If you want another incredible return for very little effort take a stick of cold butter and rub it all over the baking pan before you put on your pizza dough. Hard to believe but that amount makes the bottom crust sensational in flavor and the crispness is truly a lovely surprise for very little butter.
The crust is no longer the most boring part of your pizza. Share
Be honest. Are you eating your pizza crusts? Not just most of the time, but always? The truth is, I don’t always eat mine, either. It doesn’t matter how delicious the dough is (or how many hours I put into making it special) — sometimes a crust just can’t compete with sauce, cheese, and toppings. But we can fix that. With a few tricks and techniques, let’s make a crust that’s more than just a handle. Here’s how.
Photography and food styling by Martin Philip More cheese makes everything better.
The 90s kids out there will remember when Pizza Hut broke the culinary world with a cheese-stuffed crust. They claimed it’s so good “you’ll eat it the wrong way.” And they were right.
For a cheese-stuffed, “wrong way” crust, take your dough of choice — in my case, my weeknight favorite is our Grilled Pizza dough, which despite the name works great in an oven — and roll it out on a well-floured surface to about 15″ in diameter. (Use a rolling pin here for an evenly thin crust.)
After rolling, move the dough to a sheet of parchment paper for easier loading, then place string cheese pieces (or small sticks of your favorite low-moisture mozzarella), cut into 2″ lengths, in a ring 1″ from the edge of the dough. (If you’re using cheese sticks, you’ll need about eight.) Next, moisten the edge with a little water, fold the dough over the cheese pieces, and press to seal. Top as usual with sauce, cheese, and toppings and bake until well colored.
Photography and food styling by Martin Philip Lay your cheese in a ring, brush with a little water, then fold and seal.
Let the pie cool for a second then get ready for the magic show — the part where you tear open the edge crust to reveal a cheese-filled, molten interior. During baking the cheese pieces melt but remain in place, forming an oozing beltway tunnel of melted deliciousness for you to break open, stretch, and devour.
Photography and food styling by Martin Philip Add a little crunch with sesame seeds.
Everything is better with a sesame crust. Bagels, barbari, baguettes, and yes, PIZZA. So try this on your next pizza: When shaping your dough, brush the edge crust with water at any point before loading. Then, sprinkle a generous coating of sesame seeds all the way around. As the pizza bakes, the seeds toast, and their nuttiness gets amplified by roughly 10,000%.
And if you really want to lean into the sesame crust, try this Sesame-Crusted Spicy Pizza, a thick, focaccia-like pan pizza that’s crispy, crunchy, and saucy.
Photography and food styling by Martin Philip Turn your crust into garlicky breadsticks.
The last tip to get everyone to hoover up their crust involves my favorite cologne, garlic butter, and a few other things.
While getting together pizza toppings, add one half stick of butter (salted or unsalted, doesn’t matter) to a saucepan and set over low heat. Add coarsely chopped garlic to taste (don’t skimp — I like three to four cloves) and allow the mixture to slowly gurgle for about 10 to 15 minutes, being careful not to take the color beyond golden. The mixture is ready when the garlic has softened. Add salt to taste and reserve until ready to use.
While your pizza is cooking, mince some of your favorite herbs — basil, flat leaf parsley, chives (even good quality dried herbs will work) — and grate some hard cheese (Parmesan, Grana Padano, or pecorino Romano). As soon as the pizza is baked, brush the edge crust generously with the garlic butter, add a sprinkling of herbs and cheese, and watch as the crust suddenly becomes everybody’s favorite part of the pie.
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Cover photo and food styling by Martin Philip.
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artisan pizza dough- crispy, chewy, bubbly crust
FAQ
Should I put butter on my pizza crust?
How do I make my pizza crust more crispy?
Why do people put butter on pizza?
Can I use butter instead of oil for pizza?
How do you make a good pizza crust?
Take the skillet out of the oven and carefully add the dough without burning your fingers. Add sauce, cheese, and toppings, and put it back in the oven for a few more minutes until the cheese is melted and the pizza crust looks nice and crispy.
How to make the best crispy pizza?
With this recipe, you should be able to make the best crispy pizza; the dough should have a nice balance of hydration, the fermentation process will give the crust structure and flavor, and the high temperature will promote the Maillard reaction giving the crust a nice golden brown and crispy texture.
Does adding sugar make a pizza crust crisper?
Adding sugar will not make the crust that much crispier, but it will help to brown the pizza crust and get it a bit closer to a Neapolitan-style pizza. Another common mistake is making too thick a pizza crust. A thick pizza crust takes longer to bake, and that makes it harder to make it crispy.
What does a crispy crust mean on a pizza?
A crispy crust is usually cooked at a higher temperature which makes it hotter than the toppings and cheese, providing a nice contrast in temperature that adds to the overall enjoyment of the pizza. Finally, a crispy crust is a sign of a well-made pizza.