Imagine: crispy crust, melting cheese, aromatic filling. For some reason, at home pizza often turns out raw or dry, and the dough resembles cardboard.
It turns out it's all about one simple step that most people skip.
You don’t need any special skills or expensive ingredients – just knowledge of a little trick that even experienced cooks keep quiet about.
Let's start with the dough. Many are sure that the ideal base requires an hour of kneading and yeast from Italy. In fact, the secret is in the water. Yes, regular water!
If you mix the dough with carbonated mineral water, it will become airy and tender. The gases create bubbles, which turn into that crispy crust when baked.
Just replace the water in any recipe with soda and see the difference.
Now about the sauce. The main mistake is to use only tomato paste. Add a teaspoon of honey and a pinch of dried oregano to it.
Honey will soften the acidity, and oregano will add depth of flavor. Spread the sauce in a thin layer, leaving a 2 cm border around the edges - this way the dough will not get soggy.
Cheese - everything is simple here: don't skimp. Mix mozzarella with parmesan (50/50). The first gives viscosity, the second - a rich aroma.
Grate the cheese yourself: ready-made mixtures often contain starch, which makes the filling “rubbery”.
And the main secret: before sending it to the oven, spray the pizza with ice water. Yes, straight from the spray bottle! This will create steam that will prevent the dough from drying out.
Preheat the oven to maximum, place the pizza on the lower level for 3-4 minutes, then switch to grill mode and hold for another 2 minutes. The edges will brown, and the middle will remain juicy.
Try this method and forget about delivery. Even if pizza was not successful before, now you will surprise everyone. And don't say later that you were not warned!
Author: Igor Zur