Let’s face it … everyone loves pizza. One of the most exciting things to happen to backyard cooking is the growing number of pizza ovens suitable for home use. Today, if you have an interest in making pizza, the pizza ovens and the tools needed are readily accessible.
That said there is more to making great pizza than just owning a pizza oven. We buy an oven and have this great pizza experience built up in our mind and then we end up heartbroken when we try to launch the pizza off the peel and end up with pizza … deconstructed.
Pizza Techniques from a Chef
If we want great pizza, we need the right tools, ingredients, and skills. Thankfully, Chef Tom has years of pizza making experience, and he loves to share his knowledge with others.
Chef Tom would probably never tell you himself, but after culinary school he began working with James Beard Award winning writer and baker Ken Forkish at Ken's Artisan Bakery in Portland, OR. When we tell you that Chef Tom knows his dough and how to launch a pizza, we aren't exaggerating.
Following are Chef Tom's Top Tips and Techniques for making perfect pizza every time.
Good Pizza Starts With Great Dough
To make great pizza at home, the first step is to choose the dough. This is where many pizzas fail before they can begin.
Whether you make it yourself, or buy it from your local pizzeria, make sure you have a dough with a pliable gluten structure that can be stretched thin without tearing. If you are looking for a great dough recipe that works in a variety of situations, check out Chef Tom's dough recipe at How to Make Pizza Dough.
Perfecting The Launch
The next challenge is gracefully transferring (or launching) the pizza off the pizza peel and into the pizza oven. We’ve all seen perfect launches on TV or at our favorite local pizza restaurant and assume that it is easy.
What we can't see are the techniques needed to make sure every pizza launches successfully, such as when to use a metal pizza peel and when to use a wooden pizza peel. In the video below, Chef Tom shares his secrets to a successful pizza launch.
Armed with the Chef Tom's pizza dough recipe, the techniques provided in the videos, and a little practice, you are prepared to create amazing pizza at home. The downside? You will never eat pizza out again! Bon Appetit!
