4 Main Choices When Building Your Own Pizza
When you make your own pizza, it is all about choices. Your choice of dough, sauce, cheese and toppings will influence how your pizza ends up tasting as well as how healthy your pizza is.
Crust
When it comes to crust, first you have to decide what type of crust you want. If you want to have lots of toppings, go for a thin crust pizza. With less crust to eat, you'll have more room in your stomach for all the toppings. If you want a pizza that is lighter on toppings, go for a regular or thick crust pizza.
You can also choose what type of ingredients you want your pizza crust made out of. If you are trying to go healthy, go for a whole wheat pizza crust. If you have gluten sensitivity, go for a gluten free crust. If you want a regular old pizza, go for a normal pizza crust.
Sauce
The most traditional sauce to put on your pizza is a red sauce. Red sauce is great because it works well with all the pizza topping offered in most restaurants. It has a great, rich flavor that most people associate with pizza. However, it is not the only sauce option.
Pesto sauce is rich in flavor and highlights your toppings in a different manner. Pesto sauce has a garlic basil taste with some parmesan notes. Pesto can be really flavorful and can overpower your pizza if too much is used. If you choose to add pesto sauce to your pizza, ask for a light spread of pesto.
Alfredo sauce is great if you really love your cheese. It makes any pizza a little richer and creamer. It is also a great sauce to use if you want to skip the cheese on your pizza altogether but still want some of that cheesy taste on your pizza.
Cheese
When you build your own pizza, mozzarella is the most classic choice because of how light and creamy the cheese is and how perfectly mozzarella melts on your pizza. If you want a sweeter and creamier flavor, add some Provolone to your mozzarella. Cheddar cheese adds a splash of orange to your pizza, and a little different flavor profile compared to most white cheeses used on pizzas.
Parmesan, goat cheese and feta are great cheeses to garnish your pizza with. Sprinkle a little of any of these three cheeses on your pizza for a little flavor blast.
Toppings
Finally, your toppings are where you can get really creative. When choosing your toppings, there are endless combinations that you can put together. For the best flavor profile, try to go for a meat or protein paired with a savory and sweet topping. You can add in a few more neutral toppings as well.
For example, shredded chicken, black olives and banana peppers and some red bell peppers. Or you could pair together sausage, fennel, and artichoke together. Have some fun and pair together a protein and vegetable toppings that you don't normally see on the menu but that sound good to you.
Try to limit your pizza to three to four toppings; if you add too many toppings, the flavors will blend together and your pizza may not cook nor taste as good as it could.
When building your own pizza, it is all about choices. Think carefully each stop of the way what type of crust, sauce, cheeses and toppings you want to include in order to create a truly unique and tasty pizza.