Chefs share 11 tips for making the best pizza at home
- Insider asked four professional chefs to share their best tips for making pizza at home.
- Investing in tools such as a pizza stone and a pizza peel is helpful.
Pizza is a versatile meal you can eat for lunch, dinner, snack time, or even breakfast. But how do you make incredible pizza at home and skip the wait for delivery?
Insider asked four professional chefs for their top tips for baking the best pizzas at home.
Start off with a good dough
To make a great pizza, you have to begin with a good foundation.
"Great dishes are like building a house — they start from the ground up," said Dennis Prescott, chef and host of Netflix's "Restaurants on the Edge." "Starting with a delicious dough that's consistent and easy to execute is essential."
Giving the dough some time to develop after it's made will make it even better.
"The very best pizza dough is one that has been given time to develop an amazing yeasty flavor. Three days is my sweet spot," said Shawn Niles, restaurateur and previous contestant on Fox's "MasterChef."
Niles added that it's possible to make good dough in a couple of hours, but being patient will yield better results.
Think about the moisture content of your toppings
When it comes to topping options for a pizza, the possibilities are endless. But it's best to consider the moisture content of ingredients and assess whether they should be precooked.
The same consideration goes for your choice of sauce. Using too watery of a sauce, or too much of it, will make for a soggy crust. Niles suggested picking a sauce "that has a lot of weight to it."
Consider using pesto to ramp up the flavor
Adding fresh basil to your pizza is a classic move, but you can also harness that flavor by using it as a sauce.
According to Stephen Chavez, a chef instructor at the Institute of Culinary Education, using pesto as a base when paired with lighter-flavored toppings such as chicken or seafood will immediately transform your pizza.
Using additional cheeses can add a bold flavor
Plenty of gooey, melted cheese is one of the best parts of eating pizza, so it's important to choose the right kind.
"While we all love the stretch we get from mozzarella, in general, it is pretty low on flavor and can benefit from a blended cheese approach," said Josh Archibald, executive chef of Culinary Development for Tillamook. "I love using a blend of mozzarella and cheddar to add some great color and deepen the flavors."
Chaves cautioned that if you're adding sharp cheese, you should always blend it with mozzarella to balance out the meltability. Sharp cheeses can have an oilier texture when melted.
Archibald also suggested sprinkling smoked cheddar as a "finishing cheese" when the pizza comes out of a conventional oven for wood-fired flavor.
Don't be afraid to experiment with different flavor combinations
"The classics are classics for a reason, and they're here to stay," Prescott told Insider. "But sometimes it's fun to incorporate flavors, ingredients, and inspiration from dishes you love that you may not have seen in pizza form."
Pizza is meant to be fun, accessible, and shareable. Getting inspired by your favorite flavor combinations will ultimately make you a better pizza chef.
"I love getting creative and thinking outside the box with my pizza toppings," the chef said. "Brisket burnt-end pizza, butter-poached lobster pizza, hoisin-barbecue meatball pie, all delicious."
Bake your pizza on a grill or smoker
If you don't have a professional pizza oven, Prescott recommended using a smoker to lock in the heat and provide a wood-fired flavor.
To make pizza on a grill, Archibald suggested stretching your dough and dropping it straight on the hot grates. Let it cook a little, flip the dough, and add your toppings.
"Remove the pizza to a cooler part of the grill to ensure you don't burn the bottom crust before your toppings are melted," he told Insider.
Try a pizza stone if you're using an oven
Chavez recommended using a pizza stone in your home oven.
A pizza stone is a slab made of materials such as clay or metal that retains heat and quickly cooks your pizza. Once the stone's preheated, you can slide your uncooked pizza on it to achieve a sturdy crust and caramelized toppings.
"The key to me has always been a pizza stone," Archibald said. "They are inexpensive, a worthy investment far beyond pizza, and they can last forever."
Using a baking sheet can also give you a similar result
"If you do not have a stone, you can just use the back of a preheated sheet pan, or you can just bake the pizza on a sheet pan," Chavez said.
Preheat your oven to at least 500 degrees Fahrenheit, sprinkle flour or semolina on the back of another sheet pan, and begin building your pizza.
Once you're ready to cook, slide the pizza onto the hot pan and bake it to your preferred doneness.
Invest in a pizza peel for easier cooking
A pizza peel is a paddle-like tool that's helpful for building and transferring your pizza to your cooking source, whether that's a conventional oven, pizza oven, grill, or smoker.
Choose either a wood or metal pizza peel with a comfortable handle.
"The process of transferring a topped pizza from a peel to a hot stone is a bit of an art and takes some practice," Archibald told Insider. "Use plenty of flour or semolina to ensure the pizza moves freely on the peel before trying to transfer."
Let your pizza rest before digging in
Although it's tempting to cut into a piping-hot pie, do yourself a favor and wait before taking your first bite.
"Always try to rest the pizza for a few minutes before you cut and serve," Archibald said. "This step allows the pizza to relax for a moment, and it helps the cheese from sliding off of the slices."
Enhance the flavor by adding more toppings after cooking
Considering toppings while building your pizza is crucial, but you can also add more flavor after the initial bake.
Archibald recommended finishing off a baked pizza with fresh herbs such as basil, chives, or oregano. A sprinkle of salt and a drizzle of olive oil can also enhance the overall appeal and taste.