Yes my friends… I made pizza.
Sort of. I bought Trader Joe’s pizza dough. At 99c a ball… well, how do you say no to that? And it turns out that rolling out the dough isn’t that hard (when you have the right equipment – I bought a French rolling pin a while back, so I do), I managed to get it pretty darn thin. Except my surface wasn’t exactly the best for this so one edge refused to roll out thinly (you can kinda see it, top left in the pic), so I wound up just folding that edge over a little bit, haha.
Not that it mattered much in the end…
GOD that’s a gorgeous pizza, isn’t it? Homemade sauce, home-grown basil, five different types of cheeses,…
It cut up well… and it tasted good… except…
CRUST FAIL F*CKING FAIL.
The directions on the package say to roll it out, top it, and then bake for xx minutes. I followed the directions, but the crust was kind of soggy/soft/not quite fully cooked. So I stuck it in for longer, which resulted in the basil (I sprinkled it on after I took the pizza out, but before I tried any pizza) turning black. I had to take it out before the cheese burned, so the bottom remained quite soft. Edible, but not delicious – the stuff on top was awesome. Period.
BF’s dad suggested blind baking (well, he said “You have to bake the crust first, that’s what all the pizza joints do”), but I politely kept my mouth shut, knowing this is not true. I’ve watched many a pie be assembled, and the dough always starts off raw. True, those are at pizza joints with 900 degree ovens and higher, but… seriously. Any suggestions BESIDES blind baking (which I know will change the pizza from what it is to something along the lines of bread topped with some delicious stuff)?
Note: I topped it with Trader Joe’s Quattro Formaggio mix – provolone, parmesan, fontina and asiago cheeses, and Trader Joe’s shredded mozzarella. The sauce was quickly made and quite yummy:
Minced garlic and onion in the bottom of a pot with olive oil.
Once softened, sprinkle with Italian seasoning, stir.
Add a can of diced tomatoes, salt, pepper, some crushed red pepper flakes.
Add tomato paste, a pinch of sugar and cook until desired thickness achieved.
Pretty good for pasta, and for portobello parmesan too 😉
Aside from that – what did I do wrong? I don’t want to purchase any special equipment (so please, no suggestions to buy a pizza stone) as I won’t be making pizza often, but I’d like it still to be an option occasionally.
Help? Thanks!!!
Ruth says
At least 45 minutes before making the pizza preheat the oven as hot as possible (500° F/260° C). After 2 minutes baking, take a peek. For an even baking, rotate 180°.If the top gets done before the bottom, you will need to move the pan to a lower shelf. Also be careful with to much toppings because that can cause a soggy crust. The total baking time should be like 5 to 8 minutes if you want it extra crispy keep it in longer but keep an eye on it
Abbie says
I've been making homemade pizza forever. Over the years I have discovered, the best thing I've found is to bake your crust for 5-7 minutes before topping it. This gets the crust crisping, then it finishes while your cheese is melting. Occasionally, I also use a baking stone- heating it first then baking the crust for 4 minutes then top it and stick it back in the oven to finish. Hope this helops!
SkippyMom says
Two words… Pizza stone.
Additionally – hotter oven.
That's all I got, but then again I make my own dough so it might not be like Traders.
Pretty good looking pizza!
Adrienne says
I'll second (third?) the baking stone recommendation, despite your protests! I got mine for about $25 at a cooking wholesale store. Seriously worth it for bread, too.
If you reeeally don't want one, pre-heat an upside-down cookie sheet (only needs a few mins, stones need like half an hour to pre-heat). Build your pie on the back of another cookie sheet sprinkled with cornmeal so it'll slide right off (impromptu pizza peel!) and onto the hot stone (or hot cookie sheet). Also, crank the oven as high as it will go, and open a window.
Anonymous says
Agreed with the comments above. The pizza stone is a must. Baking sheets hold in the moisture as the crust cooks, which results in the soft/chewy texture.
Also, pre-heating the stone to 450-500 degrees is necessary or the first pizza of your batch will always have a less crisp crust.
Rochelle says
Jeffrey Steingarten wrote a great article a while back for Vogue about pizza and his never-ending quest for creating one with a nice char. He concluded that his home oven just couldn't get hot enough (well, commercial ovens are CRAZY), so he started grilling with the top closed on the grill it to get the maximum amount of concentrated heat. But yours IS a beautiful pie!
db says
I'll second (third, forth?) the pizza stone suggestion. It's really the best way to get the result you're looking for. You can try to make your own out of paving stones or bricks or something, but just save the trouble and get the pizza stone.
Turn your oven up as high as it will go (500-550, probably) and let it preheat with the stone in it. Once it's heated, put all your stuff together to give the stone time to fully heat up. Then slide it in. Pizza will be ready in 7-12 minutes depending on how thick your crust is, so keep an eye on it.
Jessica@Foodmayhem says
Yvo, you're my weekend shout out this week.
Christine says
Pizza stone? Nah. Who needs one?
I find that whenever we make pizzas at home, the crust doesn't firm up at all. It's because when one bakes pizza on a pan, the moisture gets trapped. Just remove the pan about 5 minutes before the pizza is finished baking and throw the pizza back (directly on the grill) for another 5 minutes or so.
Good luck on your next pizza making adventure. Hope that helps!
~Christine
Anonymous says
LOL@ Crust Fail F@$#% Fail…you are funny
See…this is exactly why I dont like making pizza at home. I am almost always dissapointed by the crust.
I bought a pizza stone and that has done wonders for me. Just make sure you preheat the stone before putting the crust on. I also brush the edges with a little olive oil so they turn out a little more golden.
My name is Riketa by the way…I am just having a hard time posting under anything but Anonymous
violarulz says
2 suggestions:
-try baking in a broiler pan instead of a sheet pan, then more air will circulate and the dough (we have a snazzy pan that someone got me for my birthday a few years ago, but a broiler pan should do fine too
-put corn meal on the bottom of the dough (like bread from the bakery) to soak up some of the wet from the dough as the toppings cook in
Sarah says
if you use a baking pan that is darker in color, your crust will brown more. i've noticed this when baking cookies. it should be similar for other things.
Anonymous says
The pizza stone being preheated to oven temperature is the key. The stone has a higher specific gravity than the dough it is transferring the heat to, while the air in the oven has a lower specific gravity than the sauce it is transferring heat to. Also, the sauce on pizza is generally left uncooked before it is put on the pie – and absorbs some of the fats from the cheese as it cooks on the pie. Of course a good marinara slice is always appreciable, but make sure the sauce is cold before putting it on the pie. Buon Appetito!
Anonymous says
I have blodget two shelf pizza oven(elec.) i turn it up to 700 for 30 min. even at that heat you should still form out the dough and place it untopped and cooked for 5 min. after 5 min. flip it over in the pan and replace back for 3 min.then top and cook for approx. 8min. spin the pizza after first 4 min. after topping.If you have a convection over heat to max temp and just repeat above.