Make the Best Pizza at Home

What is it about summer that seems to go so well with fresh, homemade pizza? As the city heats up, New Yorkers from all walks of life beat the heat by enjoying long afternoons indoors (and preparing delicious homemade snacks). With help from Coletta, get through the dog days in style and make the best pizza at home!

While it is hard to achieve restaurant-quality pizza at home, it is far from an impossible task. By following a few of these easy tips to make the best pizza at home, you can elevate your homemade pizza into something truly spectacular. 

For inspiration, check out the menu at Coletta. We use only the freshest ingredients in our pizzas, taking advantage of worldwide flavors to create the most creative options possible. Come to our Gramercy Park location to sample the flavors for yourself, or place an order online. 

Tips for the Best Pizza at Home

Without the benefit of expert experience, it is all too easy to make homemade pizza that comes out soggy, bland, and unappetizing. To create the best overall impact, read on and find out some of our tips for making pizza at home! 

Preheat your Oven

To achieve that crispy, crunchy foundation for your pizza crust, it needs to be immediately cooked at a high temperature. Save yourself from a bland, boring crust by preheating your oven!

Cooking your pizza can be a delicate balance; if the temperature is too intense, you risk burning the toppings without actually cooking the trust. With low temperatures, however, you’ll fail to get that ideal crunchy bottom. Though a brick oven is the best way to prepare a pizza crust, you can recreate that effect at home by preheating your oven to 475 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Use a Pizza Stone

At Coletta, we make use of a custom-made brick oven to heat every pizza quickly, efficiently, and to the highest quality of flavor. Most New York apartments do not have the space for such an elaborate set-up, but you can come close with help from a pizza stone.

Pizza stones are large, flat surfaces designed to trap and conduct heat. Typically ceramic, these stones crisp up the bottom of the pizza crust while helping them cook more evenly. Best of all, there’s no need to store these heavy stones when not in use; because they are so good at trapping heat, these stones can stay in the oven, helping you regulate your temperatures even when introducing cold items for cooking!

When shopping around for a pizza stone, keep an eye out for one with pre-drilled holes in the bottom. These extra spaces allow for greater airflow, resulting in an even crispier crust. 

Precook Vegetable Toppings

When taking advantage of the high temperatures of a brick oven, pizza chefs can cook veggies quickly, toasting them almost instantly. Unfortunately, it is difficult to achieve that effect at home; without help from a brick oven, veggies all too often leave a pizza soggy and damp. To make the most of your toppings, roast them beforehand.

By cooking your toppings at a low temperature before adding them to your pizza, you remove the excess moisture that would otherwise soak into your crust. Now, when you pop your pizza in the oven, your veggies will get toasty and blackened rather than simply going limp.

Innovative Flavors at Coletta 

Homemade pizza can be a fun and delicious way to pass the afternoon, but it is impossible to beat the flavor of a professionally made, brick oven pizza. For the best brick oven pizza in Gramercy Park, look no further than Coletta!

At Coletta, we make use of fresh, vegan ingredients to bring big flavors on a bite-sized scale. Sample flavors inspired by both Italian classics and new tastes altogether! Choose from among:

• Fig jam and “prosciutto” pizza, with a burst of fresh figs, homemade jam, “prosciutto,” baby arugula, evoo, “parmesan,” and a drizzle of aged balsamic
• Classic Margherita pizza, made with our housemade tomato sauce, fresh basil, “mozzarella,” evoo, and a sprinkling of toasted pine nuts.
• Wild mushroom truffle pizza, with seared wild mushrooms, truffle oil, caramelized cipollini onions, lemon “ricotta,” fresh rosemary, crema, and red chili to add a hint of spice.
• Buffalo chick’n pizza, topped with buttermilk fried chick’n, buffalo sauce, shaved celery, and blue “cheese” crema
• Classic “pepperoni” pizza, made with our own housemade sauce, “pepperoni” slices, fresh oregano, and “mozzarella”

 

Our entire menu is fully vegan and kosher certified, with amazing gluten-free options as well. With inclusive menu choices like these, every guest can guarantee they will leave the table happy and fully satisfied with their meal!

Join us at our Gramercy Park location for a special vegan dining experience. As you eat, you’ll be inspired by the gorgeous murals and vintage, floral details designed by Studio RB. For an easy, at-home meal, take advantage of our pickup and delivery options.