piece of pepperoni pizza
  1. Bake at a high temperature. I bake my pizzas at 500°F. A high temperature causes the gas trapped inside the dough to expand very quickly, creating a light and fluffy crust.
  2. Preheat oven for longer. Preheating for at least 30 minutes ensures it’s super hot throughout.
  3. Use a pizza stone or pizza steel. (I prefer a pizza steel over a stone, it just does a better job.) When the pizza is baked on a hot stone or steel, the dough starts cooking immediately, similar to what happens in a traditional brick pizza oven. The pizza cooks faster, in about 8 minutes, and the light and fluffy crust is golden and crisp on the outside. Preheat your stone or steel in the oven for the entire preheat time so it’s very hot.
  4. Finish under the broiler if needed. If you’d like even more browning, turn on the broiler for the last minute of cooking. Watch that it doesn’t burn!

I share even more tips for homemade pizza here: How to Make Pizza at Home: Your Ultimate Guide