It’s an open secret amongst pizza auteurs: the secret to a perfect pie is high-quality, mineral-rich water. While the factuality of this assertion is probably still open for debate, the premise lies deep within some interesting food science: water that is rich in calcium and magnesium helps the flour bond together more effectively during the kneading process, resulting in a crisper, chewier crust.
Regardless of the type of water you use in your custom pizzas, there are a number of ways that you can attain the perfect crust. It’s important to remember that good pizza crust is the culmination of many hours of hard work, and often requires a great deal of technique and finesse.
Here are just some of the ways that you can step up your pizza crust game and make something truly delicious the next time you want to throw a pie up into the sky:
- Hand kneading: You shouldn’t let your bread machine do all of the heavy lifting. Hand-kneaded dough will have a great texture. There’s simply no getting around the fact that hand kneading is the best way to achieve a truly delectable, chewy crunch when you’re making a homemade pizza crust.
- Toss it in the air: It takes a bit of practice, but tossing your pizza up into the air is actually the most effective way to stretch out the hand-kneaded dough! If you are using a rolling pin, you may get an inconsistent thickness, or worse, you may puncture your pizza dough! Have a little fun with your baking night, and toss that crust up into the air.
- Pre-bake it: This is an often-overlooked step that can make a world of difference: you should always pre-bake your pizza crust before topping it. Load your tossed crust onto a pre-heated pizza stone or cast-iron skillet, and bake it until the dough is bubbly and golden brown. Then, pull it out and top it while it’s hot.
- Don’t overload the toppings: Sometimes, you just want to fit everything onto your pizza, which is understandable! Resist the temptation, though, because overloading your pizza crust can result in a soft, limp crust. If your crust doesn’t have room to breathe, it may steam in the oven, resulting in an undesirable texture.
- Top with fresh herbs: After your pizza is finished baking, pull it out and use your hands to gently tear herbs over the piping-hot pie. Fresh rosemary, basil and thyme can make your pizza extra delicious!
Since 1994, Giovanni’s Frozen Pizza has been the premier source of custom pizzas across more than seven states. We are proud of our high-quality, hand-crafted frozen pies. We use our special in-house thin crust recipe to deliver delectable crunchy and chewy flavors to each and every one of our customers. Giovanni’s Frozen Pizza also uses a special in-house sauce. Each one of our pizzas is perfectly prepared with just the right amount of freshly cut herbs, vegetables and meats. If you would like to learn more about Giovanni’s or begin distributing our high-quality pizza pies, reach out to us today!