This is a question nearly everyone has asked themselves at least once in their lives. I bet you have tried to prepare the perfect pizza dough at home and failed time and time again, only to come to terms with the fact that you will never master the art of pizza making. Well, here’s a newsflash: you can!
The Key to The Best Pizza Dough Recipe
If someone like me, and by that, I mean someone with very little cooking experience, could get a grasp of preparing the best pizza dough ever, then anyone can. The thing is, I am not that good around the kitchen, but I guess you could say I am a pretty good around computers. In fact, while I was working the other day, I stumbled across this very useful article that contains many different tips and tricks on the preparation of the best pizza dough recipes.
It was then that I found out that yes, kneading the dough is very important, but there is an even more important thing that will influence the very process of kneading: the flour.
Why is Flour So Important in Pizza Dough Recipes?
Well, flours contain a composite of proteins called gluten and it is actually the key factor for the best pizza dough recipes. Since the gluten from the flour will react with the CO2 formed by the fermenting yeast, the gluten content of the flour is of crucial importance for the pizza dough to be able to rise. The gluten from the flour will also make the pizza dough more elastic and easier to knead.
Now the important thing to bear in mind is that depending on whether you want the pizza dough, and with that the pizza crust, to be thinner or thicker, you should opt for a different type of flour. For the thin crust go for a flour with high gluten content and for a thick pizza (like the Sicilian style pizza) feel free to use all-purpose flour.
The Best Tips for Thin Pizza Dough Recipes
As I have already mentioned, the best type of flour for a thin pizza dough is a flour with high gluten content, the bread flour being an excellent choice, but if you want extra good pizza dough, the following tips will surely come in handy.
Leave the dough be. We already know that the gluten and the yeast need some time to react in order for the pizza dough to rise. Well, for an extra thin dough, you should leave it be for an overnight. Get a large re-sealable bag, place the dough inside and put it in the fridge. Don’t forget to leave the dough to reach room temperature prior to baking the pizza.
Another key factor for the pizza dough to be thin and tasty is adding some sugar to the original recipe. The sugar will also react with the yeast and it will also lead to the dough rising. Be sure to add salt as well, because you don’t want to end up with an overly sweet dough.
The Best Pizza Dough Must Be Topped the Best Way
Go ahead and prepare yourselves a tasty pizza dough and layer it whichever way you want. If you are going the Italian way, then only some tomato sauce and cheese will do, but if you feel like experimenting you can always add mushrooms, onions, pepperoni, sausages, bacon–or vegan meat substitutes–black olives, green peppers, spinach and fruits.
Even though it might sound strange when you first hear it, adding fruits to your pizza dough will make your pizza taste 10 times better.
Pineapples are the most commonly used fruits used as pizza toppings. Not only will pineapples give your pizza a tropical flavor, but they will down tone the rich and oftentimes strong flavors of meats and cheeses.
Next, you can use figs to accompany pungent cheeses like the blue cheese. Slice the figs, add some caramelized onions and blue cheese on top of your pizza dough and get ready for a bold pizza bite.
And last on my list of fruits to complement your pizza are apples. Combine apples with cheddar cheese to get the best combination of contrasts: the mild, almost delicate flavor of the apples and the sharp flavor of the cheddar will result in the perfect pizza slice. Of course, if you are vegan, there are lots of delectable vegan cheese alternatives and toppings to sprinkle on your own perfect pizza!
What are your favorite tips for making great pizza dough?
What are your favorite pizza toppings?
Share your thoughts and comments with us.
I can attest that high gluten flour makes a lovely crust, but as I bake exclusively with whole wheat flour, that is not an option for me. (I used to add gluten to my whole wheat yeast breads, but no longer.) For a few years I’ve experimented with pizza doughs made with wild yeast sourdough starter. We like them fine, but I’ve yet to achieve a consistently wowzer crust. Still working on it! As for the toppings, oh yes, we prefer a little sweetness on our pizzas too, but I have to say, our all-time favorite is fresh, vine-ripened tomatoes, fresh whole basil leaves, thin crescents of red or purple onion and a sprinkling of pine nuts.
Fantastic article, Deborah. Making a Pizza Dough was on my to-do list since ages and thankfully I found this. As you said, Kneading is the most important factor as it will help in making the Pizza smooth enough. Toppings are another important factor and I believe fruits and veggies can be mixed together to leave your taste buds feel incredible.
I honestly have not had pizza in such a long time, but this post is inspiring me to make some gluten-free, vegan pizza very soon! Thank you for such an informative post.