Keeping pizza topping moist

[zac510]

I'm cooking pizzas again tonight but something I've always struggled with is keeping the pizza topping moist while still cooking the base thoroughly. Sometimes a drizzling of oil helps but then it can soak into the base/sauce and get a bit greasy. I always roll out quite a thin base.

Got any tips for me?

[JaybirdUK]

I use a pizza stone, http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.208-8780.aspx

[zac510]

Sorry I have a granite stone i got from a stonemason and it is a fan forced oven. I can't turn the fan off but I have experimented with putting a baking tray up against the fan to stop it pushing air around but it didn't seem to do much.

[pacman1]

^My local Morrisons is currently doing an equivalent stone for a fiver.

Edited by pacman1 on Sunday 7th November 13:25

[arfur daley]

put some stones on the topping.

[indi pearl]

1) Use a thin base-Sainsbury do great thin crispy base.

2) Heat oven to full. Spread mix of olive oil/choped garlic/choped chilli/tomato puree onto base.

3) put in oven for 3/4 minutes then remove.

4) Put on rest of veg (thin sliced mushrooms/sweet pepper/onion/olives.

5)Pepper/salt to taste.

5)Add ground cheese (I prefer a good strong cheddar)then return to oven for a furthur 8/10 minutes.

Great crispy base with succulant veg and sticky melted cheese.

Nom nom nom.

[zac510]

I make and roll my own bases but I like the idea of par-baking the base for a couple of minutes. I'll give it a shot But it's still not how they do it in the shop.

[jet_noise]

Dear zac510,

zac510 said:

But it's still not how they do it in the shop.

But then you don't have their oven do you!
You're doing the best you can with the kit you've got.

I am another par-baking enthusiast. Especially as I prefer deep-pan thickness.
You'll need to experiment with the timing ratio sans topping and topped,

regards,
Jet

[21TonyK]

As already said pre-baking the base is the easiest option. I prebake bases in batches and freeze them. Then when needed just add sauce, toppings and into the oven on max for 5 minutes.

[zac510]

OK OK, I will bake the bases a little first!

[mattdaniels]

If its a fan oven then get the pizza as low in the oven as possible and get the base as hot as possible as quickly as possible.

[tenex]

Must try the pre-baked method. Sounds like it might work (ish).

Basically the problem is heat. 500c apparently is what is required and if it takes longer than 90 seconds to cook you're knackered. IIRC

[zac510]

Well I can say the pre-bake technique is an improvement. I'm also thinking about dousing aubergine and courgettes in a bit of oil beforehand. They're one of the main culprits for drying out. Most meats and cheeses have some oils in them already that keep them moist.

I think the only time I've got my stone that hot was when I put it on the weber bbq. Unfortunately that gave me the opposite problem of bases that burnt before the topping was melting!

[AndrewW-G]

Pizza stone and cover the topping with tinfoil

[Rags]

I enjoy using the Sainsburies Garlic Bread Pizza things as a base!

[RichB]

zac510 said:

I'm cooking pizzas again tonight but something I've always struggled with is keeping the pizza topping moist...

Surely this depends on what you have used as a topping? If you've got mozzarella that gives out quite a lot of liquid as it melts and obviously sliced tomatoes are mostly water. Do you use mozzarella, what else do you have on there?

[zac510]

I'm probably being a bit hard on myself. the pizzas are always perfectly edible but I'm comparing them to the high quality pizzas from the local shop.

Usually I add chorizo/salami/ham, courgettes, aubergine, proper mozzarella sometimes combined with a second cheese like manchego, tomato, peppers, red onion.

[pugwash4x4]

are the courgettes and aubergine pre-cooked?

raw aubergine is basically a big sponge when cooking- you're best off roasting it in the oven for 45 mins first.

Can't say i ever have problems with dry toppings- how are you making the base? by hand? in a machine? what recipe are you using? are you using proper bread/pizza flour?

[shirt]

zac510 said:

I'm probably being a bit hard on myself. the pizzas are always perfectly edible but I'm comparing them to the high quality pizzas from the local shop.

i hope this is a joke, pizza shop bases = rank

zac510 said:

Usually I add chorizo/salami/ham, courgettes, aubergine, proper mozzarella sometimes combined with a second cheese like manchego, tomato, peppers, red onion.

you are likely overloading your base, so it takes longer to cook which burns the topping. if your cooking time is over 10mins then something is wrong

as per replies so far, buy a stone or similar [i use a ceramic tile which cost 80p] and leave it for 30mins at the top oven temperature prior to use. a pizza paddle is also a good idea if you are rolling a thin base.

[zac510]

I already have a stone and cooking time is sub 10 minutes. I'm comparing shop bases to the local place whose pizzas are >£10. Bit of a rip off really but they do taste good. I wouldn't feed a Domino's pizza to my dog.

Don't think I'm overloading it. A lot of ingredients but I use them sparingly, adding some, leaving some off on each pizza.

I use this dough recipe but with a bit less water (1 pint) as I think the amount shown there is too high and the dough becomes too gluggy and unworkable. http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/pizza-recipes/p...

I've played with combinations of the 00, semolina, wholemeal and whatever's in the cupboard just for fun. Open-minded towards other recipes

Let's just be clear they do taste like good pizzas and they're perfectly edible. I just want to be able to make really good ones.

I do need a good paddle though - too many burnt fingers last night!