How to make Restaurant Quality Pizza at Home

If you were to type ‘How to Achieve Restaurant Quality Pizzas at Home’ into your preferred search engine, you’d be inundated with articles. From TV chefs to keyboard pizzaiolos. Fair enough, you might find the odd nugget of information that will help you, but that’s like saying you might find the perfect garment in TK Maxx. There’s a hell of a lot of rubbish to sift through before you find what you’re looking for!

So, we thought we’d lay it all out in once place. Because, really, it’s not that difficult to achieve restaurant quality pizza at home, especially if you have an Igneus Wood Fired Pizza Oven, and follow our guide. Let’s dive in.

90% of the Difference is in the Oven

What’s the main difference between restaurant pizza and homemade pizza? More often than not it’s likely to be the oven. We appreciate that most people will be wanting some ‘magic hack’ for achieving the perfect pizza they’ve had at their favourite pizzeria. The truth is, you’ll never achieve that in a convection oven. Standard ovens simply don’t have the heat capability to achieve that rapid rise and charred crustation. However, if you’re the proud owner of an Igneus Pizza Oven, or are about to be, you’re well on your way to tucking into that coveted restaurant quality pizza in your very own back garden.

Shop Pizza Ovens

Master Your Dough

You have to bear in mind that restaurants are making pizza on mass. That means that when they’re making dough, they’re making it in batches enough for 200 or more pizzas. That means they’re using a commercial dough mixer, which has a profound effect on how the dough comes together.  

In order to replicate that, you have to really focus on what’s going into your dough, and the process of making it. If you have a kitchen aid with a dough hook, you’re halfway there! The flour is the main component you can control. Opt for ‘00’ flour such as Caputo Pizzeria Flour.

When it comes to mixing your dough ingredients, there’s two main ways to do it:

1. Dissolve the yeast in the water, then add half of the flour, stirring to combine. Gradually mix in the remaining flour, and finally, add the oil and salt.
   
2. Combine the yeast and flour, then pour in half of the water and stir. Continue mixing as you slowly add the remaining water, finishing with the oil and salt.

The most important thing is knowing that practice makes perfect when it comes to mastering dough. There are all sorts of things to consider, from dough hydration, to Biga vs Poolish, but you cannot expect to get it perfect the first time. To help, check out one of our previous guides: 5 Common Mistakes When Making Pizza Dough.

Stretch Don’t Roll

On the subject of making mistakes, one of the most common mistakes people make is when shaping the dough. Most people would turn to a rolling pin, but that’s one of the worst things you can do if you want a perfectly risen, aerated crust. Rolling the dough presses out all the air which has been created during the hydration process.

Instead, shape your dough by pressing your fingers from the bottom to the top of the dough, turning continuously until you have a 6”-7” shape, which will be quite thick at this stage. Then lift the dough and turn it through your fingers like, as if you’re continuously turning a steering wheel. Adding a small amount of flour under the dough as you shape it will help it not to stick, but don’t add too much as it changes the ratios.

It’s also important to note that your dough should be at room temperature before you begin to stretch it. This makes it much easier to work with, and it also stops ‘spring back’.

The Rule of 3

Ever heard of the rule of 3? In the world of pizza, it basically means only use a maximum of three main toppings – and make sure the ingredients you do use are high quality. Adding too many toppings adds weight which can make it difficult to launch the pizza. It can also influence how the dough cooks.

If you overload the toppings, the dough under the toppings wont cook as quickly, which might mean the crust is overcooked while the dough under the toppings is still raw.

On the subject of using the best possible ingredients, the tomato sauce you add to the pizza is by far the biggest component you do not want to skimp on. You don’t need to make a fancy tomato sauce either. In fact, it might surprise you that a classic tomato pizza sauce requires absolutely no cooking whatsoever. That’s right, the best tomato sauce requires no simmering, which makes it incredibly quick, easy, and fuss-free. Despite what some recipes might suggest, you don’t need a long list of ingredients, just a few high-quality essentials. If you’re using fresh tomatoes, pick those that are local, in season, or DOP-certified San Marzano for the most authentic taste.

Here’s our streamlined recipe with just five ingredients:

Ingredients

• 2 x 400g cans San Marzano DOP Plum Tomatoes
• 6 tbsp good quality extra virgin olive oil
• 1–2 tsp oregano (fresh if possible, but dried works too)
• 3–4 fresh basil leaves (torn)
• 1 tsp kosher salt

Method

Step 1: Pour the tomatoes into a bowl. Here’s the fun part – use your hands to squish the tomatoes until they break down to a saucy consistency. If you prefer, a knife works too, but no true Italian Nonna would go that route! For an ultra-smooth sauce, you can use a food processor.

Step 2: Mix in the remaining ingredients thoroughly. Let the sauce chill in the fridge for at least an hour before using to allow the flavours to infuse.

And there you have it! As promised, simple and delicious.

When it comes to cheese, adding fresh buffalo mozzarella is also a game changer, rather than grated mozzarella. It’s vital to drain the mozzarella and dry it out for an hour before adding it to the pizza. Use kitchen roll or a t-towel to really get the water content out of the mozzarella.

Final Thoughts

The main objective of this articles was to convey that authentic, restaurant standard pizza isn’t complicated and hopefully we’ve done that. The most important takeaway is practice makes perfect. Give some of our tips and techniques a try and let us know how you get on! If you require any information about any oven in the Igneus range, you can contact us on 01423 575885 or browse our full range of products here.