First pizzas tonight - looking for advice

Shawnodell83

Doing first pizzas tonight. Just going to keep it basic because we are going to let our young kids help. So just pepperoni.. what are some crusts, sauce, etc that are easily accessible to get anywhere?? Should I do 500 degrees on stone or 700+? Corn meal or parchment paper? Use wood chunks? Was thinking about getting dough ball from local pizzeria... Any help is greatly appreciated!! 😁

Thatgrimguy

I have better luck around 500-550 than 700+

I prefer parchment. I pull it out when I go to turn the pizza for the first time.


If you can get a dough ball from a local place then you should definitely do that for your first time. All the dough recipes I use need to be prepared a day in advance so you don't really have time to make your own.

For sauce, just mix some tomato sauce with tomato paste and add some seasoning then reduce if necessary. I like italian seasoning, oregano, garlic powder and onion powder. Sometimes i add red pepper flakes

Foghorn

I'm a pizza novice but have learned a few of the basics.  

I get dough from a local pizzeria - although I have also used storebought in a pinch.

Corn meal and parchment paper both help.

The cooking temperature should be inversely proportional to the thickness of your pie.  Deep dish cooks at 350 for 45 minutes or so.  Very very thin pizza can cook very briefly at 700+.  It is unlikely you will make your pizza that thin.

For the pies I make, 450-500 for 6-10 minutes is the sweet spot.  That will likely be a good place for you to start.  

There are a lot of people here who are more expert than I am and hopefully you will hear from them soon.

Florida Grillin Girl

• I agree with 500 - 550 degree dome. Use spacers under your pizza stone, 4 rolled up aluminum foil balls will work for this.

dmourati

I'd start at 500 for your first go. Ask the pizza shop the temp they cook at if you buy from them.

Go easy on the sauce and toppings. Don't use any vegetables with high water content.

Carolina Q

Too late to make your own dough so a local pizzeria is your best option. Unless they use a wood fired oven, I think their dough is probably best baked at around 5-550°. If you get it from a place that uses a WFO, then 7-800° would be better.

My "sauce" is food milled Cento whole peeled tomatoes applied with a ladle (and remember, less is more) and followed by a dusting of dried oregano, garlic powder, onion powder and s&p. No need to cook a sauce. Some fresh basil is nice too, applied either before or after baking.

I suggest Margherita or Boar's Head brand stick pepperoni, not the pre-sliced stuff. The casing makes it cup nicely with charred edges and little pools of oil. Yum!

I just put some flour on the peel, but corn meal (or better yet, semolina) works. And it goes on the peel, not the pizza stone. Never have been a fan of parchment paper.

I do most of my pies in my oven, but when I do use the egg, I don't use any smoke wood.

Don't forget the air gap between your platesetter and pizza stone.

Hope this helps some. Good luck!!

Pepperoni oil pools...


My egg config for pizza...

jtcBoynton

There are many types of pizza and they have differing cooking needs. In general, I think of the differences in terms of "thin crust/high temp/short time/high hydration dough'" vs "thick crust/lower temp/longer time/lower hydration dough". Many people like what is often called American style pizza. This is medium to medium-thick crust cooked at moderate temps for longer times. 500°F +- works well for this. If you want a NY style or Neapolitan style pizza, you need temps higher than a home oven can produce.

let the style of pizza and dough determine the cooking temp.  

alaskanassasin

Make sure you burn your egg for a bit to clear the smoke (this may take awhile if you haven't done anything hot cooks recently). If you throw your pie on while the egg is still clean burning white smoke it will taste like the inside of your grill.

Shawnodell83