Everyone gets tired of takeaway pizzas at some point. The only solution to that is making the pizza in the comfort of your own home. However, there are many underlying tips to baking a pizza that’s better than a takeaway. Questions like “what to put pizza on in oven, how long to bake pizza,” and more may arise in your mind.

Today, we have curated an article that will walk you to baking one of the best pizzas you may have ever had. Indeed, when you test your skills after reading this article, you will be surprised.

Whether you want to bake a pizza from scratch or a frozen one, we’ve got your back! Without any further ado, let’s begin!

Making The Perfect Homemade Pizza

Are you wondering about the secrets of making the perfect homemade pizza? In Pizza Bien, we follow a few century-old techniques to make the most authentic Neapolitan pizza. Let’s share it with you.

Start With The Crust

The magic of any pizza lies in the base of the crust. If you can perfect the pizza base, you can make any pizza in the world. Many of us prefer having store-bought pizza dough. Some may even like having an English muffin dough or pre-baked dough for the pizza base. 

The reason behind buying pizza dough is the fear of not getting it right. Although, the best pizza dough can be made fresh using some simple ingredients. Let’s see how to make the perfect pizza dough for beginners.

What You’ll Need

• Two and a half cups of bread flour ( you can also use all-purpose flour)
• One teaspoon sugar
• Two and one-fourth teaspoons of instant yeast 
• One teaspoons alt ( use according to your taste)
• Two tablespoons olive oil
• Three-fourth cup of warm water ( 175 ml)
• Optional: Oregano, basil leaves, paprika, or any other herb you want in your crust.

How To Bake The Perfect Pizza Crust

• First, mix the dry ingredients. You should take one cup of flour, instant yeast, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Combine them thoroughly. If you have selected optional herbs to mix in, now’s the time. 
• Add olive oil and warm water to your mixture. Mix the crust dough thoroughly. Then, add the remaining flour gradually. 
• When your dough is starting to pull away from the perimeters of your bowl and slightly losing its stickiness, it’ll be ready to knead. 
• Take another bowl and apply olive oil around the surface. Roll the dough into a ball and place it in the bowl. Covering it with plastic wrap for 20-30 minutes will help it rise. Meanwhile, you should preheat your oven to 480 degrees fahrenheit with the pizza stone inside. 
• Once the dough has risen, clean your kitchen countertop and dust some flour in it. Knead the dough slowly with your hands until smooth. 
• Rotate, stretch, and tuck the pizza into your desired 12-inch shape.
• Coat the crust with a light coat of olive oil. 

Now, your crust is perfectly ready! If you’re making the pizza in advance, repeat the steps mentioned above. When the dough has risen, deflate it and wrap it tightly. You can store it in the refrigerator for several days up to a month.

Choose Your Sauce, Cheese, and Toppings

Now that you have the perfect crust premade, choosing the ideal combinations for your pizza is essential. The sauce and the toppings need to have matching flavor profiles. The perfect pizza topping combination has an excellent acidic-meaty flavor for good balance. 

As for the sauce, you can use a pre-made pizza sauce or make your own. Your pizza sauce should be thick enough not to make the crust soggy. 

Now for the favorite part - toppings. Almost everyone has their favorite topping combination. You can go wild with any topping you want to put in your pizza. However, if you’re confused on which flavors will go well together, here are some topping recommendations:

Vegetarian Options

• Sun-dried tomatoes, olives, goat cheese, and mozzarella.
• Tomatoes, thinly sliced zucchini, sweet corn kernels, fontina cheese, oregano.
• Brussel sprouts, red cabbage, and herbs with parmesan cheese. 
• Plant-based sausage, artichokes, and pesto with ricotta cheese. 
• Zucchini blossom, oregano, olives, and a four-cheese pizza combination

Non-veg Options

• Chicken, BBQ sauce, mozzarella, and paprika.
• Pepperoni, sausages, any cheese of your choice with oregano and paprika.
• Pesto sauce, chicken, Havarti, and some wild mushrooms. 
• Any two types of cheese, bacon, ham, pepperoni, and sausage.
• Pepperoni, sausage, bell peppers, onions, olives, mozzarella cheese base. 

Now that you have your favorite topping layout, you’re ready to bake! Don’t forget that layering the cheese toppings with the sauce is very important. A simple tip is to put hydrated toppings like cheese and tomato slices on top of your pizza. In this way, the top of the pizza won’t burn.

How to Cook Pizza on a Stone

Indeed, everyone can bake a pizza crust on a regular rack. However, for the original Neapolitan pizza crust taste, nothing can beat a pizza stone. For similar results, you can also place pizza directly on oven rack. 

Therefore, if you were wondering what to put pizza on in oven, place it on a stone. In this way, your crust will always be cooked to perfection. 

Prepare The Oven

As mentioned previously, you can preheat your oven while your dough is being prepared. The ideal preheating temperature is 480 degrees fahrenheit. When working with a pizza stone, the more your temperature is, the better your pizza will be. 

Before preheating the pizza, make sure to put the pizza stone in the oven. At the bottom of an oven, place an iron skillet to preheat along with the stone. 

Place Your Pizza

Brush your crust with olive oil. Now, take up your pizza peel to place your pizza on the stone. A pizza peel is essential when dealing with pizza stones. They help in putting the pizza without any issue. 

Make sure to dust the pizza peel. In this way, the pizza won’t stick to the peel and glide smoothly onto the pizza stone. 

Now that you’re all prepared open your oven window and let the pizza slide over the stone. Make sure the pizza crust moves freely on the pizza peel before tossing it in the oven. A sticky crust can stick to the peel and ruin the entire process. 

Once you place the pizza in the stone, throw some ice cubes in the middle of the iron skillet. Close the oven door and see the burst of heat reaching your pizza. This tip will help in making your pizza crunchy as ever. 

Now, if you have managed to get the pizza on the stone ideally, time to sit back and relax!

Time To Take It Out

Now that the pizza has had time to bake, it’s time to check. After five minutes have passed, check if the pizza is baking correctly. If you see some places browning faster than others, rotate the pizza. 

You can choose to add garlic oil during the pizza baking. It will make the pizza crust crispier on the outside yet soft on the inside. 

After a few minutes in the open, you should be able to tell if your pizza has finished baking. If you’re wondering how long to bake pizza, the prime indicator is the browning of the crust. 

Let the pizza stone cool before you take the pizza off it. 

Let’s Devour!

Now that your pizza is all done, make sure to devour it with caution. A pizza straight from the oven can burn your mouth. Hence, take up a fork to slightly remove the cheese layer from the top to avoid this. The heat trapped inside will come out so you can quickly enjoy the pizza. 

How to Bake A Frozen Pizza

If you don’t want to order takeaways or make pizza from scratch, you can bake a frozen pizza. The best and authentic Neapolitan from Italy is served at Pizza Bien. You can easily get ready-made frozen pizzas from here and bake them. Although the pizzas are frozen, you won’t be able to tell the difference after baking them!

For this procedure, you don’t need a pizza stone. You can place the frozen pizza directly on the rack and devour it in a few minutes! Let’s see how to bake a frozen pizza perfectly:

• Get the pizza out of the packaging. You can let it defrost for thirty minutes. Ensure to never bake a frozen pizza straight out of the refrigerator. It will prevent weird browning, burnt pizza spots, and other mishaps. 
• Preheat your open to 428 degrees fahrenheit. You may wonder where to place the pizza in the oven. Don’t use a pan or tray; instead, place the pizza directly on the oven rack. Placing the pizza in the middle rack will provide the best results. 
• Suppose you’re wondering how long to bake pizza. The optimum baking time for a frozen pizza is 8-9 minutes. 
• Cool the pizza before removing it from the rack, and you’re all done!

Ensure to cook the pizza properly for the best taste. Never microwave the pizza as it may ruin the integral structure and ruin the pizza. 

Conclusion

Nothing is better than the smell of freshly baked pizza out of the oven. Following the article thoroughly will surely lead you to this moment! Hence, we hope by now you know every trick in preparing the best pizza.

We have it all covered, from baking the perfect pizza to where to place the pizza in the oven! However, make sure to be careful so you don’t burn yourself. Till the next time, happy feasting!

Our delicious and authentic Neapolitan pizzas are handmade with all-natural of high quality and fresh ingredients in Italy delivered straight to you, anywhere in the U.S. Free Shipping to most locations. Click Here to Buy Napoli pizza Now!