Do What Dominoes Does

May 11, 2012 | 10 Comments


I admit to having a massive weakness for pizza. It’s kind of like crack for me, where I think I have control over it, but the moment it’s put in front of me all powers of resistance vanish. Which is why I rarely make it (and why I cross the street when I smell fragrant wafts coming from the pizza-by-the-slice joints). But when I do cook it, I am reminded of how easy it is and why it is universally loved.  I’ll make it when friends are coming over and I’m looking for something to cut into bite sized pieces and eat with hands.

Guest contributor Becky Wilcox (a non-food blogger with a passion for food) contributed these tips on how to make a perfect homemade pizza …

1. Use a pizza stone. You can certainly use a baking sheet, but if you’re serious about homemade pizza invest the $15 and get a stone. Not only are the stones perfectly shaped and aesthetically appealing, but they cook more evenly and minimize sticking. They also absorb moisture which gives the crust a crispness that is hard to achieve on a cookie sheet.

2. Be liberal with cornmeal and flour. A common problem reported by first-time pizza makers is that it sticks to the pan. The solution? Use liberal amounts of flour and cornmeal when stretching the dough.

3. Age the dough. You can now easily find frozen pizza dough at many retailers (Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods) but to make it act more like artisinal dough, “age” it in the fridge for a few days before using.

4. Put the cheese on last. This sounds like a no-brainer, but making cheese your top layer insures that none of your toppings will get burned. The cheese may get brown, but slightly burned cheese is almost always preferable to slightly burned vegetables.

5. Cook the pizza on the bottom rack. If you put it on the lowest rack the bottom of the pizza cook will cook faster than the top.

6. Check it frequently.  There is no exact time that a pizza will take so check on it every 10 mins or so and pull it out the moment the cheese and the crust begin to brown.

Get the recipe for homemade pizza margarita.

Any pizza tips to share?  Or your favorite toppings when making it at home?

Photo: Courtesy Recipes.com

Related Posts

How to Succeed at Pasta Sauce Without Really Trying
Pasta with Sausage and Spinach

Get Posts By Email

  • Donna Walter

    …and I’m looking for something to cut into bite sized pieces and eat with hands. 
    I make my Calzones with a variety of ingredients and put these goodies (including Fontina cheese) on the dough I’ve placed on Joyce Chen’s dumpling press. I have two sizes. 

  • Emily

    we have been making sourdough pizza crust and loving it! The recipe we use is also delicious grilled (Yes grilled outside!!!) and makes pizza all the more appealing in the summer months when you don’t want to heat up your oven…this is the link to the recipe. DE-licious!!  for the sordough instructions and recipe, scroll down…http://www.breadtopia.com/pizza-dough-recipe/

  • Anonymous

    So many ways to make that recipe healthier and still good.  What kind of flour?  How much salt?

  • http://savoringtoday.com/ Judy@Savoring Today

    I too have a weakness for pizza, I could eat it every day! For me, a finishing touch of Romano cheese and a drizzle of olive oil is a must for good pizza. :)

  • Ctb

    Mmm – pizza! I’ve been making homemade pizza since my teens. My 1st recipe came from the Time-Life international cookbooks series & was rather complicated.

    My latest passion is a very thin cornmeal focaccia crust(inspired by Whole Foods’ pre-made organic cornmeal crusts) I make up ahead & cut into 4″x6″ rectangles  . Since I have no pizza stone, nor have ever used 1, & since I like ‘em extra crunchy, I pre-bake my crusts, whatever size, made very thin, then assemble & bake the pizzas on cooky sheets or enameled broiler pan lined w/parchment paper. I also bake on a lower rack, & then place under broiler for a few minutes, if the top needs more browning. I learned that if you remove the pizza from the hot pan still on its parchment & allow it to cool a few minutes on a towel before cutting, it does not get a soggy bottom. Parchment paper is such a wonderful invention!

    Lately, besides the usual sliced fresh tomato & olives, I’ve been making sauteed fennel & onion w/ fresh basil & feta, topped w/ mozzarella, parmesan & oregano or fresh marjoram – OMG! so good = )

  • Doris Soulinthavong

    I love pizza too!  It’s pretty much on top of my all-time foods as well.  I would never get enough of it!  ^_^  When I make homemade pizza at home, instead of sugar for the dough I’ll substitute honey, drizzle my homemade sun-dried tomato extra virgin olive oil on top of the assembled pizza, and brush the crust with some fresh garlic-butter (or extra virgin olive oil).  Oooh, it’s amazing!

  • Gkirmalcsw

    Any suggestions fro gluten free pizza?
    Thanks!

  • http://www.thesweetbeet.com Michelle Madden

    I don’t have any specific suggestions … I would just google it and see what comes up ! 

  • Sara

    pizza is one of my favorite things to make at home because it’s easy and tastes so much better!  We livein Ethiopia right now so pretty much everything we eat is at home and pizza is no exception.  The tips are wonderful.  I might add a pizza peel really helps.  Rubbing whole cloves of garlic over the crust before the toppings is tasty.  We are limited on toppings here so one thing we’ve come to love is fresh mozzarella on top instead of the pizza mozzarella.  One of my favorite topping combos is squash, pine nuts, rosemary, and sharp cheddar cheese.  More a flat bread than pizza but super delicious!  Great post.  

  • oggo loggo

    I must say I don’t agree with some of these advices:

    - Don’t put the cheese on top. The topping is supposed to get slightly burned. You can sprinkle a little cheese on top also, to get a little burned cheese too.

    - Why do you want the bottom of the pizza to cook faster than the top? Usually the problem is, that the bottom gets too hard, before the topping has been browned enough, so you do not want the bottom cooked faster.

    - After the first 10 minutes, you need to check your pizza a lot more often, than every 10 minutes. Even 5 minutes, can make the difference from done, to burned.