Celebrity Chef Lidia Bastianich Shares Her Best Pizza Dough Tips

I ran into celebrity chef, television host, author and restaurateur, Lidia Bastianich at the Summer Fancy Food Show in NYC and asked her how I could get that perfect crunchy crust for my homemade pizza. Of course, she had the answer! If you’re trying to make the BEST homemade pizza, here are some suggestions for your pizza dough from Lidia along with some of my own pizza recipe tips.

For that signature crunchy crust, Lidia suggests a minimum of 450 degree oven (hotter is better), using a pizza stone and avoid overloading the pizza with too many toppings as this will make it soggy. Let the dough rise for four hours or overnight in the refrigerator for a tastier crust. She recommends bringing the dough to room temperature before making your pizza.

For my own personal touch, I like to sift the flour and add seasoning to my dough in order to give it a unique Neopolitan kick. Add Himalayan salt, freshly ground pepper, Italian seasoning, garlic powder and oregano. For that extra crispy taste, I add a little homemade lard. Yes, I make my own lard, but that’s a different blog post. I also put a little Semolina flour on the pizza stone and bake the dough by itself for about 10 minutes. There’s your crunch! Add your toppings and bake for another 5 minutes. Use fresh basil and always cook with good quality ingredients. As Lidia would say, “Tutti a tavola a mangiare.” Enjoy!

Do you have any tips on making homemade pizza?  

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