Juliana Garofalo perfected making mouthwatering pizzas at home. She knows that homemade pizza can top frozen and restaurant pizza in terms of freshness and flavor. You can use as much cheese as desired, cook to the perfect crispness, and add all the toppings you please. 

The pizza lover recently shared her top tips for making the perfect pizza at home.

Preheat the Cooking Surface

Pizza aficionados like Garofalo suggest cooking the pizza on a heavy, preheated surface, such as a pizza stone or an upside-down skillet. 

Preheat the surface in the oven for roughly 30 minutes before placing the pizza on top to bake. 

Cook at High Temperature

One of the most critical parts of cooking pizza at home is getting the oven temperature extremely high. The recommended temperature is 500 degrees.

Juliana Garofalo recommends cooking the pizza in a pizza oven. The heat bounces off the interior walls of the oven, crisping the crust more quickly. A pizza oven eliminates the issue of soggy dough, making the crust soft, plump, and chewy. 

Cook Proteins First But Not Fully

Protein on pizza is a must for many pizza eaters. However, you only want to cook items like bacon or sausage partially before placing them on the pizza and cooking them in the oven. 

Cook the proteins until nearly done, then place them on the pizza and let them finish cooking in the oven. 

Use Garlic and Olive Oil

Garofalo added that one of her favorite tricks is to mix extra virgin olive oil with minced garlic and brush it onto the crust before cooking. This makes the crust deliciously garlicky and adds a big kick of flavor.

Don’t Forget Parchment Paper

You may see restaurant pizza makers dusting the pizza stone with cornmeal before baking. However, this can make quite a mess, especially when the cornmeal falls off the stone and burns on the oven floor. 

Parchment paper makes transferring the pizza to your plate much easier and less messy.

Get Creative

Juliana Garofalo explains the best part of making pizza at home is that it allows infinite room for creativity. She suggested experimenting with sauces like barbecue, pesto, Alfredo sauce, or ranch. 

When it comes to toppings, you can be as creative as you please. Search your local farmer’s market for what’s fresh at the moment, including vegetables, fruits, and herbs. Experiment with cheeses like feta and brie, or branch out with lobster or beets. You might create your next favorite pizza.

And remember that no pizza is complete without seasoning with salt and pepper. 

Make a Night of It

Juliana Garofalo suggests making multiple pizzas in a single evening to make the best use of your time and experiment with unique flavors. 

Or, invite over some friends and let each make their own pizza flavor combination.

About The Author

Juliana Garofalo

author

Juliana Garofalo is a medical assistant and future physician assistant in Norwalk, Connecticut. Her professional interests include women’s health, surgery, and dermatology.

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