The Most Important Thing You’re Missing From Homemade Pizza
As a child, I despised pizza. For some reason the bread, tomato sauce and cheese were not appealing. And a ring of dry, tasteless crust attached to each slice? Disgusting. Even as an adult, as I eventually grew to love pie, I happily left the crust as a used handle for the edible part. But it doesn’t have to be that way. The crust should not be left behind. Take matters into your own hands and add flavor to your pizza crust.
Some time after culinary school, I got into making pizza at home, and although my pizzas were fantastic (even the dough was made from scratch), there was still no crust around the edges. I don’t remember what prompted this change, but I began to view the crust as another component of the pizza that deserved its own special topping. I first started with a simple application of olive oil and the pizza was cooked with its own toasted bread. Then I started adding garlic powder. Garlic salt. Onion powder. Sesame seeds. The crust suddenly became a fun part of experimenting and eating.
While some pizzerias are very tasty, I think overall there is still a big missed opportunity here. At least when you’re scattering pies at home, you’re in charge. To make the best pizza, season your crust. You don’t have to go to extremes (though adding hot dogs is never a bad idea), but start with a few condiments that you like.
First, prepare the pizza as usual, with sauce, cheese and toppings. Then pour some oil into a small bowl. Vegetable or olive oil will do, whatever you have on hand. Use a pastry brush (or your fingers) and brush the butter onto the outer crust. This will add flavor to the crust, help brown, and most importantly, help the seasonings stick. Sprinkle with spices, seeds or even pieces of cheese. Try garlic salt to flavor garlic bread or bagel seasoning. Sometimes I even add chopped cooked bacon.
Whatever you add, I recommend sprinkling with salt if it’s not already included in the mixture. If you have a family that refuses crust, sit back and watch how that changes. Just when you thought it couldn’t be done, pizza night is about to become even more popular.