If you’re craving gourmet pizza, there’s no time like the present to make it yourself at home.
Not only will the process help you to add new skills to your cooking repertoire, you’ll get a delicious meal out of it at the end. What’s more, the process will undoubtedly build up your appetite, meaning your home-made gourmet pizza will taste even more delicious.
Making your own gourmet pizza is the perfect way to unwind after a hard work week on a Friday night, or to spend time bonding with the kids on a weekend afternoon. The best part is, it can be as simple or as complicated as you would like, so if you’re pressed for time, you can still achieve a delicious gourmet pizza at home.
Here are some of our top tips for making gourmet pizza at home, courtesy of the expert pizza chefs at 11 Inch Pizza:
Make Your Own Pizza Dough from Scratch
One of the keys to making your at-home pizza look and taste gourmet is making the pizza dough from scratch. The texture of a hand-made pizza dough is unlike any pre-made pizza base that can be bought at the supermarket as it gives your pizza that irresistibly light and chewy texture that characterises all of the greatest pizzas.
While making dough from scratch can be a bit time-consuming, we promise that it’s absolutely worth it. Plus, once you know what to look for and the proper techniques for making pizza dough, it is incredibly simple.
To make pizza dough from scratch, all you have to do is:
- Activate your yeast in warm water
- Combine your yeast water with flour, salt and olive oil in a bowl, kneading it until it comes together in a ball
- Leave your dough to proof in a warm place until it doubles in size
- Knead your dough to perfection
- Stretch your dough out into your desired shape and size
If you want to be able to make gourmet pizza at home on short notice, pizza dough can be made ahead of time and frozen. It can even keep for several months, so if you have a spare hour or two at any point, having the foresight to make pizza dough will make your future self incredibly grateful.
Invest in High-Quality, Fresh Ingredients
While the term ‘gourmet’ is thrown around pretty loosely nowadays, one of the key features of a truly gourmet pizza is using high-quality and up-market ingredients. From flour to cheese to olive oil to toppings, every single ingredient contributes to the overall taste of your pizza. That’s why, choosing higher quality, fresh ingredients are worth the investment when it comes to making at-home gourmet pizza.
However, more expensive doesn’t always mean better. If you’re on the hunt for artisanal, gourmet ingredients, the trick is usually knowing where to find the best ingredients. Some of the best places to go that stock fresh and high-quality ingredients include farmer’s markets, delis, local grocers, and speciality gourmet food stores.
Experiment with Toppings
Don’t get us wrong – we love traditional Italian pizza toppings, and they can certainly be made to be gourmet, but if want to try something a little different, why not stray from your usual Margherita or pepperoni pizza and experiment with some gourmet pizza toppings?
Some of our favourite gourmet flavour combinations include:
- Caramelised onions, apple and goat’s cheese
- Prosciutto, grilled peaches and rocket
- Coconut and prawns
- Pesto chicken and sun-dried tomato
- Gorgonzola, mozzarella, walnuts and sage
- Pork and provolone
- Spiced lamb and mint
You can even make your very own sweet dessert pizzas using toppings like chocolate, caramel, fruit and nuts.
Feel free to get creative; it’s hard to go wrong when it comes to pizza.
Want to Skip Some Steps?
If you don’t have the time or resources to make your own gourmet pizza at home, why not order 11 Inch Pizza and enjoy a delicious gourmet pizza at home without needing to make a mess? We can even deliver our delicious range of pizzas straight to your door, so you can enjoy each slice in the comfort of your own home, on the couch while watching a movie.
If you have a dietary requirement, we can cater to your needs; we offer vegetarian, vegan, lactose-free and gluten-free (note: finished pizza contains minimal amounts of gluten) options so that no one has to miss out.
So, if you’re craving gourmet pizza but don’t want to have to make it yourself, enjoy 11 Inch Pizza’s hand-crafted creations by giving us a call, ordering online or popping into our Little Collins Street restaurant today.
