How to Make Pizza at Home That’s Better Than Takeout

Homemade pizza that’s better than takeout; you may wonder if this is just a myth. Well, the team at s.t.o.p Restaurant Supply is here to tell you that it is definitely possible! It is only a matter of getting the right ingredients, having the right tools, and of course, having the right techniques. 

Here is everything you need to know about how to make pizza at home that’s better than takeout. 

Let’s get started!

Getting Your Tools Ready: What You’ll Need 

Some of the tools that you need are pretty standard. For instance, you’ll need squeeze bottles for oil, a ladle for the pizza sauce, measuring cups, spoons, and so on. 

The tools that we’ll talk about next are specialty tools, designed to help you make a delicious pizza in an easy way.

1. A Digital Kitchen Scale 

This is essential, especially if you are looking to make quality homemade pizza dough with precision. Having a digital kitchen scale will also help you whenever you need to scale up or scale down recipe servings/sizes.

2. A Dough Scraper 

If you opt to use a mixer for your dough, a dough scraper is a perfectly shaped tool that will help you effectively scrape the dough out of the mixing bowl. 

3. A Pizza Stone, Cast Iron Pan, or Pizza Steel 

Once the pizza is ready for pre-baking in the oven, any of these three tools are great for cooking delicious homemade pizza. Pizza stones hold heat very evenly that cooks pizza beautifully.

However, if you’ve ever been a fan of fluffy and chewy pan pizza, then a cast iron pan could be the best choice for you. Lastly, pizza steel, the new kid on the block, produces a pizza crust that is slightly charred and deliciously crispy. 

4. A Perforated Pizza Peel 

Want to have just one pizza peel instead of having the traditional 1 metal pizza peel and 1 wooden pizza peel? Then a perforated pizza peel is perfect for you! 

Choosing and Preparing Your Ingredients 

The Pizza Dough 

1. Ready-made dough 

When planning to use ready-made dough, remember these pointers to avoid dry crumbly pizza:

• Handle store-bought dough carefully. Crushing it or stacking things on it will make the gas come out of the dough which is not good. 
• It is best to leave store-bought dough from the supermarket in the fridge for around 12-24 hours. This will allow the yeast to puff up the dough and enrich its flavour as well.  
• After stretching and shaping this kind of dough, let it rest for 2-3 hours in room temperature. Note that using a rolling pin will allow gas to escape, which is something we’re trying to avoid. 

2. Making your own pizza dough 

If you have the time and you want the full pizza-making experience, you can try making your own pizza dough with this recipe inspired by ricardocuisine.com. There are also numerous other recipes online that you can choose from, but this one is one of the most precise. 

Yield: (2) 9-inch thin-crust pizzas or (2) 8-inch thicker crust pizzas

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup (250 ml) warm water
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) instant yeast
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) sugar
• 2 cups (300 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) salt

Steps:

1. Mix the water, yeast, and sugar in a bowl. Then, let it stand until the mixture foams on top, which takes about 5 minutes.
2. Next, on a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment, mix the flour and salt on a low setting.
3. Increase the speed to medium then add the yeast mixture until a soft ball forms.
4. Remove the dough from the bowl then knead it for a few minutes on a floured surface.
5. Lightly oil a bowl and place the dough inside it. Cover this with a clean cloth. 
6. The dough will rise in about 30 minutes. Cut the dough in half to have two balls of dough for two pizzas.  
7. This pizza dough can either be used immediately or refrigerated for up to 48 hours. 

Added tips:

• All-purpose flour works great but high-protein bread flour will give a more chewy pizza crust and a better hole structure within the crust.
• Leaving your homemade dough in the fridge before using it will help improve its flavour. 

The Pizza Sauce 

You have a variety of choices depending on the effect that you want. Here are some of the best ones:

• Classic red pizza sauce
• Alfredo sauce
• BBQ sauce
• Garlic and olive oil sauce

The Toppings 

For your homemade pizza, you need a good melting cheese. Here are your choices:

• Mozzarella
• Cheddar
• Fontina

For a punchier flavour, sprinkle these on top of your melting cheese: 

• Bleu cheese
• Goat cheese
• Gouda cheese

As for toppings, there is a wide selection of meat, veggies, and fruits to choose from. Try to limit your toppings to around 3 - 4 to keep the flavour intact. Experiment at will - but when in doubt, you can consult recipes to find a good match of toppings. After the meat, veggies, or fruits, you can add herbs to have a richer aroma to your pizza. 

Cooking Your Pizza

When cooking your pizza, here are a few pointers to remember: 

• Remember to first preheat your oven to 450 °F with the pizza stone, pizza steel, or cast iron pan inside. 
• Before adding the toppings, pre-bake your dough for about 6 minutes. 
• Once toppings are added, bump up the temperature to 550 °F for 7-10 minutes to finish the baking process. 

With all of the above tips, you are sure to enjoy delicious homemade pizza in no time!

Everything You Need is at s.t.o.p Restaurant Supply