like ’em. Crimp the edges slightly for a handle.

Step 3:
Spread a small amount of sauce on the dough. Could be tomato sauce, olive oil, pesto, or anything else. Remember restraint? Use it. Even more so with olive oil.

Step 4:
Sprinkle cheese evenly. I don’t measure my cheese, because it depends how much dough you use and how big the pie is. Stop when you feel like you have about 2/3 as much as you’ll need. Read my comments on restraint repeatedly. Note: sometimes I will put some toppings under the cheese. This is rarely used, but a technique worth experimenting with, especially if you have kids who will take off any vegetables that are on top!

Step 5:
Add toppings. Spread evenly. Use restraint.

Step 6:
Sprinkle a tiny bit of cheese over toppings. Try using aged Parmesan or Pecorino.

Step 7:
Cook until brown & bubbly. Usually 8-12 mins.

Step 8:
Sprinkle fresh herbs on top. Especially when they are in season, it’s a great idea to sprinkle a chiffonade of fresh herbs on top of a pizza right when it comes out of the oven. They’ll cook subtly from the heat of the pie. Obviously this is not crucial, but it’s a simple way to take the flavors to the next level.

Step 9:
Enjoy!