The Toppings

Now it's time to top. Tomato based sauces are most common. Make your own or use your favorite jar of spaghetti sauce. Some spaghetti sauces can be a bit watery for pizza. It's helpful to either strain the sauce over a sieve with cheesecloth, or simmer the sauce to remove some of the liquid and concentrate the tomato flavor. Spoon on the desired amount of sauce, but remember too much sauce can make the inside of the dough mushy.

Next comes the cheese. Grate your own or buy pre-grated to save you some time. Some may consider cheese an afterthought but with the right cheese you can elevate your pizza to something spectacular. Mozzarella is the a wonderful base cheese, but feel free to enhance with more flavorful Italian cheeses such as parmesan or fontina. Use smoked Gouda for a hickory flavor, pepper jack cheese for a bit of heat, or add fresh mozzarella to the top of the pizza for a creamy indulgence.

Traditional Italian pizzas are light on toppings...cheese, fresh tomato, fresh basil and a garlic make up the toppings for margarita pizza. If you like mushrooms, saute them first to reduce their water content. Combine cremini mushrooms (small brown ones, aka baby portabellos), thinly sliced onions and chopped garlic for a great vegetarian topping. Saute the mushrooms and onions until they have reduced in volume and the onions are soft and add fresh garlic at the end so as not to overcook it. Add sliced red or green bell peppers to the saute pan along with the onions and mushrooms for an additional flavor boost. Sausage should be cooked however pepperoni and salami can go straight onto the pizza.

TIP: GiftStashers, create a registry called Pizza and save choices there until you're ready to buy.