7 Tips for Making Great Homemade Pizza

Perfect pizza at home

by Gina Marie Miraglia Eriquez
From Health magazine

Making homemade pizza isn't always as easy at it looks. If you skip some key steps, your pie can come out of the oven with unevenly cooked toppings and a crust that's too soggy (or too crunchy!).

Not to worry: All you need to create a delicious pizza—like the Carbonara Pizza at left—in your own kitchen is to remember these seven expert tips.

Go low

As soon as you walk in the door, set up your oven. For the best browning, put a rack in the lowest position with a pizza stone if you have one. Preheat the oven; you want it as hot as it can get for a crisp crust.

Thaw out

It's hard to roll dough that's too cold; unwrap it and let it sit on the counter while you prep your toppings.

Work it

Get the dough ball nice and flat by pressing with your knuckles (rings off, please!) from the center out, or by rolling with a pin from the center to the edges. Keep everything well-floured, and be sure to move the dough, not your hands or pin, to get it to an even thickness. If it springs back and refuses to flatten, let it rest for five minutes before touching it again.

Pick the right pan

Use a round pizza pan or rimless baking sheet that fits family-size pies and conducts heat evenly.

Stop the stick

Be generous with the cornmeal you spread on your sheet; it will keep the crust from clinging.

Cook clean

Leave a half-inch border of dough around the edges so that the toppings don't drip and burn in the oven.

Slice and eat

A sharp pizza wheel will keep your toppings intact and cut your crust in a snap. We found that the OXO and KitchenAid wheels work well.