Faith DurandSVP of Content
Faith is the SVP of Content at Apartment Therapy Media and Editor-in-Chief of Kitchn, and the author of three cookbooks, including the James Beard Award-winning The Kitchn Cookbook. She lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband and two daughters.
published Mar 7, 2015
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How much do you know about pizza? And I’m not getting academic here; do you know the basics? Pizza is a simple homemade supper, but it can look overwhelming — all those separate components! Dough, sauce, toppings — and what if I don’t have a pizza stone?
Hold it right there. The beauty of pizza is that it can be as simple or geeky as you want. Here are the essentials — you can take it from here.
1. You can buy dough (or use your freezer).
The heart of a great pizza is its crust, and this is where a lot of pizza geekery comes in. But you can get a long way using store-bought dough. Look for dough in the refrigerator at your local grocery or Trader Joe’s — or just ask a baker for a lump of dough. You can also make a big batch of dough and freeze it!
Read more → How To Freeze Pizza Dough
2. Use oil, not flour, when working with pizza dough.
Pizza dough should be springy and soft, easy to stretch and work with. Adding too much flour will get you into trouble quickly. Take a note from Coco’s online class with Peter Reinhart and use oil, not flour, for handling the dough.
3. Don’t cook your sauce!
The best pizza, in my opinion, has a bright intensity that gets muted when cooked. (Watch Brandon Pettit of Delancey explain this in this video.) If you’re making pizza for a quick weeknight meal it’s totally fine to use jarred (i.e. cooked) sauce, but if you have just three more minutes, you can make a terrific sauce by blending canned tomatoes with a little sugar and vinegar.
Get a really simple recipe → DIY Recipe: Quick Red Pizza Sauce
4. Don’t buy extra ingredients for toppings.
Unless you’re really craving that Hawaiian extravaganza and absolutely need a pineapple to get there, chances are you have everything you need in your pantry or refrigerator to top your pizza. Pizza is a wonderfully frugal base for using up odds and ends. That last chunk of Parmesan? A few parsley stems? Half a cup of roasted red peppers? Handful of cooked beef crumbles? Raid your freezer too, and enjoy the serendipitous combinations (that you’ll probably never be able to recreate).
A good pizza isn’t loaded down with toppings anyway; you don’t need as much as you might think.
→ Read more: Quick Tip: Freeze Leftover Ingredients for Impromptu Pizza Toppings
5. Turn your oven up ALL the way!
Don’t be afraid to crank your oven up all the way. Yes, turn that dial all the way over and let it heat for at least 20 minutes. The hotter the oven, the better the pizza. Emma explains why (and how to get over the freakiness of turning your oven up all the way)…
Read more → Want Awesome Pizza? Turn Up The Heat
6. You can make terrific pizza in a cast iron skillet.
Still afraid to crank up the oven? Try using your cast iron skillet on the stovetop; you can actually make a pretty awesome pie this way.
7. It’s important to know how to reheat pizza.
Do you know the best way to reheat a slice? After you’ve made a great pizza at home, follow through and heat up leftovers the right way.
Read more → The Best Way to Reheat a Slice of Pizza
More Pizza Essentials
As an enthusiast with a profound understanding of the art of pizza-making, I can confidently say that crafting the perfect pizza is an art form that goes beyond the realms of a simple homemade supper. Now, let's delve into the key concepts touched upon in the provided article by Faith Durand, the SVP of Content at Apartment Therapy Media and Editor-in-Chief of Kitchn.
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Pizza Dough:
- Pizza crust is the heart of a great pizza, and it can be as simple or complex as you desire.
- You can buy pizza dough from the store or inquire with a local baker for a lump of dough. Alternatively, you can make a large batch of dough and freeze it for future use.
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Handling Pizza Dough:
- When working with pizza dough, use oil instead of flour. This ensures that the dough remains springy, soft, and easy to stretch without adding too much flour, which can lead to problems.
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Pizza Sauce:
- Faith Durand emphasizes not cooking the sauce to maintain its bright intensity. A quick homemade sauce can be prepared by blending canned tomatoes with a little sugar and vinegar.
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Pizza Toppings:
- Faith suggests avoiding buying extra ingredients for toppings. Pizza is an excellent way to use up odds and ends from your pantry or refrigerator, promoting a frugal approach to cooking.
- She advises against loading the pizza with too many toppings, as a good pizza doesn't require an excess.
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Oven Temperature:
- The article emphasizes turning the oven up all the way and letting it heat for at least 20 minutes before baking the pizza. A hotter oven contributes to a better pizza crust.
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Alternative Cooking Methods:
- Faith Durand introduces the idea of making pizza in a cast iron skillet on the stovetop as an alternative to traditional oven baking.
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Reheating Pizza:
- Knowing how to reheat pizza is deemed important. Faith encourages following the right methods to ensure that leftover pizza maintains its deliciousness.
This article by Faith Durand provides a comprehensive guide to mastering the art of pizza-making, covering everything from choosing the right dough to handling it, preparing sauce, selecting toppings, optimizing oven temperature, exploring alternative cooking methods, and even reheating leftovers. Faith's insights, backed by her role as SVP of Content and Editor-in-Chief, showcase her expertise and passion for the subject.
