21 Decadent Pizza Recipes for When Cheese and Pepperoni Won't Cut It (2024)

FAQs

Why put pepperoni under the cheese on a pizza? ›

But it's for a good reason: toppings that burn or dry out easily, like dried oregano, go under the cheese so that they don't burn. Simple!

The top chefs all agree that the best pizzas are all about the crust, so salt in the dough should never be sacrificed at the altar of salty toppings. “Building a pizza is like building anything else – you have to make compromises and consider the whole when choosing the parts.

To ensure the crust cooks through, keep the toppings to just a handful. Bake it hot. Crank the oven to its highest setting and let it heat for at least half an hour. Then, bake the pizza on parchment paper (either on a pizza stone or baking sheet) for about 10 minutes.

If you put pepperoni under the cheese, you may have some soggy pepperoni on your pizza. Many pizza toppings should not be steamed. So, if you want to avoid mushy toppings, keep them on top of the cheese when they can cook and crisp in the oven.

Toppings should go on the pizza after the cheese. This is because toppings put under the cheese will become soggy and won't sear appropriately under the heat. Precooking most pizza toppings will remove moisture and keep them dry. Many people like to put sauce and cheese on their pizzas first.

The No. 1 reason restaurant pizza is better than homemade is that they have ovens that can reach 900°F, or even hotter, which makes for perfectly crisp and chewy crusts, with those lovely charred spots, says Kierin Baldwin, chef-instructor of Pastry & Baking Arts at the Institute of Culinary Education.

There are many tricks to achieving a tasty, homemade pizza dough that rises into a beautiful pizza crust, such as making sure your ingredients are at right temperature, using half bread flour for a stronger dough and half all-purpose flour for a nice rise, substituting honey for sugar to help caramelize the crust and ...

Balance – the ratio of tomato and mozzarella, or toppings on the pizza in general, is very important. The toppings should complement the base of the pizza. The dough is not just a blank canvas…it is the foundation of the pizza. If it is not good, there is no topping that can redeem it.

What temperature to cook homemade pizza? ›

Generally, the hotter the oven, the better the pizza will be. The best oven temperature for pizza is between 450 and 500 degrees F (250 to 260 degrees C). Pizza ovens cook at temperatures between 800 and 900 degrees F. You can't get that hot in your home oven, but the higher you can go, the better.

Pizza is high in saturated fats due to cheese and processed meat toppings, which can increase your cholesterol levels as well as risk for heart disease.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (with a pizza stone inside, if you have one). Add cornmeal and flour to a pizza peel or use a pizza pan. Pick the top of the dough a few times with a fork and pre-bake the dough in the pizza pan, or slide onto a hot pizza stone to pre-bake for 3-4 minutes.

Don't Use Cold Dough

Remove it from the fridge a half hour to an hour before cooking so it can warm to room temperature. This will help relax the gluten — allowing you to stretch your pizza into shape easily without overworking it (which makes the dough tough).

If your oven has it, use the pizza setting. This setting usually involves your bottom element and the fan function. If your oven doesn't have that setting, use whatever is most like it – bottom heating element will ensure your crust is nicely baked, fan function will make sure it is properly dried and evenly baked.

Add sauce in a light layer all over the pizza, leaving about 1/4-inch crust around the edges. Chop half of the pepperoni and sprinkle it over the sauce. Top the pizza with grated cheese and the rest of the pepperoni. Season with black pepper.

Usually on top for crispness, but depending on the pepperoni and oven sometimes it needs to be under a few layers so it doesn't burn.

That's cornmeal, hands down. The main reason you sprinkle cornmeal or flour onto the bottom of your pizza tray or pizza stone is so that it will stick to the bottom of the pizza dough. This way when it cooks it won't stick to the pan.

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