Why Don't Italians Make Pizza at Home: The Role of Oven and Bread Making

Italians, just like anyone else who loves pizza, face similar challenges when attempting to recreate the perfect pizzeria-style pizza at home. The main hurdles often revolve around achieving the ideal dough and oven conditions. In this article, we will explore why Italians, and many others for that matter, might choose to buy pizza from pizzerias rather than making it at home.

Bread Making and Pizza Dough Preparation

One of the primary issues faced by home cooks trying to make pizza lies in the bread-making process. Unlike in pizzerias, which use special wood-burning ovens that can reach temperatures of over 480°F (250°C), home ovens typically don't reach such high temperatures. This makes creating the right texture and taste of pizza dough extremely challenging, especially when faced with the additional hurdle of removing the dough from the oven just as it's ready.

Italian households often rely on premade pizza dough, sauce, and low-moisture mozzarella to compensate for the lack of a professional-grade oven. These commercial products are purchased because they provide a reasonably good taste and texture to their pizzas. For example, my mom would use premade pizza dough, sauce from a can, and a block of low-moisture mozzarella to quickly assemble and bake a home-style pizza in the usual kitchen oven.

Using a Home Oven to Simulate a Professional Oven

While many might argue that it's impossible to match the quality of a pizzeria at home, it is possible to approximate the results with some creative baking techniques. One method is to use a baking stone, which can be heated to very high temperatures, allowing the crust to develop a more charred and crispy texture. Baking the pizza on a preheated stone, and then using a broiler for the final stages, can help achieve a similar result to that of a wood-burning oven.

For example, heating a baking stone on the top rack of my oven at its highest temperature for at least half an hour ensures that the stone is sufficiently hot. When it comes time to bake the pizza, I simply slide it onto the stone and switch the oven to the broiler. This technique can work surprisingly well, though it may not reach the exact conditions of a pizzeria.

The Importance of Leavening and Proper Baking Time

The leavening process is another critical factor in achieving the right texture and taste of pizza dough. Chemical yeast, often used in commercial products, can sometimes impart a bad flavor. For homemade pizza dough, using natural leavening methods is recommended, especially if you have the time. This can involve letting the dough rest for several hours, which allows for proper leavening and a more authentic taste.

Proper baking conditions are essential for a great pizza. Ideally, the pizza should be baked on a preheated hot surface, with exceptional irradiated power coming from the top and sides. While a wood oven is preferred, these conditions can be approximated in a home oven using techniques like baking stones and broilers. However, even with these techniques, many home ovens struggle to meet the required temperature and power levels, making it difficult to achieve the same results as a professional pizzeria.

Conclusion

While Italians can certainly make pizza at home, the traditional pizzeria-style pizza is not necessarily achievable without the right equipment and conditions. The use of premade dough, sauces, and cheeses helps in achieving a reasonable approximation of the taste and texture. Furthermore, the proper combination of a preheated stone and broiler can help simulate the best conditions for baking.

Nevertheless, homemade pizza is still a viable alternative, especially if you enjoy the process of baking bread and experimenting with different toppings. So, while the perfect pizzeria pizza may be difficult to replicate at home, it is certainly possible to enjoy a delicious homemade pizza with a bit of effort and the right techniques.