Crafting the Perfect Pizza Shell: Your Guide to Making Delicious Homemade Pizza
The versatility of pizza is what makes it an adored dish all around the world. By mixing and matching the few main ingredients of pizza, a plethora of pizza recipes could be created. However, one of the important elements of pizza that people often forget to talk about is the crust or pizza shell.
Pizza shell aka pizza crust is the foundation or base of pizza and is typically made with a dough of flour, yeast, salt, oil, and water. The dough is rolled out on a flat surface to make a thin and flat disc, which becomes the base for pizza sauces and toppings.
If you’re looking forward to making a perfect pizza shell that is not soggy and holds your pizza toppings effectively, then this blog is for you. From choosing the right ingredients to baking a delicious pizza shell, this guide to making a pizza shell is your best bet for creating top-notch homemade pizzas.
What is a Pizza Shell?
Pizza Shell is the crispy, thin, and crunchy pizza crust that serves as the base of pizza toppings. People generally use an oil pan or a pizza screen to prepare the top shell pizza crust from a variety of ingredients.
The usual toppings on a pizza shell include mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, parmesan cheese, oregano, veggies, tomato sauce, and more.
Even though the pizza crust appears to be a bland base for the real toppings that makes a pizza delicious, the pizza shell plays an important role in determining the overall taste of the pizza. There could be varieties of pizza crusts including thin and crispy, thick and fluffy, deep dish, and even gluten-free or cauliflower crusts.
Packaged pizza shells are easily available at grocery stores. However, nothing can beat the savory and fresh taste of a homemade crust. So, here I am, to help you make a perfect pizza shell at home. See the recipe below:
How to Prepare Pizza Shells at Home?
Making pizza shells at home can be a fun and rewarding experience. Follow a few simple steps and you get a fresh and healthy homemade pizza shell at home.
Ingredients for Making Pizza Shells at Home
- 1 tbsp dry Yeast
- 1/4 tsp Sugar
- 1 cup Water
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- Salt to taste
Instructions to Make Pizza Shells at Home
- In lukewarm water, dissolve the dry yeast and sugar. Mix and let sit for 5 to 8 minutes until the mixture becomes thick and creamy.
- In a bowl, mix 2 cups of all-purpose flour and the yeast mixture we made above
- Knead the dough on a floured surface for about 2 minutes, until the dough becomes runny or smooth. Add flour if the dough looks too sticky.
- Roll the dough into a disc. Make it 12 inches wide in diameter.
- Put the dough in a greased pan. Add sauce, cheese, and toppings of your choice
- Bake the pizza at 500 degrees F for 8 to 10 minutes.
Voila! Your thin and crispy pizza shell is ready.
What are the Other Ways You Can Use Pizza Shells?
If you are preparing a pizza shell, know that pizza shells are not just meant for pizzas. You can use it in different ways after preparing it from the scratch. Some of the delicacies you can make from pizza shells include:
- Toasted braids
- Blue buffalo bites
- Taco shell pizza
- Garlic bread sticks
- Pizza muffins
- Pizza waffles
- Italian Grissini breadsticks
- Mini Pizza cups
- Pizza pieces on the skewer
- Boboli pizza shell
- Pizza pockets
- Beef flatbread
- Pepperoni pizza rolls
- Cheese sticks with herbs
- Pizza crackers
- Fritta
- Stromboli sandwiches
- Popsicle pizza
What are the best readymade Pizza Shells dough mixes?
Did you know you can make perfect pizza shells at home easily with instant dough mixes?
Instant pizza dough mix is a pre-made dry mixture of pizza crust essentials like flour, yeast, salt, and other ingredients. This type of dough rises quickly and could be prepared just by adding water to the mix.
Below are the 5 best pizza shell instant dough mixes you can buy from Amazon:
- Pillsbury Thin and Crispy Pizza Crust Mix
- Weisenberger Pizza Crust Mix
- Simple Mills Almond Flour Baking Mix — Pizza Dough
- Delallo Pizza dough kit
- Jiffy Pizza Crust Mix
The Bottom Line
Making pizza shells is a pure art that needs practice and precision. However, with the right ingredient, the right quantity, and the right technique; you can make a crispy, flavourful, and firm pizza at home.
Whether you are a seasoned pizzaiolo or a beginner, following the above steps will help you make a delicious pizza shell or pizza crust at home.
So, wear your apron and your ratatouille hat, and start making some appetizing pizza shells at home today!