So you want to make a pizza? It's not hard but it'll help to have a few basic bits of knowledge under your belt as you enter the endlessly creative world of pizzadom. On this page I'm going to go over some of the basic ingredients you'll need and how get the most out of your trip to the grocery.
Flour - The cornerstone of pretty much every pizza. Some flours have higher gluten content than others (Bread flour is high), but I like to stick with unbleached all purpose flour.
Yeast - This makes the dough rise as it devours sugars and injects CO2 into the dough.
Tomatoes - GET GOOD TOMATOES! The best tomatoes are D.O.P Certified San Marzano's (Cento is the easiest brand to find) though you can save a little money by just getting the Cento Italian-Styled tomatoes. These tomatoes are more oblong shaped than round and have less seeds making them good for sauce. Make sure to get whole canned tomatoes and crush them up yourself.
Cheese - A good rule of thumb for cheese is to combine a nice melting cheese (like Mozzarella) and flavorful aged cheese (like parmigiano-reggiano). Fresh cheese like mozzarella holds up well to high heat and will protect your more delicate toppings from burning and will give you that browned and bubbly texture that great pizza is known for. Aged cheeses like Parmesan or Romano dial up the flavor with salty, tangy goodness.
Herbs and Spices - Fresh basil, with cheese, sauce, and crust to put it on is a divine pizza in its own right. Herbs can't be forgotten. Your best friends will be Garlic, Basil, Oregano, Crushed Red Pepper, Parsley, and Salt and Black Pepper. Don't stop there though. I've made great pies with rosemary before. Be bold, think with your nose. Do these things smell good together? Yes? Well, they'll probably taste good too.
Meats - Sausage, pepperoni, chicken, steak, smoked salmon, anchovies.... The list could go on forever. If it grunts, breaths, or has a pulse, it can probably go on a pizza (try to refrain from eating people though, I don't want to get emails about your Soylent Green special). It isn't always necessary, but meats have a welcome place in my pizza kitchen.
Vegetables and Fungi - I'll be honest. Onions are my favorite veggie for pizza. If I'm going to a pizza place I've never been before and they don't have a Margherita on the menu, I'll get a pepperoni and onion pie. But just like meat, there is a wide world of vegetables and other growing things that are pizza ready. Broccoli, cauliflower, bell pepper, artichoke, spinach, mushrooms, etc to infinity. Just pay special attention to how the veggie should be cooked in the final product. For Example, if you don't want raw cauliflower on your pizza, you might think about roasting it before using it as a topping.
