Do you want to know how to make homemade pizza taste better? Read on to learn about homemade pizza hacks.
There’s a reason so many of us stick to takeout and frozen pizza – aside from requiring more effort to prepare, homemade pizza can be hard to get right.
Often the base can end up too soggy or the homemade pizza toppings can end up overcooked.
Of course, homemade pizzas don’t have to be a disaster.
By learning a few useful hacks, you can start making your homemade pizzas taste like they’re from a restaurant.
Below are just a few homemade pizza hacks you need to know.
How To Make Homemade Pizza Taste Better?
1. Crank The Heat Up
Restaurant pizzas taste the way they do partially because they’re cooked at such high temperatures.
Most are cooked in a pizza oven at 700 to 800 degrees F.
Home ovens can’t reach this temperature.
The best you can do is to cook the pizza at as high a temperature as your oven is willing to go (usually around 500 degrees F).
Pre-heat the oven before putting the pizza in for the best outcome.
Cook at a too low temperature and the base consistency will lack that crunch.
Another solution is of course to install a pizza oven in your home.
These are often installed outdoors. You can shop for pizza ovens at online stores such as BBQGuys.
2. Use A Pizza Stone Or Perforated Pan
Cooking a pizza on a standard baking tray can sometimes result in the base ending up a little soggy or soft.
You need to cook on a surface that helps absorb moisture to prevent this.
Pizza stones and perforated pans are ideal for this.
You’re much more likely to get a crispy crust when cooking with one of these surfaces.
3. Part-Cook The Base Before Adding Tomato Paste
The tomato paste can often end up getting overcooked by the time the base reaches the right consistency.
This results in the tomato paste losing its flavor in exchange for a slightly burnt taste.
To prevent this, consider part-cooking the base for a few minutes and then adding the tomato paste along with all the other toppings.
5 to 8 minutes is about the perfect par-bake period if you’re cooking at 450 – 500 degrees F.
When it comes to other homemade pizza toppings like onions or meat, consider part-frying these toppings before you put them on your pizza.
Don’t put them raw on your pizza as they’ll likely still be under-cooked by the time the base is done.
Don’t cook them completely before putting them on your pizza otherwise they’ll get burnt.
4. Avoid Using Soggy Mozzarella
The next tip for how to make homemade pizza taste better is to avoid using soggy mozzarella cheese.
Fresh mozzarella has a lot of moisture in it, which can make your pizza base soggy.
Try to get this moisture out by crumbling up the cheese first and letting it drain through a sieve.
Alternatively, you can try using dryer cheeses, which will prevent the base getting soggy.
5. Add Olive Oil And Basil After Cooking
Instead of putting olive oil and basil on your pizza with the rest of the toppings, consider adding it after your pizza is cooked.
A lot of the taste of the olive oil and basil disappears when cooked at high temperatures.
Drizzle olive oil on and sprinkle basil on after the pizza is cooked so that you don’t lose these flavors.
Conclusion
So, these are five homemade pizza tips for making the delicious homemade pizza. Follow these homemade pizza hacks and enjoy tasty pizza at home.