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I had never made pizza from scratch ever before until the pandemic started.
I mean, the most I’ve done before was buy that Boboli already made crust from the supermarket. You add your ingredients...and heat it in the oven. That, and heat frozen DiGornio and Red Baron stuff. Well, it was all subpar crap.
Also grew tired of cheap pizzas like Little Caesar's, Dominos and Pizza Hutt.
The really good mom and pops pizzerias are becoming super expensive now. A large one for $40??? I don’t think so. Remember, I live in super expensive Northern California.
So after being cooped up 24/7 in my house...I had a eureka moment. Why not start making my own pizza with top of the line ingredients?
So I went to YouTube and watch countless videos of homemade pizzas. I watched all kinds. Some required commercial kitchen equipment that I simply don’t have. So I finally came across a YouTube channel from Adam Ragusea. He has 763K subscribers. He’s a pretty interesting fella...has good recipes...and I like his presentation and delivery. I found a particular one that peaked my interest, it’s titled. “New York Style Pizza at Home 2.0. Has 3 million views. I liked what I saw. Simply enough. Had to get the right equipment first.
His video:
You see, to make a fast 6-7 minute pizza that can bake the toppings well, yet also brown the underside of the crust without burning...and without having raw ingredients on top...you need extra heat to compensate for the limitations of most home ovens. Most ovens at home only go to 500 degrees (as mine does). So I needed extra equipment. Going by his advise, a metal plate is more heat conductive than stone...it will raise the internal temperature of the oven...make it closer to an industrial restaurant oven. So I bought this bad boy kit from Baking Steel...it’s 1/2” thick and weights 22 pounds. 16” in circumference (same as the wooden peel)...
I went all out on the ingredients. Caputo Chef’s Red Tipo 00 Flour. I wanted Blue Tipo 00 pizza four, but the oven has to be at least 700 degrees capable, beyond my home oven capability, so this was the next best thing...00 Red flour is great too.
I also ordered online this really awesome Italian pepperoni. Also ordered a six pound block of whole milk low moisture mozzarella cheese...one of the most delicious mozzarellas I’ve ever tasted.
The most important thins is the live active yeast...without it, the dough will not grow and the pizza crust will suck. The yeast makes the pizza both spongy and crispy at the same time.
I made several early attempts at making dough. It took several failures. I discarded dough in fact...but little by little, I started getting the hang of it...I’m now to the point where I don’t measure anymore...I just mix ingredients up...and the dough comes out perfect every time now. The only thing I still cannot master is making a perfectly round pizza...that will require further practice and experience.
The whole bit, flours, water, yeast, salt, sugar, olive oil, garlic, basil, oregano, more garlic, sauce. and any topping you desire. I have made plain cheese, cheese and pepperoni...all the way to multiple ingredients like mushrooms, green peppers, black olives, spinach, onions, etc. Pastene Tomatoes was recommended for sauce as its thick and tomato paste is not necessary...
This is what dough looks like with yeast applied...it grows to at least three times the original size...
Getting ready...
A few pics...cheese, garlic, pepperoni, mushroom, onions, spinach...basil, oregano, Parmesan cheese...
This one is with green peppers...
Full Flickr Photo Album here to see the entire process...
If I can make it, so can you!!!
I mean, the most I’ve done before was buy that Boboli already made crust from the supermarket. You add your ingredients...and heat it in the oven. That, and heat frozen DiGornio and Red Baron stuff. Well, it was all subpar crap.
Also grew tired of cheap pizzas like Little Caesar's, Dominos and Pizza Hutt.
The really good mom and pops pizzerias are becoming super expensive now. A large one for $40??? I don’t think so. Remember, I live in super expensive Northern California.
So after being cooped up 24/7 in my house...I had a eureka moment. Why not start making my own pizza with top of the line ingredients?
So I went to YouTube and watch countless videos of homemade pizzas. I watched all kinds. Some required commercial kitchen equipment that I simply don’t have. So I finally came across a YouTube channel from Adam Ragusea. He has 763K subscribers. He’s a pretty interesting fella...has good recipes...and I like his presentation and delivery. I found a particular one that peaked my interest, it’s titled. “New York Style Pizza at Home 2.0. Has 3 million views. I liked what I saw. Simply enough. Had to get the right equipment first.
His video:
You see, to make a fast 6-7 minute pizza that can bake the toppings well, yet also brown the underside of the crust without burning...and without having raw ingredients on top...you need extra heat to compensate for the limitations of most home ovens. Most ovens at home only go to 500 degrees (as mine does). So I needed extra equipment. Going by his advise, a metal plate is more heat conductive than stone...it will raise the internal temperature of the oven...make it closer to an industrial restaurant oven. So I bought this bad boy kit from Baking Steel...it’s 1/2” thick and weights 22 pounds. 16” in circumference (same as the wooden peel)...
I went all out on the ingredients. Caputo Chef’s Red Tipo 00 Flour. I wanted Blue Tipo 00 pizza four, but the oven has to be at least 700 degrees capable, beyond my home oven capability, so this was the next best thing...00 Red flour is great too.
I also ordered online this really awesome Italian pepperoni. Also ordered a six pound block of whole milk low moisture mozzarella cheese...one of the most delicious mozzarellas I’ve ever tasted.
The most important thins is the live active yeast...without it, the dough will not grow and the pizza crust will suck. The yeast makes the pizza both spongy and crispy at the same time.
I made several early attempts at making dough. It took several failures. I discarded dough in fact...but little by little, I started getting the hang of it...I’m now to the point where I don’t measure anymore...I just mix ingredients up...and the dough comes out perfect every time now. The only thing I still cannot master is making a perfectly round pizza...that will require further practice and experience.
The whole bit, flours, water, yeast, salt, sugar, olive oil, garlic, basil, oregano, more garlic, sauce. and any topping you desire. I have made plain cheese, cheese and pepperoni...all the way to multiple ingredients like mushrooms, green peppers, black olives, spinach, onions, etc. Pastene Tomatoes was recommended for sauce as its thick and tomato paste is not necessary...
This is what dough looks like with yeast applied...it grows to at least three times the original size...
Getting ready...
A few pics...cheese, garlic, pepperoni, mushroom, onions, spinach...basil, oregano, Parmesan cheese...
This one is with green peppers...
Full Flickr Photo Album here to see the entire process...
If I can make it, so can you!!!
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