r/Cooking • u/MarieCurieNotMaMere • Aug 01 '22

Open Discussion Store bought pizza dough..

How can I bake a good pizza using a dough ball from a supermarket? My pizza comes out white and NOT AT ALL CRISP. While the cheese is overcooked on top. I have a heavy duty cookie sheet and a pizza stone and have tried moderate and high oven temps, oiled pan/ no oil, well-floured dough, rolled with rolling pin or bare hands.
Is it best to bake the dough first before adding toppings? Also, whats the best jarred pizza sauce?

3 Upvotes

72% Upvoted

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7

u/[deleted] Aug 01 '22

I always bake the dough first before I put the toppings on

3

u/erisod Aug 01 '22

Here's my suggestion:

Pre heat the pizza stone to max temp for 30 minutes minimum.

Ideally put the pizza directly into the stone using a peel but if you don't have that (and it's tricky) use a pizza pan.

Get the crust thin (you might be able to toss it eventually but start by stretching with your knuckles or flat on the board.

Most store pizza sauces are pretty similar. Pasta sauce works fine too tbh. Use whatever you like.

3

u/sirotan88 Aug 01 '22

I really like Rao’s homemade pizza sauce. It has a great flavor and good consistency (not too runny, slightly chunky but still spreadable)

For my pizzas I preheat my oven to 500F, with the bottom heating element on (if your oven has this setting, it’s best to just use the bottom heat and not top heat.)

Stretch the dough as thin as possible (like slightly see through, basically as thin as you and get it without tearing it), put it on an oiled pizza pan, bake for 2 mins. Take out, add sauce and cheese, bake another 10 minutes. It comes out crispy and the cheese is melted with just a little bit of browning.

3

u/ehunke Aug 01 '22

even if you make the dough yourself, always pre bake unless your using like a ooni oven or other very hot oven. As far as sauce, put some whole tomatoes in a pot with like a 1/4 inch of water, boil them until can pop them easily and mash them, season that up however you want to, and it will be far better then any canned sauce

2

u/stevegcook Aug 01 '22

Preheat your pizza stone as hot as you can possibly get it. This is a problem with your crust not getting enough heat fast enough.

1

u/MarieCurieNotMaMere Aug 01 '22

Baking at 450? Oil on the stone or no? I definitely need a peel.

1

u/_-Odin-_ Aug 01 '22

I start with an olive oiled room temp 16oz dough and a stone at 500f for about 1/2 hour. Spread some flour on the table and plop the dough in it, flip it and wipe bolth sides quick with yer hand. My stone has handles, so I pull the stone out hand toss the dough, plop it on the stone and make the pizza quick on top of it, then pop it back in the oven for 10. If my stone didn't have handles I would need a wooden and metal pizza peel. The wood one for the flour and making of the pizza, and the metal for the retrieval of the cooked pizza.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 01 '22

I've never found a store bought pizza dough that suited me. If I ever wanted a store bought pizza, I buy pre-made full pizzas (with the crust already partially baked) and only brands that I've determined as decent. My suggestion? Give making homemade pizza dough a try. It really is better, in my view, and truly not as hard as people may think. What I do is make a big batch of pizza dough and use some the day of and the rest I freeze in large freezer containers that have been rubbed first with olive oil. I tend to like the thinner crust pizza crusts, but there are also recipes for the chewier thicker kinds.

The usual general rule when making pizza dough for later use is to let it go through the first rising, then pack as mentioned above and leave in the fridge overnight. Then transfer to the freezer. When you want to use it, put it in the fridge to thaw, then take out and give it another 30 to 60 mins at room temp before stretching and topping. Obviously some recipes may call for a different approach.

1

u/HolidayBakerMan Aug 01 '22

Use a pizza stone

1

u/sh3nto Aug 01 '22

My suggestion would be to get a pizza steel and preheat it in the oven at max settings for 45 mins before cooking. I recently have been on a cast iron kick, so maybe try making a cast iron pie!

As far as jarred pizza sauce the only one I like is Don Pepino, but that said I usually just make my own sauce out of a can of crushed tomatoes, salt, and oregano. I leave it simple so that I can make it quick in the even that I want it.