If you asked us in elementary school what our favorite food was, we would, without a doubt, tell you pizza. And if you asked us today what our favorite food is, we would without a doubt tell you pizza. We just can’t help ourselves. But, admittedly, we’ve gotten kind of bougie with it. No longer are we satisfied with frozen pizzas or a pizza pie from a chain we used to know and love, no, these days, we want to make the perfect pie at home from scratch with all fresh ingredients. So if you’re bougie like we’re bougie, here are some tips for making the ultimate pizza at home!
Feelin’ Hot, Hot, Hot
Make sure your oven gets heckin’ hot before you begin baking your pizza. Pizza ovens at restaurants get around 800-ish degrees and with that being said, you’ll want your at-home oven to get to about 550 degrees. And while you’re at it, whether you plan on baking your pizza on a pizza stone or in a cast-iron skillet, you’ll want to make sure it’s been hanging out in that oven for a solid 45 minutes before you even think about popping that pizza in there.
Cold Dough Is a no-go
About a half hour to a full hour before you’re ready to start working with your dough, you’ll want to take it out of the fridge and let it get to room temperature. This relaxes the gluten making your pizza easier to work with, if you fail to do this your dough could become overworked and the end result is tough dough.
So Saucy
If you’re opting for a classic marinara sauce, you can make one easily just from tomatoes, onion, garlic, and salt (it’s literally that simple!) But don’t shy away from using other sauces for your pizza such as BBQ sauce, alfredo sauce, pesto, or ranch.
Rollin’ With the Homies
If you like a cracker-like thin crust, roll your dough out with a rolling pin, if not, then step away from the rolling pin. What happens when you use a rolling pin is that you actually press all of the gas out of your dough, if you prefer a soft, airy crust then you’ll want to gently stretch the dough with your hands.
Crazy, But it Feels So Right
Get a little crazy with your toppings, this is your pizza after all. Stick with what you know and love so you enjoy the fruits of your labor, but never turn down the opportunity to experiment with new flavors. Personally, we love arugula and prosciutto. This goes for cheese too, sure we love a full-fat mozzarella, but maybe you prefer the sharpness of blue cheese feta and you don’t even know it yet.
Garlic Girls
A super easy way to pump up the flavor of your pizza is to brush a mixture of olive oil and garlic over your crust before adding sauce and toppings. You can thank us later.
Soggy Bottom
When you go to spread your sauce, use a thin layer to avoid having a soggy crust. If your using sliced tomatoes, slice ‘em up real thin so they aren’t the reason you’re left with a sad, soggy pizza.