Fakeaway Pizza Tips? 🍕

happydenial

GreenCat80 said:

Grated mozzarella! Good plan, thank you, Walking down to get some now

Do you combine mozzarella and cheddar or just mozzarella? 

I’ve used both types in the past, whatever you can get! 

elsien

I always stick a bit of cheddar on as well to give it a bit more of a tang.,

Sky_

I make sure the dough spends a few hours (or overnight) in the fridge and is kneaded very well, so that it stretches well.  I use a stand mixer but I used to do it by hand before I got the mixer.

A very good tip I've found is to add the veg toppings (but not meats/cheese) then bake for 10-15 mins before adding meats/cheese and baking for a little longer.  This allows the veg and tomato sauce to dry out a bit before you add the cheese and makes a much crispier pizza base.  (Fatty foods seal in moisture so it's important not to add them too early.)

Other than that we don't use any special ingredients--just tinned tomatoes blended with herbs, onion, garlic powder and tomato puree or dried tomato, topped with whatever cheese, veg or meats we have in the fridge and our Friday pizzas are lovely and crispy.

GreenCat80

Sky_ said:

I make sure the dough spends a few hours (or overnight) in the fridge and is kneaded very well, so that it stretches well.  I use a stand mixer but I used to do it by hand before I got the mixer.

A very good tip I've found is to add the veg toppings (but not meats/cheese) then bake for 10-15 mins before adding meats/cheese and baking for a little longer.  This allows the veg and tomato sauce to dry out a bit before you add the cheese and makes a much crispier pizza base.  (Fatty foods seal in moisture so it's important not to add them too early.)

Other than that we don't use any special ingredients--just tinned tomatoes blended with herbs, onion, garlic powder and tomato puree or dried tomato, topped with whatever cheese, veg or meats we have in the fridge and our Friday pizzas are lovely and crispy.

Great tips, thank you! I normally let the dough rise for a couple of hours just on the side, is it better to leave it in the fridge?! Does it still rise?

bellaboo86

GreenCat80 said:

Haha!

I got some pizza baking sheets to cook them on. Do you leave the dough on the tray for 10 minutes before you put the toppings on? I did that last time and the base was lovely and fluffy but perhaps that contributed to the sogginess…

No, I put it on and the put the toppings straight on.  Could be worth preheating the baking sheets? X

jellybeantinker1

I use a recipe from Sainsburys Magazine...quick pizza dough. I would post the link, but my phone isn't letting me copy and paste it at the moment! Will add it when I get back on the PC!

It doesn't need proving, very easy to make, just remember to add the water that is in the instructions, it is not in the ingredients list. I also add a little less salt than it says as I don't think it needs as much.

You preheat your baking sheets to a high temoerature which allows the bottom to get a nice crisp to it and can use polenta or semolina on the baking paper which the pizza sits on. It makes easy transfer to the baking tray too.

goldfinches

I had a look at the recipe link you gave and compared it to this Pissaladière Recipe With Leeks, Green Olives and Sultanas (olivemagazine.com) that I've made several times and wonder if a dough using less flour might help. I find this amount of pissaladiere dough covers my biggest baking sheet, which is 38cm x 32cm, easily and comes out of the oven nice and crispy on the bottom but with a chewy texture and I'm sure it could stand being rolled even thinner than this. I usually cut the finished dish into 6 portions so I think you'd find that this amount of dough would be enough for three people and I should think you could put any toppings you liked onto it rather than following the recipe. 

-taff

Cooking mozzarella comes in blocks, it's harder, less moisture, a lot less moiture.

It will rise in the fridge, but a lot more slowly than it will in a warm place, so if you're doing it for the day ahead, it's just right. It's supposed ot give it a better texture and taste.

GreenCat80

Thank you everyone, I cooked the bases for 5 minutes before putting the toppings on and used grated instead of ball mozzarella and they were the best ones yet 😃

Sky_

GreenCat80 said:

Sky_ said:

I make sure the dough spends a few hours (or overnight) in the fridge and is kneaded very well, so that it stretches well.  I use a stand mixer but I used to do it by hand before I got the mixer.

A very good tip I've found is to add the veg toppings (but not meats/cheese) then bake for 10-15 mins before adding meats/cheese and baking for a little longer.  This allows the veg and tomato sauce to dry out a bit before you add the cheese and makes a much crispier pizza base.  (Fatty foods seal in moisture so it's important not to add them too early.)

Other than that we don't use any special ingredients--just tinned tomatoes blended with herbs, onion, garlic powder and tomato puree or dried tomato, topped with whatever cheese, veg or meats we have in the fridge and our Friday pizzas are lovely and crispy.

Great tips, thank you! I normally let the dough rise for a couple of hours just on the side, is it better to leave it in the fridge?! Does it still rise?

Dough rises in the fridge, just more slowly. If I have time, I let it rise first then pop it in the fridge, the cold seems to make it stronger/more stretchy.  At other times I just put it straight into the fridge and leave it for 4+ hours. Having said that, there are hundreds of methods that work well--it's really a case of finding what suits you best. 

Delia recommends using plain flour and I've found that works okay too, but I prefer the 'hard' crunchiness of bread flour pizza base. 

The American 'King Arthur Flour' site also has some pizza recipes, including a very good pan-cooked pizza recipe (and great sourdough starter/bread recipes).  My absolute favourite pizza base uses sourdough starter discard, but that only works if I'm in a sourdough baking phase, lol.

I'd say try experimenting with what works best for you, and enjoy the journey!