All About Pizza

The term pizza covers a lot of territory. If you want to learn all about pizzas, then you should have a bit of a background on pizzas: specifically the history of pizza, pizza origin, pizza facts, and even pizza trivia such as who invented pizza. The subject also delves into the different types and styles of pizzas. The varieties currently existing defy any attempts at enumeration. Thus, most people who attempt such a task stop at a broad categorization of pizza types according to certain attributes such as crust thickness, crust elasticity, crust baking and cooking procedures, toppings, etc. Aside from general, historical or trivial information, other things are of interest to the pizza lovers. For instance, homemade pizza enthusiasts would like to know certain tips and tricks for making pizza. This includes pizza making techniques, the best pizza crust recipes, pizza toppings, homemade pizza sauce, etc. Some other interesting topics will be frozen pizza dough and where best to attain them, what are the criteria for choosing the, what are the methods for preparing them, etc.

Hand tossing will help you minimize the lumps in your pizza dough. However, this should be done only after sufficient pizza dough kneading. This process lets your pizza dough develop into the right kind of consistency - that which is suitable for stretching and hand tossing. Hand tossing, however, is not advisable for thick pizza crust varieties.Enjoy with your favorite beverage!The California style pizza is generally known for gourmet flavors. You can say the California pizza has countless variations. The pizza crust, in this case, is light, crisp and generally well risen. The toppings can be out of this world - generally California pizza makers experiment a lot with all kinds of meat, sea food, breakfast dishes, and vegetable for the toppings.Italian pizza is generally lean, although when you add cheese, its fat level generally rises in proportion. There are various kinds of Italian pizza, too. There are Neapolitan pizzas, of which there are two general types: the marinara and the Margherita. There are various combinations of these as well. Authentic Italian pizza, moreover, is supposedly baked on wood-fired or even coal-fired, stone ovens.(New Yorkers must admit, however, that if water is the unique characteristic of New York pizzas, one who uses water adjusted for hardness and acidity to reflect New York water conditions, adds all the usual New York pizza ingredients and toppings, follows all the procedures strictly but makes the pizza in New Jersey can conceivably make an authentic, New York style pizza. But such an assertion, some would say, is just plain cheek.)Return to the oven and bake for about 13-15 minutes. This is long enough to heat the sauce and other toppings.http://jansdough.janktheproofer.com/Make-Pizza-tutorial.htmIt must be obvious that this article is a mite ambitious for wishing to tackle something entitled "all about pizza." However, an attempt is definitely warranted, so here goes.Finally, remember that the protein content of your flour will influence the end product. High-gluten flour will lead to a crisp but chewy crust. Gluten-free flour, however, may lead to very soft dough; additives may have to be used to give the pizza dough strength.You need to keep in mind that there are some things you should not do with stoneware. I would not put it in the freezer for a long time, you can put it in the freezer for a couple of hours but I would not put it in there for a couple of weeks. Another thing I would not do is keep it in the oven it just might crack in two. Using it in the microwave is another thing I would not do unless the directions say you can. There are other things you should not do with your stoneware so my best advice is if in doubt do not do it. Some of the things you can do with your stoneware are cooking sweats like cookies and brownies. Cakes come out really moist and perfectly done. I have not cooked anything in my stoneware that did not come out perfectly cooked." The first pizzeria in the United States was opened in New York.Depending on what type of stone cookware you choose to buy depends on what you can cook in it. If you have a pizza stone, you can cook more than just pizza you can bake cinnamon rolls, biscuits, dinner rolls and cookies among others. Having a loaf pan, you can make a small lasagna, meatloaf, or bread. With a casserole pan, you can make anything you can think of. I use to love making homemade pizza on my stone the crust would come out nice, crispy and golden brown. The cheese would be melted and bubbly, but best of all the toppings would not be burnt. The metal pan always burnt the bottom of my crust. Having a 9"x13" pan was great for pork chops and chicken they cook so much more evenly then any pan I have had.Once the pizza is baked, I like to slide it onto a pizza stone that I've sprinkled with cornmeal. Then, I let the pizza cool for about 5 minutes. The cornmeal keeps the bottom of the crust from getting soggy, and sure adds a nice "zest" to the taste of it! Cut with a pizza cutter (or kitchen shears---which work great!).http://jansdough.janktheproofer.com/Pizza-Crust.htmFor an illustrated tutorial on making pizza dough and then baking the pizza, go to Jan's Reading Room:New York pizza, as abovementioned, is generally plain. The mainstay of New York pizza is mozzarella cheese - fresh mozzarella cheese to be precise. One can add garlic, different types of cheeses, anchovies, shrimp, etc but these are usually optional. The pizza dough recipe for traditional New York pizza, on the other hand, calls for high-gluten flour. The result is firm, usually thin, chewy pizza.Most of your high-end kitchen stores will have some stoneware, you can get stoneware from Pampered Chief, and you can even get it at discount stores. The difference is the quality of the stoneware. You are going to have to do some research to find what is best for you. If you want your stoneware to last a long time then you need the best you can afford. After you have done your research on stoneware, choose one pan and buy it you want to make sure that you like it if you like it then you can buy a set of them. You might even want to buy a set for a friend or family member. Believe me when I say they will love it. If you know a Pampered Chief consultant then you can ask them all about their stoneware.The Chicago style pizza, on the other hand, is generally crusty and very filling. They are characterized by their raised edges; imagine a pre-baked apple pie crust where you can place the fillings on top. Chicago pizza is usually meaty (some variants come stuffed with cheeses and meat layers) and it is eaten with a knife and fork.Now, if you are looking for some topics for small conversation, then you must remember the following trivia. One note of caution, though; you shouldn't blurt these out just to anybody or you'll sound decidedly corny and geeky. Make sure you're talking to someone interested in pizzas before you use the following trivia as conversational gambits.First, there is the matter of a recipe for pizza dough. Most of them call for very similar ingredients, basically water, yeast, oil, and flour. Some have a little more oil, some use less oil and add an egg. Whichever recipe you use, making the pizza dough goes fairly quickly and doesn't need to rise for hours like bread dough." The pizza industry is worth more than 30 billion dollars in the United States alone and Americans consume around three billion units of pizza every year.Here's a tip: If you aren't familiar with working with recipes that call for yeast, you might not know that yeast has to "proof"---that is, activate. You do this by combining it with water water (about 110*), and usually a little bit of sugar (1 teaspoon or less). After you combine the yeast, warm water, and sugar, you need to let this mixture "rest" for about 5 minutes. This allows the yeast to activate or "proof."

Quick pizza crust recipes and easy homemade pizza recipes of all kinds and style are easily available online. There are tips for baking and preparing frozen pizza dough, making your own pizza dough, preparing the ingredients for the best pizza crust recipe, etc. All you need to start making your very own pizza recipe is an internet connection, a good source of basic pizza recipe, great pizza equipment, your imagination, and lots of time and resources for experimentation.

Author: Sean Lannin