Tio offers strategies and insights that have enabled him to manage time between his full-time job and running a pizza pop-up business. He shares strategies that help him remain positive when confronted by obstacles.
Saffitz and Perry suggest using low-moisture mozzarella, as it melts more readily at home-oven temperatures. Both also advise building your pie on a peel topped with semolina to ensure it slides off easily from peel to stone.
Fresh Ingredients
Fresh toppings are essential to creating delicious pizza. Choose lean options like grilled chicken, turkey, or shrimp as replacements for pepperoni or sausage and get all of the satisfaction of a meaty pizza without extra fat and calories. Also, add lots of veggies such as spinach, bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, or artichoke hearts for more nutrition and flavor!
Make your pizzas shine by selecting high-quality ingredients like fresh mozzarella (it’s best if you can find low-moisture cheese in the deli section of your grocery store) and extra virgin olive oil from premium vendors. Add an extra bit of zest with parmesan or Italian seasoning as desired; fresh herbs add another dimension – try basil, oregano, or crushed red pepper for an explosion of flavor!
Preheating your oven is critical to creating delicious pizzas without over-baking, ensuring the dough heats evenly as it bakes – giving them that delectably crunchy crust! For optimal time-saving purposes, prepare and thaw out pizza dough the night before. Just follow your recipe’s baking schedule so it will be ready when dinnertime rolls around.
Fresh Crust
Crusts are essential in creating delicious pizza, and fresh dough is critical in that process. Making fresh dough at home doesn’t require extensive effort and is far superior to buying pre-made or frozen crust from supermarket shelves. When making fresh dough at home, make sure that high-quality flour like bread flour or “00” Italian-style flour is used along with cold fat such as butter or shortening; handling should be minimized to prevent gluten formation, which will toughen up the crust, the hard fat also helps retain its moisture balance for the perfect results!
To roll dough, lightly dust both your surface and rolling pin with flour before rolling it out to an eighth of an inch thickness. It may take multiple attempts before it reaches your desired thinness, but beware of overworking the dough; otherwise, you risk creating a tough crust. Once your dough has been rolled, lightly coat it with olive oil before placing it onto a large cutting board or piece of parchment paper to rest before continuing your efforts with toppings or sauce.
To create the pizza, dust your dough with cornmeal (optional) and gently stretch it into a round shape using your hands. If it resists being stretched out further, lightly brush on some extra olive oil before moving the pizza onto your preheated baking vehicle (a pizza peel or large, lightly floured spatula works best) until golden brown and cheese has started bubbling out of it.
Fresh Toppings
As consumers increasingly demand healthier choices, food service professionals are finding inventive ways to add tantalizing new toppings to pizza, creating the ideal blend of sweet and savory tastes to satisfy pizza fans.
Add thinly sliced apples for a sweet and tart topping that complements both cheese and sauce perfectly, or slice figs and roast cherry tomatoes for additional sweetness. Or combine thinly preserved lemon slices with ricotta cheese and prosciutto for a Mediterranean flair pizza!
Drizzle finely diced pickled jalapenos onto the pizza for a zesty kick of spice that complements well with all its other delicious components. Chili flakes may also add an extra spicy kick!
Fresh toppings on pizza are an easy and economical way to elevate an already delicious frozen pie. To ensure success with this method, be sure to create the pizza first before adding any toppings; this will ensure they don’t overcook and ruin its texture. Longer baking time, toppings should be added last so they have time to bake before the pizza can be cut and served.
Fresh Sauce
Homemade pizza sauce is an integral component of making great pizza and is often more flavorful and healthier than store-bought varieties. Homemade sauce also doesn’t cost as much; plus, you have complete control over its flavors – garlic, tomatoes, and Italian herbs come alive here! Plus, it’s far cheaper than purchasing preservative-laden jarred tomato sauce! Plus, it can quickly adapt to suit individual preferences; for instance, you could add fresh basil, rosemary, or thyme for an enhanced experience or add wine for something with more sophisticated effects!
Start by selecting quality tomatoes such as San Marzano or Roma varieties; these have less water content than other varieties, resulting in thicker sauce. Tomato paste helps intensify flavors while thickening your sauce further. A bit of sugar brings out the natural sweetness in tomatoes, while salt is optional since even a pinch can go a long way toward flavoring it!
Other ingredients that can enhance pizza sauce include garlic powder and sweet balsamic vinegar to balance acidity. Even adding wine can deglaze the pan and infuse rich flavors into your pizza sauce!
