It only takes a few ingredients to nail the best homemade pizza ever. And the great thing about making pizza at home is you can add any of your favorite ingredients and as much cheese as you like, basically get creative with your pizza toppings any way you want.
You can even make your own dough, it’s really not that difficult and it only takes a few minutes to prepare, although you can find pretty decent pizza dough in grocery stores. Most supermarkets with a bakery counter sell fresh made dough.
When it comes to the ingredients, cheese is one of the first thing on many people’s minds, and the right cheese in just the right amounts will complement your pizza in ways you cannot even imagine.
The best cheese for your style of pie
Any cheese you like is a good cheese for pizza, however some cheeses make the best choices simply because of the way they melt and the texture they provide.
That being said, it probably comes as no surprise that the best and most popular cheese of choice for many people is mozzarella.
If you want your cheese to really melt, you’ll want to choose high fat mozzarella, and another thing to consider is choosing between low-moisture and high-moisture.
Using high-moisture mozzarella will give you that soggy pizza middle, which many people adore, but keep in mind that you will have to use the cheese within the first day of opening the package because of the shorter shelf life.
Low-moisture mozzarella lasts longer and has a denser flavor. This mozzarella also melts easier, is more elastic and provides that beautiful stretch.
Other cheeses to consider:
- Munster cheese – will provide great stretching.
- Provolone – is one of the best to blend with mozzarella.
- Cheddar – is great to create pizza cheese blends.
- Gouda – provides rich flavor and stretchy texture.
- Parmesan – to add as garnish after pizza has baked.
Best pizza toppings for your pizza
For many people, cheese pizza is the best kind, which makes it so much easier for them to create homemade pizza. It’s hassle-free.
For the rest of the world, adding toppings is a true battle between traditional versions and their own, improved pizza version. One thing pizza makers will tell you is that too many toppings can actually create pizza problems, like uneven cooking.
Accordingly, you should add no more than 3 toppings on pizza to create a perfect balance. The most popular options, some of which feel free to substitute with other ingredients if you’re not a fan, include pepperoni, mushrooms, onion, sausage, bacon, peppers and olives.
Three of the best combos:
- Pepperoni, mushrooms, and onions.
- Sausage, green peppers, onions, and mushrooms.
- Mozzarella, black olives, and red onion.
What about the sauce?
Of course, the sauce is important too, as this ingredient provides unique flavor. Pizza sauce is considered to bring all the ingredients together, and so it plays a huge role in how your pizza will taste.
If you make your own, start with a basic tomato sauce and make sure you choose fresh tomatoes. This is important with any other ingredient when it comes to great tasting pizza. Quality and freshness should be the first two things on your mind when choosing the ingredients.