Pizza Thread

[Fippy]

If Pizza doesn't deserve it's own thread, what does?
But being serious..it always goes off-topic in other threads, and i wanted to write something there.

So Pineapple..always makes for a great joke how Italians would feel about them on pizza.
Here and in prolly many other places they are called Pizza Hawaii.
Pineapple & Ham are the main toppings, and they taste fruity overall.
Really nice pick imo to mix things up.

If somebody has questions or needs tips for homemade pizza, i am happy to answer them.
Some basic tips:
- flour & water should have roughly the same temperature, comes together better.
- don't forget the salt..and if you do, try mixing it in later. It's just not working without..dough stays flat.
- fresh yeast works better than dry one. Can be kept in the fridge for several weeks in a food storage bag etc.
- kneading dough isn't magic but can feel like a bit of work, however ~7 mins are required for all yeast recipes. Maybe you have a kitchen machine for it?
- Sticky dough problems? Slowly add more flour to your water, and start mixing with a wooden spoon (not your hands). Should get a feeling for when it's ready..like the dough loosening from both spoon & bowl.

 

[Narz]

I can't eat gluten but my gf makes a pretty good gf pizza (altho I haven't had the real deal since '04 so it's probably no comparison).

Homemade always better. Pizza can go from fast/junk food to a health food (in moderation) if you make it yourself!

 

[Fippy]

Yup it's nice when you know what's exactly in your food.

 

[Kyriakos]

I try not to eat pizza because it is quite fattening. But I don't know how to make my own :S
I do recall your post about pizza in my old thread about number of different dishes you know to cook.

 

[lymond]

It's okay in moderation. Fattening is "relative". What really makes one fat is sugar and high carbs, which for a pizza is gonna be the crust - and sauces usually have some sugar. Speaking of which, we should have a poll here for "what is the best part of the pizza?" or "what part makes pizza a pizza?"..something like that. for me it is the crust, which is my favorite part, and often how I judge a pizza.

 

[Narz]

"what is the best part of the pizza?" or "what part makes pizza a pizza?"

The answer to both is cheese.

Cheeseless pizza is a glorified bread stick.

 

[Narz]

What really makes one fat is sugar and high carbs

Calories are calories, carbs and fat are equally 'fattening'.

 

[lymond]

Calories are calories, carbs and fat are equally 'fattening'.

there are good fats and fats have a lot of benefits like increasing satiety and regulating blood sugar. Sugars are just turned into actual body fat ..they are basically zero calories. Ofc, we need some carbs so carbs in moderation are not bad

 

[Samson]

Anchovies are essential

The saltiness, the umami, the flavour. For me anchovies turn the simplest pizza into as treat.

Plants are important

After anchovies the next most important topping are some form of plant, onions, mushrooms (yeah, I know, not a plant but bite me), garlic, olives, capers.

What sauce?

Tomato is dominant in most of the world, but I really like pesto and white sauce works with some things.

I do not get the hate for pineapple

I do not personally like it so much, I am not generally into sweet things in my savoury course, but why complain about other people? iI do not much like sweet and sour for much the same reason, but why would I feel in any way negative about someone else who likes it eating it?

It may not be "traditional" in Italy, but why should that matter? "Cooking food on top of bread" must predate Italy, it probably does not post date bread by very long.

Fat and carbs

Calories are calories, and fat has twice the calories per gram. However I find low carb fatty food more filling than carby food.

 

[lymond]

Although I rarely order pineapple myself, usually only having it when someone else orders it, I do like the pineapple. It synergizes quite well with the ham, and I think that pizza works best with little to no other toppings—maybe with one of either onions, green peppers, or olives.

My goto pizza is what we call Supreme here which is made up of all the popular toppings like pepperoni, sausage, onions, shrooms, olives, green peppers.

I do like anchovies but rarely order them. I believe it is also a base ingredient of Caesar salad dressing which makes it so umami.

Also, I really like the Neopolitan-style pizza that has a different crust style. The Pizza Margherita style of Neopolitan is especially nice with the basil and few ingredients.

 

[Fat Bastard]

I don't like meat on my pizza so the ham in ham and pineapple is out. I do love pizza though it has to be from Dominos - the bases are so much fuller than Pizza Hut or Papa Johns. So I like to get the Veggie Volcano from Dominos which is jalapenos with green and red peppers and of course the Dominos garlic and herb dip. I also like the vegetarian supreme from Dominos. The BBQ dip is nice too.

Unfortunately Dominos don't deliver to my location now, and it's too bad for my blood pressure anyway. I won't go homemade knowing I'll never perfect the base.

Shortly before I had my son I used to eat pizza for breakfast, lunch and dinner so I'll always have fond memories of it. I daydream about eating pizza regularly

 

[Kyriakos]

I like anchovies too and regularly eat them, but I wouldn't want them on a pizza.

 

[Samson]

I like anchovies too and regularly eat them, but I wouldn't want them on a pizza.

For me they have to be tinned or in brine, I have never tried fresh anchovies on pizza. Fresh anchovies lightly fried are one of my favourite things.

 

[stfoskey12]

I have never had anchovies on pizza. I've seen it stereotyped as an unusual topping to prefer.

 

[Gori the Grey]

Here's my tip. It's for the construction of the pizza.

In spreading the sauce and cheese, keep a little circle in the center uncovered. Then when you slice it up, the slices will separate better.

 

[Kaushad]

Are stiff crusted pizzas the norm anywhere but in supermarkets? The pizzerias that I know usually serve the sort of pizza that one can slice and roll. Given what Turkish cafés call pizza, I assume that's closer to an original type of Mediterranean, flatbread sandwich and probably more or less what Neapolitans make. But I prefer the frozen ones, even if they could do with less sugar.

I can't be bothered to make pizzas for myself, but when I tried making them for shared meals, I failed to cook the centre through. I assume that oven settings that confine the hottest air lower down help. Is the tray important? I've aimed for a pie style pizza a couple of times and tried that with a glass quiche dish.

 

[Samson]

I can't be bothered to make pizzas for myself, but when I tried making them for shared meals, I failed to cook the centre through. I assume that oven settings that confine the hottest air lower down help. Is the tray important? I've aimed for a pie style pizza a couple of times and tried that with a glass quiche dish.

Getting the bread in the centre right is the hard thing. There is a lot to be said for a pizza stone that you get hot in the oven before you start.

 

[Fat Bastard]

Are stiff crusted pizzas the norm anywhere but in supermarkets? The pizzerias that I know usually serve the sort of pizza that one can slice and roll. Given what Turkish cafés call pizza, I assume that's closer to an original type of Mediterranean, flatbread sandwich and probably more or less what Neapolitans make. But I prefer the frozen ones, even if they could do with less sugar.

I've only had Pizza Hut once but it was quite crispy or stiff. I assume that's how they make all their pizzas. Not very nice if you ask me.

Also no to fish or anchovies on my pizza.

 

[Fippy]

Anchovies are essential

The saltiness, the umami, the flavour. For me anchovies turn the simplest pizza into as treat.

Fully agree..and they are so easy to add / handle.
I never had anchovies go bad in the fridge, which can easily happen with tomato sauce for example (expiration date).
Dividing them into small pieces on pizza has advantages imo.
Oh and drying them a bit on paper towels before, that also goes for mozzarella (especially if you ever had problems with your pizza swimming away as we say here ).

 

[Fippy]

Are stiff crusted pizzas the norm anywhere but in supermarkets? The pizzerias that I know usually serve the sort of pizza that one can slice and roll. Given what Turkish cafés call pizza, I assume that's closer to an original type of Mediterranean, flatbread sandwich and probably more or less what Neapolitans make. But I prefer the frozen ones, even if they could do with less sugar.

Not 100% sure atm but i think all Napoli pizzas are stiff crusted..comes from the extreme heat in real fire ovens.
But they are soft regardless, in all food videos from there you can see how they roll them up for eating.