Alternating the thrust vector
in an omnipresent system?
-Going nowhere fast!
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🍕 Pizza 🍕
Taking pizza to the next level
Sections
Hashtags: #internationalpizzaday #nationalpizzaday #worldpizzaday
Pizza Planet LV [4:2:6]
Pizza LAB, Pizzaria, Pizzatek, Pizzarium
Inspiration to national pizza day
Aussie style with Whisky BBQ sauce
Bakeware
Two spoons of Tomato Passata
in an 8"-inch springform pan.
National dishes came from the military and
is defined as the art to feed an entire army
with the same meal at the same time.
Thus, came pizza, hot dogs, pirogues and roast pork
with red cabbage and brown sauce to the world.
Kitchenware: Home pizza oven, pizza stone or pizza steel, pizza peel, pizza rocker or pizza cutter (roller blade), pizza dough docker roller.
Inspiration to national pizza day
Portuguese style: Pizza sauce + Porter beer (1:1 mixture, but preferably a rich tomato sauce)
Calendar
World Pizza Day January 17
(Since 2017)
(Since 10th century)
Great American Pizza Bake
Sun Feb 9th, 2025 - Sat Feb 15th, 2025
National Pepperoni Pizza Day
Sat Sep 20th, 2025
National Sausage Pizza Day
Sat Oct 11th, 2025
National Calzone Day
Sat Nov 1st, 2025
Inspiration to national calzone day
Calzone ingredients: Italian salami, Ricotta, Mozzarella, sliced ham and olive oil.
Focaccia vs. Pizza
Typically, pizza is served with oregano and/or basil if served with tomatoes.
Focaccia is typically served with rosemary.
The seasoning is typically added on top after baking. None of the ingredients are immune to the heat from the oven without losing its flavor. Same goes for the tomato sauce and the cheese.
Focaccia dough is typically given some time to rise after being flattened, while pizza dough is baked immediately.
In Italy, focaccia is eaten anywhere and anytime, for breakfast, lunch, dinner, as a snack or as a dessert topped with, for example, Nutella.
The dough for focaccia is often made with a high hydration (around 80%), and the most important ingredients are: Flour, yeast, salt, water and olive oil.
Compared to a regular bread dough, there is usually less handling with a focaccia dough and a longer rising time.
Focaccia is made in rectangular dishes (9x13" for 800-1000g) and is usually baked in the oven at 225-230°C for approx. 15 minutes.
The finished focaccia has a golden crispy crust, and a soft, airy crumb. A special characteristic of focaccia is the many small depressions on the top. They are made when you, with your fingertips, press the dough into the rectangular dish. However, the holes are not just for decoration – they also collect small “lakes” of oil, which cause the dough under the oil to bake less, thus giving the Italian specialty its slightly spongy consistency and good taste.
Thin crust tavern style vs. Deep-dish
Detroit style pizza is a good place to start.
Dedicated pizza ovens for home use might have a tavern style program.
A standard pizza is 12" (same size as a Long Play record)
A pizza oven for home use should be able to contain a 12" pizza (30 cm).
Dedicated pizza plates for serving might not fit into your kitchen cabinet.
Taverns typically don't have plates, so they serve them square, not wedged, in napkins.
The most important thing is the amount of sauce. If you pour too much, you risk a soft and uneven dough. A good rule of thumb is that you should still be able to see the dough through the sauce. If you like your pizza extra juicy, you can always dip it in extra sauce after it's finished baking. A 12-inch pizza typically requires about half a cup of sauce, but exact amounts depend on preference and type of pizza.
Avoid that the tomato sauce gets too close to the edges, or it might get burned.
This is where the Detroit style introduces serving the pizza with a 'red top', meaning the tomato sauce is added on top after baking.
Then there's Chicago style. They can refer to both the well-known deep-dish or stuffed pizzas and the lesser-known thin-crust "tavern-style" pizzas.
For thin crust pizzas a pizza dough docker roller is typically used. If you don't have one, you can use a fork.
Deep Pan
Deep-pan pizzas offer the opportunity to add more tomato sauce, without the bottom getting soggy.
If you want 20-25% more ingredients on top, then consider a deep pan base.
Traditional Cut △
Tavern Cut ☐
Calzone vs. UFO Pizza
(Pizza Pocket)
Contradictions
Pros: Perfect for home ordering, the content will still be hot.
Cons: The contents may not have been cooked/baked enough to cause diarrhea, laxative effects, stomach problems, etc.
Alternatives
Stromboli (Pizza Rolls)
Pizza Fritta (Deep-fryed)
Ingredients
Salami
(online shopping)
Subissati Salami Diavola
If you want to spice up your pizza, you should try Subissati Salami Diavola – A strong, spicy salami that is made for the Italian national dish.
The spicy salami is made from 100% Italian pork, which is flavored with chili to give the sausage its characteristic spicy flavor.
The delicate salami comes from the family business Subissati, which has been located in the hilly Italian countryside near Roccastrada since 1963.
It is also said that part of the good taste in the delicious salami comes from the area's special climate – whether this is where the secret behind the unique flavor lies, we cannot say – all we know is that it tastes damn good on a pizza.
Subissati Salami Morellino
A truly delicious salami produced from the best pork from Italy – but it is the combination of the exquisite meat and the delicious Morellino di Scansano DOCG red wine that gives the salami its bright ruby red color and its unique flavor.
Subissati Salami Morellino is the perfect combination of the flavors from the special climate in the hilly landscape of Roccastrada – and the flavorful red wine, which received its DOCG certification in 2006, and was thus recognized as one of Italy's best wines.
Subissati Salami Tartufo
If you are a fan of the unique taste of the sought-after tuber-shaped mushrooms (truffles), you should try this truffle salami. It is produced from 100% Italian pork and has a perfectly balanced truffle flavor.
The family business Subissati is behind the tasty Subissati Salami Tartufo. Since 1963, the passionate people at Subissati have been recognized for an uncompromising approach to their raw materials and have always had great respect for artisanal traditions ... and you can taste it.
Salami
(local shopping)
'Italiamo Spicy Salami - Salame Napoli Piccante'
The product declaration doesn't reveal what spices and aroma is used.
The skin is not edible. (not sliced, Neapolitan inspired hot salami, Lidl)
'Italiamo Salame Napoli' (not sliced, Lidl)
'Italiamo Salame Paesano' (not sliced, Lidl)
'Italiamo Salame Milano' (not sliced, Lidl)
'Italiamo Salami Milano' (sliced, Lidl)
'Casa Modena Salame Milano' (sliced, Rema1000)
I think Italian salami is of poor quality and Spanish chorizo is a bit tame in its taste.
Danish salami is of good quality, and there are many varieties such as beef salami, eel smoked salami, and South Jutland salami, which is a region in southern Denmark and the equivalent of what Naples is to Italy.
Place the toppings 2/3 towards the edge, before closing it, not in the middle.
Layer #0 The bottom pizza dough
Layer #1 Ricotta
Layer #2 Sliced Ham
Layer #3 Mozzarella
Layer #4 Spiced Salami
Layer #5 Close the remaining dough on top
Layer #6 Rich flavored tomato passata on top
#Layer #7 Grated Pecorino on top on the tomato passata
⚠️ Max. 220°C for parchment baking paper ⚠️
🛸 UFO PIZZA 🛸
Typically, with a spaghetti bolognese filling.
How about Area 51 for a naming convention?
Prick holes with a fork in the top half of the dough to allow steam to escape during baking for both a calzone and a UFO Pizza.
The difference between calzone and UFO Pizza is that a calzone is made of one bottom folded on the middle. A UFO Pizza is made of two bottoms.
For both a thin border and a slightly thicker center is recommended.
For a calzone completely backwards starting with adding the Ricotta Fior de Latte, and at last the tomato sauce on top after it's closed.
For a UFO pizza or calzone either way make sure the tomato sauce only goes 1½" near the edges, so the dough will close properly. Some use a fork to squeeze the edges together.
Some would say you cook the spaghetti as usual, but how about a la dente with a couple less of minutes in boiling water, to compensate for a couple more minutes in the oven?
Most recipes I've found uses leftover spaghetti or will not tell how to cook it.
Cook noodles to al dente, drain!
Some would put to tooth sticks on top to make look like UFO antennas.
Flour
Gluten wheat flour has a grinding degree of 78-80%
Durum flour has a milling degree of 75% and a high content of gluten.
Pizza flour has a grinding degree Tipo 0: 65% | Tipo 00: 55% (higher content of shell parts).
Pizza flour comes in 3 varieties, one for long-term rising, one for cold rising.
When using real pizza flour, the edge of the pizza should rise more.
200g Durum (rustic) flour. Add everything and stir until the lumps are dissolved. Feel free to try a little more Durum and less gluten the next time, but not just 350g Durum, without wheat flour.
With only 100% Durum alone, the texture becomes cloudy and coarse.
150g gluten (protein-rich, rises well) wheat flour (add a little at a time).
For a thin crust pizza some would prefer all-purpose bread flour, for a higher gluten content.
Dedicated pizza flour makes the dough very elastic and springy (Tipo: 00 | Tipo: 0)
Fermentation
Sugar
Sugar, is generally not used for a pizza dough. Sugar acts as a binding agent for liquid, so that bread
does not dry out so quickly. But, sugar also speeds up of the fermentation process.
Some use a pinch of caster sugar (superfine sugar) not just for flavor, to further increase the yeast's activity and tenderise the dough.
Salt
Salt, is generally used to prevent fungal infections in bread. Hence, salt should also not be necessary
for a pizza dough, as long as it rises for a long time in the refrigerator.
But, salt also slows down the fermentation process.
Never add salt directly to the yeast, as the dough will not rise properly.
Water
Dissolve the yeast in lukewarm water first. Lukewarm water stimulates the fermentation process.
Yeast
20 g yeast (long-term fermentation in the fridge only 5-10 g yeast). Some pizza gurus say that organically/ecologically yeast provides the best result. Nothing to use 50g/4=12.5g to utilize the package of yeast, then 6 hours of long-term fermentation is not enough to take out the flavor of the yeast.
Do not omit the oil, it makes the dough pliable). Mix the above and leave the bowl on the radiator for 5 minutes so that the yeast has dissolved.
2 hours rising time on the table at room temp. to double size (not just 20min.)
6-48 hours long-term fermentation in the refrigerator (takes the flavor of yeast over time, the longer the time, the less yeast is needed).
Dried yeast, easier to source than fresh yeast, dried yeast is a powerful ingredient that creates carbon dioxide when it feeds on sugars in the dough. This makes pockets of air in your pizza dough (resulting in an airier, fluffier crust).
Dough
Research
For a classic Neapolitan pizza dough, some would say about 60% hydration.
Some would also claim that for an authentic Neapolitan pizza dough, there goes a pinch of honey into it.
Recipe from the flour bag
(2 portions)
Pizza dough for two days in a row in a spring form. The shape corresponds to a whole plate.
250 g pizza flour
1 tsp. sugar (ca. 5 gram)
3/4 - 1 tsp. table salt
1.5 - 2 dl lukewarm water
12.5 g yeast
2 tbsp. virgin olive oil (1/4 dl)
The excess dough after rolling out is used to make a high border with the spring form for a lot of beef.
The best pizza needs to start with the best dough. That means you can't use any old flour.
Do not over-kneading the dough. You don't need to knead for more than 2 to 3 minutes.
Let the dough come to room temperature for at least an hour since the warm-up will help it become more pliable for stretching. Then stretch the dough by hand, giving it great texture instead of rolling the dough, which removes the air.
1 tbsp. olive oil to grease the bowl with. Wash the bowl first and turn the dough in the olive oil.
1 tbsp. extra wheat flour for rolling out. Halve the dough into two equal portions for a springform pan.
Rolled out on flour on the table.
Rolled up around the rolling pin for easy application in the spring form, remember to brush the spring form first with olive oil.
Toppings
Entry level
Pizza Marinara
Pizza Margherita
“Verace Pizza Napoletana” - (Vera Pizza Napoletana) Certification
The better the pizza base, the less there is a need to smother the pizza with toppings.
A deep-frozen pizza, deep pan or not, doesn't get any better by adding extra toppings either.
Remember, we only eat our fill of taste, not quantity.
🥫Tomatoes vs. Sauce 🥫
Like with burgers it's either or with tomatoes, ketchup or passata
Cherry tomatoes are pretty expensive but have a low-water content
Sun-dried tomatoes have a low-water content
Avoid toppings with a high-water content like ordinary tomatoes or pineapple, or the base does not become crispy.
½ cup (50-80 grams) pizzasauce in the bottom for a 9"-inch springform pan
2½ tbsp. pizza sauce spread evenly over the pizza base.
Homemade pizza sauce is appreciated by the chefs.
You should be able to see the dough under the tomato passata
to avoid the base gets soggy.
It has become widely popular to add a bit of fish sauce for a rich flavored tomato sauce.
Some mix both tomato paste with tomato sauce. Also, for a spaghetti bolognese.
And also, a bit of sugar to take the acidic taste of the tomato paste.
1 large, sliced tomato with olive oil and basil (avoid the oil if homemade spice oil is also used). Oregano/Basil (avoid too much especially if it is completely fresh). Smells very intense at the beginning of baking, while others add tomato and basil raw at the end after baking, to emphasize the scent of basil.
Some chefs also add pesto to a classic pizza margherita.
A traditional margherita is with San Marzano tomatoes.
🧀 Italian cheeses 🧀
Mozzarella
Mozzarella is considered to be an elastic and springy cheese.
I cut the cheese in big chops instead of grating or slicing it.
-
Mozzarella di latte di bufala is made from unpasteurized buffalo milk.
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Mozzarella di bufala campana is made from water buffalo milk from the Italian province of Campania.
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Mozzarella fior di latte is made from fresh pasteurized or unpasteurized cow's milk.
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Mozzarella made from milk blends.
For a pizza Margherita, Mozzarella fior di latte is used.
Gorgonzola
A blue cheese named after the Italian city Gorgonzola near Milano.
For more information on blue cheese please go see the burger section.
Ricotta (Danish, hytteost)
Another Italian cheese typically used in a Calzone together with mozzarella and pecorino on top on tomato sauce.
Ricotta can be made from sheep, goat, buffalo and cow's milk. Due to its low-fat content and high protein content, ricotta is a tasty and nutritious source of protein for a healthy and varied diet.
Mascarpone
Mascarpone is a mild, creamy fresh cheese made from sour cream and cream, which is coagulated with, for example, citric acid and possibly buttermilk. After coagulation, the whey is removed without pressing or aging. Can be used for a risotto or a pizza with potato, mascarpone and rosemary. Ricotta, unlike mascarpone, is based on whey.
Mascarpone is almost twice as expensive as Ricotta.
Parmesan Cheese
See the Spaghetti Bolognese Section
🧀 Danish cheeses 🧀
Brie
Some recommend trying it, but its characteristic flavor is not what I associate with pizza.
Neither does it have any cheese pull effect.
Danbo
(Klovborg, Riberhus)
Klovborg medium-aged cheese is perhaps not quite the right choice, but better than Riberhus, even if medium-aged cheese is not obvious.
Karoline's
Karoline's Kitchen Pizza Topping Cheese or Mozzarella are both grated and tastes of nothing.
Pizza topping cheese is said to contain the worst oil of them all, palm oil.
The cheese is applied on top of the pizza sauce and not at the end, so that all the other toppings are not visible.
Grated cheese and ham in strips have a greater overall surface area.
Therefore, they lose their taste faster.
Havarti
Creamy Havarti cheese is originally from Denmark and is one of the most luscious melt-in-your-mouth cheeses to add to a pizza. Havarti is made with whole cow's milk and has 45% butterfat content. Creamy Havarti, another version of this Danish cheese, has 60% butterfat making them both perfect for melting onto a piping hot pizza pie.
On its own, Havarti has a sweet, mild flavor that's rich and buttery with a tangy undertone. Apart from traditional Havarti, you can find many variations made with herbs and spices. Whether you select a standard version or something like dill, garlic, or jalapeno Havarti, they all make an excellent addition to pizza. If you like your pizza with extra bite, try a horseradish Havarti with smoky sausage and earthy mushrooms.
Cheese Pull
Cheese with a high fat percentage is recommended for pizzas.
Sheep's milk has double the amount of fat as cow's or goat's milk.
That might be interesting if you try to get a gooey cheese pull.
Some mix 3-4 different kind of cheese, for a good cheese pull.
🍄 Mushrooms 🍄
Button mushrooms vs. Cup mushrooms
Sliced mushroom. Dry on kitchen paper first, otherwise the pizza bottom will be soggy with the wet filling.
Buddy System
🍄 Mushrooms 🍄 and 🥓 bacon 🥓complement the flavor very well, just like with burgers.
½ pkg. of bacon in strips for a 9"-inch spring form pan. Taste is retained under high heat.
6 slices of bacon strips.
Pepperoni
Pepperoni is the most common and popular topping in both America and in Denmark.
The Italians get confused because the word peperone means bell pepper.
Salami can also be used instead but tastes too intense. Chorizo is not so strong in flavor.
Kebab
Kebab pizza is a Swedish style and combines Italian and Turkish cuisine.
The precise topping may vary, commonly onions and red bell pepper are used.
Also, champignons, corn and bacon are a possibility.
Marinating the kebab and letting the marinade soak in the fridge, I have more on kangaroo steak.
100g of Kebab for an 8#-inch springform pan, defrosted and left on the table for not only reaching room temperature,
but to let those bacteria cultivate, for 8-24 hours, that's there the taste starts to kick in.
Ham
100-200g sliced ham is the second most common and popular alternative to pepperoni.
Minced Beef
Minced beef lightly seared just until the meat separates in a pan with salt & tomato puree before filling.
Total weight per spring form of 500g is huge for only one person.
Canned Corn
2-4 tbsp. canned corn. Avoid too much or it might get soggy. Balance the flavor by the buddy system.
Jalapeño
Go easy on the Jalapeños so it doesn't overtone the flavor nuances from the other ingredients.
For jalapeño popper see the viking pizza section.
Red Bell Pepper
Red bell pepper, preserved in glass adds that acidic balance to fat that chefs commonly think of as a buddy system.
🥦 Broccoli 🥦
With broccoli, I recommended to steam cook it first, otherwise it will taste quite rancid and doesn't get quite tender.
🧅 Onions 🧅
Yellow onions (strong)
Red onions (middle)
White onions (mild)
Onion rings not finely chopped. Try coarsely chopped next time, onions taste like nothing. Whole onion rings in whole slices taste good, but the whole kitchen will smell of onions in the oven.
Homemade spice oil
(2 portions)
The oil draws out more flavor after 2-3 days, shelf life approx. 1 month.
½ Garlic (approx. 4 garlic cloves)
½ bunch of parsley (must be eaten the same day and must not be frozen/reheated. Poisonous!)
Thyme
5 tbsp. olive oil
Some apply olive oil in a spray bottle on top of the toppings at the end.
Herbs
Basil, oregano, rosemary but also thyme, sage and even parsley.
Viking Pizza
There can be only one, so it has to be Danish! The Swedes and Norwegians can't stand strong flavors and smells, especially when it comes to the cheese.
So far, I have only seen two pizza recipes called Viking pizza. One is with tuna and shrimp. The other is with tuna and corn, which afterall makes good sense in the so called 'buddy system'.
But fish and pizza are about as controversial as Hawaiian pizza with pineapple, although pretty common in Asian countries, but not something I would associate with Scandinavian Vikings.
Pepperoni and whole yellow onion rings of same size
with one slice of Jalapeño and three slices of pickled paprika in a mixture of 1:1:1:3 on the pizza.
Crisp and strong in flavor. Smells fantastic in the heated oven.
That way spicy Jalapeño doesn't overtone the taste of the onions.
My favorite style!
You could also try a classic jalapeño popper that starts with a hollowed-out jalapeno that gets stuffed with cream cheese, cheddar cheese and sometimes bacon.
Baking
Important
⚠️ Max. 220°C for parchment baking paper ⚠️
The advantage of using it is a more effortless cleaning of the baking tray after use.
Never re-use it. Replace with a fresh sheet!
Chefs recommend max. temp!
If you want to experiment with high temperatures (300°C+), then clean the oven, especially the bottom, before use!
And open all windows. It gets pretty smokey in the kitchen!
Chefs are mainly interested in how many pizzas they can sell over the least amount of time for high order volumes.
Chefs would be using a pizza stone.
Chefs recommend preheating a dedicated dome pizza oven for 45-60 min.
Chefs bake them at 450-500°C for 60-90 seconds depending on the toppings.
Dedicated pizza dome ovens for home use comes in a variety
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Gas/charcoal for outdoor use reaching the highest temp.
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Taking your electrical fuse to the limit for indoor use.
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Multifuel burners.
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12"-inch standard size or 16"-inch for XL pizzas.
Chefs recommend preheating the metal tray or springform pan for a conventional oven.
A springform pan doesn't tolerate 300°C. Mine started to wobble, so it won't close tight!
RADAR /Off! Chefs do not recommend taking a sneak peek while baking.
SONAR /On! When the cheese starts to sizzle, almost done.
After 8 minutes you can smell that something isn't right. It's the pizza base that's getting burned.
Trust your instincts, not the recipe!
Baking Time
Take out the preferably cold rising dough from the fridge 15 minutes before adding the toppings.
Pizza toppings like sun-dried tomatoes gets burned way before you can smell the pizza base getting burned.
Brush the baking tray with olive oil and don't use parchment baking paper!
Expect a couple of minutes extra baking time for a calzone than an ordinary pizza.
Preheat the conventional mini oven to max. Temp 300°C for 20 minutes.
8 min. is minimum, and 10 min. is absolutely maximum.
Method#1 (High Temp.)
Preheat the oven to max. temp. 300°C for 20-25 minutes.
For a round 8" spring form pan pizza, place it on a 13x9" metal tray and place it in the middle of the oven.
A spring form pan doesn't really close tight, so expect the olive oil to leak in the bottom.
Do not place the springform in the bottom directly onto the heat element, unless you have a pizza stone, or it will start to wobble and should be discarded.
Bake it for 8-10 minutes.
For thin crust pizzas with a minimum of toppings as low as 4 min. should do.
Method#2 (Middle Temp.)
For square pizzas in a metal tray recommended, doesn't fit in the bottom of a mini oven.
Top/bottom heat, not grill or hot air.
So, if placed in the middle of the oven, then preheat it to 220°C. And bake it for 13 minutes.
10 minutes is not enough.
At 12 min. the pepperoni starts to sweat, and the cheese starts to sizzle, bubble and melt.
After 15 min. the dough becomes burned and should be discarded.
Hot vs. Cold Pizza
Some would say cold pizza tastes even better the next day.
My experience is that it goes for chef's pizza from around the corner.
For homemade pizzas I recommend reheating it though.
Since it was prebaked, only 3 min. will do, after reaching the preheating temp. of 300°C.
For deep pan pizzas it's probably better to turn the heat down to 220°C degrees.
An awful amount of cheese like one pound compensates for the cheese vanishing into the heated oven.
I take the pizza out of the oven 3 minutes before it's done and then add the cheese to melt for the last 3 minutes.
But chefs do not recommend opening the oven for inspection while baking.
Oregano/basil doesn't tolerate heat, without losing its taste. Could be added after baking when ready for serving.
Toppings seems to retain their flavor, if baked at max. temp.
Gets cold quickly, so serve immediately, after the cheese had two minutes to cool down for a gooey cheese pull effect.
Should you stove it in the oven before preheating, then use your instincts.
Some also add tomatoes after baking, as the wet filling makes the pizza base chewy and difficult to finish baking.
For Chicago style the tomato passata is added on top of the fillings after baking.
Depending on whether the pizza base is pre-baked and how much filling is used.
For deep-frozen, pre-baked pizza base from the supermarket, the baking time is only 6-8 min.
Preheating for a conventional oven 21-22 minutes should do.
Pizza Stone
A pizza stone can be made of materials such as ceramic, steel, cast iron, granite or cordierite, the stone acts as a kind of miniature version of the oven's scorching hot floor.
It retains heat much better than a regular baking sheet, and this means that the moisture in the pizza dough evaporates very quickly instead of being trapped in the dough.
The result: crispy bottom, shorter baking time.
Although a pizza stone seems like a sturdy thing, it requires a little care. Especially when it comes to temperature. The stone cannot withstand wild temperature changes – this can cause the dreaded thermal shock, where the stone cracks in the middle of your pizza party.
The trick is simple: always put your pizza stone in a cold oven. Place it at the bottom of the oven and let it heat up with the oven. This way you avoid it breaking because it goes from cold to blazing hot in a split second. The same rule applies when you use it. Do not put ice-cold dough or a frozen pizza directly on the stone – this can also cause it to crack.
Once the oven has reached the desired temperature, give the stone another 30 minutes to heat up. It should be piping hot before you put the pizza on. Use a pizza peel or a large cutting board to move the dough so you don't have to juggle your hands close to the blazing hot stone. Once the pizza hits the surface, the bottom bakes quickly, and in about 8-10 minutes you'll have a crispy, golden pizza ready to serve.
Once you try a pizza baked on a stone, you won’t go back. In fact, the pizza stone can also be used for other types of bread, such as pita bread, bagels, or English muffins, all of which benefit from a crispy crust.
Fortunately, the pizza stone requires minimal maintenance. Because many of the stones are made of porous materials, avoid cleaning it with soap - it will absorb it and can give off an off-flavor the next time you bake. Instead, scrape off any leftover cheese, sauce, and dough with a spatula or scraper and wipe it down with a damp cloth. Make sure the stone is completely dry before using it again.
Bonus: you can leave the stone in the oven while you cook other food. It won't be damaged by the heat, and it even helps stabilize the oven temperature. Just be aware that the oven may take a little longer to heat up when the stone is in there.
Conclusion
The most forward decision when it comes to choices, changes and contradiction, is whether you want your pizza to be edible with your hands or with a fork and knife, or don't have plate dishware for a tavern style pizza served in napkins.
16x10 inch premade square pizza dough by 2x8 inch springform pan cut with a pizza cutter (rolling blade).
If you don't have the time to both experiment with a pizza dough, toppings and baking time at the same time, then a 16x10 inch premade pizza dough from the supermarkets will do. It can be cut into 2x8 inches with a springform pan, a plate, a cooking pot lid, or whatever at your disposal.
The excess dough can be used as a padding in spots where the dough might become thin by stretching.
Ten different styles
1. Neapolitan
Characteristics: This Neapolitan classic has a thin crust with airy, lightly charred edges. It's traditionally made with San Marzano tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, and fresh basil.
How to make it: It requires an extremely hot oven (800–900°F/430–480°C), so invest in a pizza oven for authentic results. Top with simple ingredients that don't require long cooking times.
2. New York Style
Characteristics: A thin, pliable base with a slightly puffed edge. Perfect for eating on the go.
How to make it: Bake at 550°F/290°C in a regular oven. Use a simple tomato sauce and mozzarella, and finish with a sprinkle of dried oregano.
3. Sicilian
Characteristics: Square pizza with a thick, airy base and crispy edges. Perfect for large parties.
How to make it: The dough rises directly in a pan before baking. Par-bake the base to avoid a rubbery center and top with plenty of cheese and tomato sauce.
4. Detroit Deep Dish
Features: Thicker base with caramelized, crispy cheese edges. Sauce stripes are added after baking.
How to make it: Use a deep pan and a mixture of mozzarella and Wisconsin Brick Cheese. For the authentic flavor, bake over medium-high heat.
5. Chicago Deep Dish
The hallmark: Layers of cheese, meat, and chunky tomato sauce in a high, angular crust.
How to make it: Press the dough up the sides of a deep pan. Add the cheese first, followed by the filling, and finally the sauce. Bake for 30-40 minutes at a low temperature.
6. Chicago Tavern Style
Characteristics: A thin, crispy base, cut into squares. Perfect as a bar snack.
How to make it: The dough is run through a dough machine several times to ensure an ultra-thin base. Use a sweet or spicy tomato sauce and slightly burnt mozzarella.
7. Californian
Characteristics: Focus on fresh and experimental toppings. Thin base with a slightly crispy bite.
How to make it: Bake at high heat and top with seasonal ingredients like burrata, squash blossoms or pickled vegetables.
8. Roman
Characteristics: Various styles – from thin and crispy Pizza Tonda Romana to thicker Pizza al Taglio, served in square slices.
How to make it: Use a high-hydration dough for a fluffy base. Toppings can be added both before and after baking.
9. Greek
Characteristics: Oily base with toppings like feta, tomatoes, and olives.
How to make it: Bake in a well-greased pan at 450°F/230°C. Be sure to use freshly grated cheese for a rich, flavorful topping.
10. Cracker Crust
Characteristics: Ultra-thin, crispy crust, often cut into squares.
How to make it: Use a low-hydration dough and bake directly on a hot pizza stone for extra crispiness. Perfect for light toppings like goat cheese and fresh herbs.