Perfecting Homemade Pizza with High Heat & Olive Oil (Plus a Recipe)

We’re hugs fans of pizza, and recently we came across a great article at The Kitchn giving readers a tip on how to make it best: crank the oven as hot as it will go. We tried it, and we love it! The crust comes out bubbly in spots, while just barely charred in others—just like you’d expect a pizza from a brick oven at a restaurant.

We have one more tip to add to this: coat your entire pizza dough lightly with olive oil before you add on any toppings—crust areas included. The olive oil helps to seal in the moisture on the dough, especially if you’re cooking it at temps as high as around 550°F in the oven.

What type of olive oil to brush on? It depends on what toppings you’re putting on the pizza. We came up with this rustic Italian pizza that calls for our Basil Parmesan Dipping Oil. First, we rolled out a pizza dough very thinly, then brushed the whole thing with our Basil Parmesan Dipping Oil. Next, a very thin layer of good quality tomato sauce goes over the surface. Then, we tossed sliced Roma tomatoes and thickly sliced garlic cloves in more of the olive oil, and scattered the mixture over the pizza. Finally, we topped it with a smattering of mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses and baked it up.

Ready to try it for yourself? The results are incredible!

Ingredients

• 1 batch unbaked pizza dough

• 5 tablespoons Basil Parmesan Dipping Oil, divided

• 2 tablespoons good quality tomato sauce

• 1 medium Roma tomato, thinly sliced

• 3 cloves garlic, peeled, thickly sliced

• Sea salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes, to taste

• ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 550°F. On a lightly floured surface, roll out pizza dough to a very thin circle, about 1/8-inch thick. Brush lightly all over with 2 tablespoons Basil Parmesan Dipping Oil. Place on pizza stone or round baking sheet.
2. Spread tomato sauce thinly over surface of pizza.
3. Toss tomatoes and garlic in remaining 3 tablespoons Basil Parmesan Dipping Oil. Scatter evenly over pizza. Top with cheeses.
4. Bake until pizza is golden and bubbly, about 10 to 12 minutes. Watch carefully to avoid burning. Serve immediately.