Everyone has that pizza place that they swear is the best. It may be the pizza place you ordered from every Sunday night as a kid, or perhaps it’s the new trendy place in the neighborhood that is on every list. However, we’re here to tell you that your new favorite place could be right in your home. With the right tools and the proper technique, you can craft perfect, restaurant-worthy pizza right in your home oven. And we’re happy to report that we now offer those tools!
Why Tools Matter
Our Pizza Steel, made entirely from our award-winning carbon steel, is the answer to crispy crust, gooey cheese, and unforgettable meals. The pizza steel has 86 perforations to allow the heat in your oven to circulate and hit the bottom of the crust. The carbon steel body allows the pizza steel to retain the heat of your oven’s hottest temperature so that your pizzas will cook efficiently and evenly. And lastly, the dark color of the carbon steel also absorbs heat exceptionally well. This pizza steel transforms your oven into a brick oven-like atmosphere and will produce fantastic pizza every time. And while supplies last, we’re offering a bag of King Arthur 00 Pizza Flour with each purchase of the pizza steel. Now let’s get into crafting the perfect pizza at home.
Starting with the Dough
King Arthur has a great recipe for pizza dough on their website, which we have been loving recently. All you need to do is stir the ingredients together, let it rise at room temperature for 12-24 hours, and then divide the dough in half and form each half into a ball. Once that rests for 45 minutes, you’re good to roll it out.
Using your fingertips, gently press the interior of the dough until it starts to stretch. You can then pick it up, and with your hands in loose fists, you can begin to stretch it out even more. Just be careful not to rip the dough! Once your dough is around 10-12 inches in diameter, you’re ready to top it.
Pizza Sauce
There are many schools of thought for when should go into pizza sauce. Should it be cooked? Should I add spices? Are blended whole canned tomatoes the best?
We say go with whatever you have on hand. If all you have are canned tomatoes, then that’ll work! Add a sprinkle of salt, and you’re good to go. If you have tomatoes that are on the verge of going bad, you can add them to a blender with some spices and herbs and then reduce until it reaches your desired consistency.
Cheese and Toppings
Whether you choose to use fresh mozzarella or shredded mozzarella from a bag, your pizza is still going to be amazing. Make sure to apply an even layer of cheese around the pie, and if you like it extra cheesy, then by all means, go ahead and add that extra handful.
Toppings are a great way to add personalization to your pizza. Just make sure to cook your toppings before, if necessary. This is most common for sausage, onions, mushrooms, or root vegetables, as the 8-12 minutes your pizza takes to cook isn’t long enough to thoroughly cook those toppings.
Assembly
Now you’re ready to assemble. We recommend having all your ingredients prepped and ready to go so that you can quickly make pizzas with no hassle. After you stretch your dough, take a large spoon or ladle and apply a thin layer of tomato sauce. Start with less than you think, as you can always add more. Use the back of your spoon to spread the sauce to the edge of your pizza, about ½ inch away from the crust.
Next, take your cheese and sprinkle it evenly across the sauce. Take into consideration that the cheese will expand a little. After the cheese comes the toppings, whether that’s pepperoni, mushrooms, the heavily debated pineapple, or shallots...go as heavy or as light as you’d like.
Baking the Pizza
Transferring the pizza to the pizza steel in the oven could be a tricky task at first, but once you get the hang of it, it will be quite simple! There are a few different ways to go about doing this.
The first method is using a pizza peel. A pizza peel is a tool used to help transfer pizzas, bread, and other baked goods to and from the oven. With a long handle and a flat surface, you can easily slide your pizza peel under the pizza. If you don’t have a pizza peel, you can use an inverted sheet pan. Apply a light dusting of flour to the bottom of your sheet pan and slide the dough onto it. Build your pizza, and then before you go to place it in the oven, shake the pan to make sure that the pizza is loose and will slide off easily.
Confidence is key here, so open the oven, and in one quick motion, slide the pizza onto the steel and then close it. It may take a few tries, but you can always fix it using tongs.
You can also take the pizza steel out of the oven and quickly place your stretched-out dough on it. Quickly assemble the pizza, and then put it back in the oven. This isn’t ideal, but it will still work!
Bake the pizza until bubbly and charred on the edges, around 8 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and top with grated parm, basil, and a few swirls of olive oil, if desired. And don’t forget to share!
