Pizza Making – It’s All About the Basics
What does it take to make the perfect pizza? If you ask award-winning pizza chef Marco Fuso you need to master the four pizza basics: dough, tomato sauce, cheese, and toppings.
Four elements makes the perfect pizza
In professional pizza making, it takes skill, knowledge, practice, and the right inspiration to create the perfect pizza. But if you don’t get the pizza basics right, then you have a lot of work to do.
Luckily, we have teamed up with one of the best pizza chefs we know, award-winning pizzaiolo Marco Fuso. His knowledge within professional pizza making will guide you through the importance of the four pizza basics: the perfect dough, a simple tomato sauce, fresh cheese, and quality toppings.
Starting with the first, and probably most important element in the four pizza basics: the dough.
"The secret to any great dough is to keep it simple. Stick to just four or five ingredients: Water, flour, yeast, salt, and perhaps a bit of olive oil depending on the type of pizza you're making. This will make your product amazingly light, crispy, and easy to digest. Pay attention to which flour you use. Never use high-protein flour with short rising times, because high-protein flour should always rise for at least 24 hours," is the advice from Marco.
3 types of pizza dough
Get to know 3 types of traditional pizza dough that Marco favours.
Next basic element is the tangy component of the pizza: The tomato sauce.
“Your tomato sauce should be as simple as possible. Always use high quality tomatoes. I suggest plum tomatoes topped with salt, fresh basil, and olive oil. Other ingredients, like oregano or garlic, tend to overpower the tomato taste. Tomato sauce should taste like tomato, it’s that simple,“ says Marco.
The third basic element adds richness, flavour and texture - it's the mozzarella cheese.
“A good cheese is very important. It has to look nice, fresh, and have a beautiful texture with a nice bite without being chewy. When making pizza, the cheese should not caramelize too much, but it’s a matter of taste. However, it’s crucial that you choose a cheese which matches your style of pizza and oven type in terms of texture and taste,” Marco explains.
Our cheeses are made for pizza chefs and tested to meet the highest standards in terms of taste, texture, and functionality. Regardless of the oven you use and the style of pizza you make, we have a cheese to match.
The fourth and final basic element is where you can experiment and add a unique twist: The toppings.
As Marco puts it: “Always use the best quality topping you can find. It really makes a difference. But don’t be afraid to experiment and create something unique when making pizza. It helps your menu stand out."
Want more tips from Marco?
Download our guide "Passion for Pizza", where Marco shares more of his best tips.
