Enjoy a delicious pizza from Basta Pasta!
Have you ever tried a DIY pizza night at home only to wind up with a lackluster pie? Maye the crust was undercooked, your sauce was underwhelming, or your choice of toppings went too overboard to be enjoyable? Good homemade pizza is possible! But you may have to do a little more work to get that perfect za’.
Start With A Strong Base
We’ve all succumbed to the allure of a readymade crust, but if you’re looking for a genuinely spectacular pizza, it’s time to get your hands a little doughy. Making your crust ensures that you wind up with the thickness of your liking, as well as a fresh and flavorful base. Two of the tricks to making pizza crust is to ensure your water is at 96-98.6 degrees and to use a few tablespoons of sugar. When combined, this warmer water and sugar creates the perfect environment for yeast to activate quickly allowing for a crispier crust.
Play With Your Food
Once you have your pizza dough ready to go, the best thing you can do is knead with your hands. When you first start your dough may seem craggy and dry, but as you knead, it will come together to create a firm, smooth dough with plenty of stretch. After letting it rise, practice your tossing skills! Tossing your dough to stretch it into a pizza shape is not only fun, and kids enjoy it, but it’s the best way to stretch your dough without ripping or applying too much pressure.
Par-Bake Before You Top
One of the mistakes that many at-home chefs make is to not partially bake the crust before they top it. When you expect all of the cooking to happen under a layer of sauce and cheese, you wind up with a mushy, soft crust. Pre-baking, preferably in a cast iron pan, ensures you get a crispy, chewy texture.
Consider Your Toppings
After all your work to create a beautiful, delicious crust, it’s important not to overwhelm your pizza with bland or overwhelming toppings! Using a lackluster sauce or a mountain of cheese is a big mistake. Use your toppings sparingly for a more well-balanced pie. Most importantly, as soon as you pull your pizza creation out of the oven, give it a sprinkling of fresh herbs for a beautiful final touch.
VISIT BASTA PASTA
For more than 12 years, Basta Pasta has given Maryland diners delicious Italian food made from local and fresh ingredients. Enjoy delicious pasta dishes, unlimited salad and breadsticks, and fine wine at one of our locations in Timonium, Fallston, or Eldersburg. Contact us online or give us a call at the location-specific phone number listed here. Read our menu and be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter! You can also order our signature crab cakes online and enjoy delicious Basta Pasta from home!