The Ultimate Homemade Pizza Cookbook

INTRODUCTION

Pizza is a flat, open-faced pie of Italian origin, consisting of a bread-like crust topped with seasoned tomato sauce and cheese, often garnished with savoury meats and vegetables.

Traditionally, pizza has been classified by thickness, shape, and assembly platform.

Pizza comes in thin, medium, and thick crust versions. The amount of dough is the main factor affecting crust thickness. However, the amount of rise also plays a part. Dough that is either under-risen or over-risen, or else is flattened before baking, tends to produce a thinner crust than one that's allowed to rise (or proof) to an optimum level after rolling and before baking.

Pizzas are also classified by shape - namely, round and rectangular. Pizza that's made in a rectangular sheet pan is sometimes called "Italian bakery" pizza - the place where it originated. However, round is the most common shape in pizzerias, probably because it's the easiest to make. There are also specialty shapes, such as heart-shaped pizza, which is a perennial valentine's day favorite.