A World of Pizza

Few foods are as flavourful or fun to eat as pizza. Thin crust or deep dish, any way you slice it, pizza is a proven crowd pleaser, especially when you make it yourself. While it’s easy to dial-up for delivery, there are many reasons why homemade almost always reigns supreme.

Firstly, you can control the ingredients so each slice is full of nutritional goodies such as vegetables and lean proteins without being weighed down by too much fatty cheese.

Baking up your own pizza is also not nearly the high-flying kitchen feat that you may think. While Italy has long been considered the purveyor of the classic pie, pizza is no longer just Italian fare. Using key flavours from around the globe, it’s easy to throw your own international pizza party that truly delivers.

Recipes

• Pizza Crust
• Gluten-free Pizza Crust
• Maple Apple Pizza
• Mediterranean Chicken Pizza
• Tex-Mex Pizza
• Thai Shrimp Pizza
• Indian Vegetable and Chickpea Pizza

Pizza pizzazz

Take heed of these pizza-making tips for perfect pie every time.

Go pro

Consider investing in a pizza stone—a flat piece of stoneware that produces oh-so-crispy crust by distributing heat evenly and absorbing moisture from the dough as it cooks. Some come with handles for safer handling. Be sure to preheat the stone at the same time as preheating the oven. No stone? Try using a heavy-duty rimless baking sheet. Or stretch your dough into a rectangular shape and place it on an inverted rimmed baking sheet.

Peel it off

The flat surface and long handle of a pizza peel makes it easier to transfer an assembled pie to and from the oven. A rimless baking sheet works as a makeshift pizza peel.

Crank it up

Take a cue from pizzerias and blast your pie. Crank the oven up to 500 F (260 C) for a lighter, crispier crust. You can even set the oven to “broil” for 2 minutes after preheating to expose your pizza stone to intense heat. Then return the oven to its cooking temperature before baking the pie.

Border patrol

Leave a 1 in (2.5 cm) border of dough uncovered by sauce and other toppings for crispier edges.

Fast and furious

Don’t let a pie sit too long once it’s been adorned with toppings before it goes in the oven. The sauce and toppings will start to penetrate the dough and reduce the chances of a crisp crust. Finish preheating the oven before you begin assembling the pie.

Stay in order

If using delicate items such as spinach and fresh herbs, place those directly on sauce to keep them from burning. Follow them with heartier items such as cheese, denser veggies, and proteins. Be sure to thinly slice raw vegetables such as mushroom and bell peppers for quicker cooking. Sprinkle toppings sparsely and evenly so each slice has a bit of everything.

Craving a slice of deep dish pizza?

Roll your dough into a circle and place it in a 10 to 12 in (25 to 30 cm) cast iron skillet. With your fingers, press dough up sides of skillet and then roll down 1/4 in (6 mm) from the top to form crust. Add toppings and heat over high heat on stovetop for 3 minutes. Move skillet to 450 F (230 C) oven and cook until crust is golden brown and crisp.