Ingredients You Shouldn’t Skimp on When Making Pizza

Dough

Making pizza dough from scratch can be a bit of a hassle at first and take a bit of extra time, but we promise that making pizza dough from scratch rather than buying a pre-made pizza base will make a world of difference to the tastiness of your pizza. The process can be especially fun to get the whole family involved in – kneading dough takes some muscle to be able to form the gluten that will make your pizza base light and chewy, so taking turns can be a perfect way to get it done quickly without straining your arm.

Pizza dough is made up of flour, yeast, water and olive oil. While the type of yeast doesn’t really matter very much when it comes to the flavour of your pizza, flour and olive oil certainly do. It’s important when choosing your flour, you don’t just get regular plain flour. While it may do the job in a pinch, strong bread flour will help you achieve a perfectly delicious pizza base every single time.

You may be wondering what the difference between regular flour and strong bread flour is – after all, how much difference will it actually make? Strong bread flour, which can come in both white and wholemeal varieties, generally has higher protein content, usually around 11%-13%. This protein is essential to producing lots of gluten, which is what gives the raw dough its stretchy and elastic characteristics. In turn, this will allow for a perfectly chewy pizza dough.

Similarly, investing in good olive oil is also an important ingredient when making pizza dough. While you may not use a lot of it, the most subtle difference of good olive oil can impart an intangible quality that will make your pizza taste as good as if it were made in Italy. Just ask any Italian or Mediterranean person and they will tell you what a difference good olive oil can make.

When searching for the perfect olive oil you should look for: fruitiness, bitterness, and pungency. Characteristics of bad olive oil include fustiness and mustiness as well vinegary or metallic tastes. If in doubt, head to your local Mediterranean grocer and you can’t go wrong.

Cheese

Cheese is a staple ingredient when it comes to pizza, but the cheese choices are practically endless. From mozzarella to provolone to parmesan to gouda to blue cheese to feta and everything in between, cheese on your pizza just ties everything together perfectly. While it can be tempting to get the quick and easy option of already-grated cheese in a packet from the supermarket, the unique and complex flavours you get from spending a bit of extra money on good quality cheese is unlike anything else.

Keep in mind, the type of cheese you get will probably be dependent on the kinds of toppings you use. If you’re going for a classic margherita pizza, try using bocconcini as well as grated mozzarella. Gouda, on the other hand, doesn’t melt particularly well but tastes phenomenal when paired with bacon, caramelised onions and roasted vegetables.

Strong cheese, like gorgonzola, can turn pizza into an incredibly sophisticated dish and tastes incredible with pancetta and something a little sweeter to cut through the strong blue cheese flavour, like figs or pears. Alternatively, if you are crazy about cheese, why not skip all the other kinds of toppings and go for a cheese pizza topped with a variety of different kinds of cheeses.

11 Inch Pizza

If you’re craving pizza but don’t have the time or energy to make it yourself, why not pay 11 Inch Pizza a visit or give us a call? We are committed to providing our customers with the best Italian-style pizza in Melbourne, which is why you can trust us to never skimp on ingredients or cut corners in any way. Each ingredient we use is handpicked for its quality and freshness and we still go to the effort to hand knead every single pizza dough.

Basically, we love pizza and we will go above and beyond in order to provide you with pizza that you will love just as much as we do.