Do THIS to Make Perfect Pan Pizza (Works Every Time!)

Summary

In this video, the host shares key techniques for making restaurant-quality New York-style pizza at home, even without expensive equipment. After learning from top pizzerias, the host reveals two crucial methods: using a baking steel to crisp the pizza's bottom and activating the broiler to simulate high-heat pizzeria ovens. Additionally, the host explains the importance of par-baking dough correctly to achieve a tender, moist interior and crispy exterior. These techniques, including the use of 'tomato water' and cooling the dough between bakes, result in a perfectly balanced pizza with pizzeria-like results. The video also includes a sponsorship from Craftsy for those wanting to improve their cooking skills.

Takeaways

• 😀 High heat is essential for achieving a crispy pizza crust, and home ovens often can't replicate the temperatures of commercial pizza ovens.
• 🍕 A **baking steel** is a great solution to help transfer heat more efficiently than stone, ensuring the bottom of the pizza crisps up faster even in a home oven.
• 🔥 Using the **broiler** in your home oven simulates the intense top heat of professional pizza ovens, improving browning and cheese melt.
• 🍞 Par-baking the pizza dough is key to preventing a dry or dense crust and ensures a more evenly cooked pizza with better texture.
• 💧 **Tomato water** (diluted pizza sauce) is used by pizzerias to prevent sauce from drying out during par-baking, keeping it fresh and flavorful.
• ⏳ Par-baking should be done for about 6 minutes, just long enough to set the dough's structure without drying it out before adding toppings.
• ❄️ After par-baking, letting the dough cool, preferably in the fridge, helps maintain a moist interior while allowing the exterior to crisp up when baked again.
• 🍽️ Once the dough has cooled, wrapping it in plastic or storing it in a sealed container helps reset the temperature and prevents the interior from drying out during the second bake.
• 🍕 Pan pizza dough should be prepped with the same principle of par-baking to avoid soggy crusts while achieving a crispy outside and tender inside.
• 🎓 Craftsy, an online learning platform, offers great resources for improving skills in cooking and baking, with specific courses for those passionate about pizza making.

Q & A

What is the number one mistake most home cooks make when trying to make restaurant-quality pizza at home?

The number one mistake is not properly adapting pizzeria techniques to the home kitchen. This includes failing to account for differences in oven temperature and using incorrect methods like over-baking or improperly parbaking the dough.

How does the temperature of a home oven compare to a professional pizza oven?

Home ovens typically max out at around 550°F, while professional pizza ovens can reach temperatures between 600°F to 900°F. This significant difference in temperature affects the baking process and the final result of the pizza.

What is the purpose of using a baking steel instead of a stone in home pizza making?

A baking steel transfers heat more quickly than a stone, which helps crisp the bottom of the pizza faster. This is crucial when baking at home since home ovens can't reach the high temperatures of commercial pizza ovens.

What role does the top broiler play in achieving pizzeria-quality pizza?

The broiler mimics the intense top heat of a commercial pizza oven. Turning it on for a minute or two towards the end of baking helps achieve better browning, melt the cheese more evenly, and creates a more authentic pizza crust.

Why is parbaking the dough an important technique for making homemade pizza?

Parbaking helps develop the structure of the dough before adding toppings, which prevents the crust from sagging or becoming too floppy. It also ensures the interior of the dough remains moist and tender, which is critical for the perfect pizza.

What is the ideal time and temperature for parbaking pizza dough at home?

Parbaking should be done for about 6 minutes at 350°F. This allows the dough to set and rise without drying out, creating a solid structure that can hold toppings without becoming soggy.

What mistake do most home cooks make when applying pizza sauce to parbaked dough?

Most home cooks apply a regular pizza sauce, but this often dries out in a home oven and becomes pasty. Instead, using tomato water (diluted pizza sauce) helps retain moisture and prevent the sauce from drying out during baking.

Why is it important to cool the parbaked dough before adding toppings?

Cooling the dough after parbaking allows the interior temperature to stabilize. This prevents the dough from drying out when it’s baked again with toppings, ensuring a crisp exterior while keeping the interior moist and tender.

What is the role of tomato water in making pizza at home?

Tomato water, which is simply diluted pizza sauce, is used to coat the dough before parbaking. This extra moisture prevents the sauce from becoming pasty and helps maintain the pizza’s flavor and texture during the baking process.

How does the method of parbaking and cooling affect the final pizza's texture?

The parbaking and cooling method allows the pizza crust to develop a solid structure without drying out, and by cooling it, the dough’s moisture is locked in. When baked again, it crisps up on the outside while maintaining a soft, tender interior.