While our lives are slowly beginning to return to normal, many of us are still spending a lot of time at home – including eating out or taking out a lot less. In our last couple of posts we showed you mouthwatering recipes to make your own guacamole and hummus. Today… it’s pizza!
Americans make no secret of it: we love pizza. In fact, Americans eat an average of 46 slices of pizza a year. Added up, that’s 350 slices of pizza a second and 3 billion pizza pies every 365 days. If that weren’t enough to convince you, there are 9,000 pizzerias in New York City alone and 70,000 across the country.
There’s probably no 100% agreed-on perfect pizza, but that isn’t going to stop us from telling you what we think is the best way to make one. So here goes…
· The dough: The ideal pizza dough is chewy with a crispy crust and, while it’s not that hard to make, our friends at delish.com and bonappetit.com explain it perfectly. Have fun!
· The sauce: Your parents may have used so-called canned ‘pizza sauce’ for their DIY pie but the secret is really to make or buy marinara sauce – tomatoes, basil, oregano, garlic, you really can’t go wrong.
· The cheese: While there are tons of fancy shmancy ways to make pizza with blue cheese or brie, for example, mozzarella is still the go-to classic. Slice it thin or, if you prefer, shred it.
· The toppings: Pretty much whatever you like – pepperoni, mushrooms, peppers and, yes, even pineapple. Just make sure not to overtop your pizza and, with ingredients like pineapple or tomatoes, makes sure they don’t make things too soggy.
· The temperature: A traditional pizza over can reach temperatures of 1,000 degrees which you likely won’t be able to do at home. Cook it at around 475 degrees until the crust is crispy but the base is still soft and chewy – about 10 to 15 minutes, but keep an eye on it, your oven temperature may vary.
· The end: Add a drizzle of olive oil, a little fresh basil, and pepper flakes, if you like. Or a sprinkle of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (parmesan) cheese. Then, dig in!
A lot of us are very opinionated when it comes to pizza toppings – what are yours? Share them in the Shop Talk blog community forum!
Did you know? Pie Pie
We all know that pizza originates in Italy but did you know the word literally means ‘pie’ so calling it a pizza pie is a little repetitive.
I used to make my own Pizza. It was always good..
The reason I love to make my own is I can put what I want to for toppings.