| By following just a few simple and basic rules of | | | | fat in it, and the fat will cook out and settle on |
| thumb, anyone can make delicious pizza at home. | | | | your pizza. A little of this is great, too much of it |
| - Use a good pizza dough - some folks use the | | | | and you've got a sloppy, greasy mess. |
| refrigerated dough that comes in a roll, some use | | | | Experiment with limiting yourself to no more than |
| Bisquick or some other powdered mix. But why | | | | three toppings besides the cheese. Toppings can |
| not make your own? | | | | affect the time it takes to cook the pizza. Too |
| - Use a pizza stone - This is essential. A good | | | | many toppings and you may have to leave the |
| crust is half the battle in making a good pizza. | | | | pizza in the oven longer than usual and the crust |
| There's no other way to make a great pizza | | | | will be burnt. Not a good thing! After you learn |
| crust in the home kitchen without using some | | | | about how toppings and the amount of them |
| sort of pizza stone. | | | | affect the cooking time of the pizza, you'll be able |
| - Use a simple sauce - If using a stone and a | | | | to load the pizza up! |
| good crust are only half the battle, what else is | | | | - Use REAL cheese - Mozzarella is the standard. A |
| there? The sauce. If you're using a plain tomato | | | | little parmesan, scamorza, even cheddar and |
| sauce, don't use too much. Too much sauce and | | | | swiss can be used. Again, experiment and see |
| even a pizza cooked on a stone can come out | | | | what works and what you like. But by all means |
| pretty sloppy and the crust gooey. A little canned | | | | use REAL cheese. The plasticized, artificial cheese |
| tomato sauce can be used. I actually use tomato | | | | 'product' that you can buy in the cheese section |
| paste thinned with a little dry sherry for flavor. | | | | of the grocery store may look like cheese, even |
| Add oregano, basil, garlic powder and onion | | | | smell like cheese. But it sure doesn't cook and |
| powder to the sauce for that Italian flavor. But | | | | taste like real mozzarella! |
| spread it on thin. | | | | So experiment! Don't worry if you make a few |
| - Less is more - A great crust baked on a pizza | | | | boo-boos along the way. They will most likely still |
| stone with just the right amount of sauce on it | | | | be edible. And if you really want to celebrate |
| can't cure a pizza that is overloaded. Stick to a | | | | pizza, make a simple pie with sauce, basil and |
| few toppings. If you use pepperoni (the #1 pizza | | | | mozzarella cheese. Red, green and white are the |
| topping in the U.S.)remember that it has a lot of | | | | colors of the Italian flag! Buon appetito! |