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I have been experimenting with thin crust pizza. I have it down pretty well but have one problem. When I use fresh bell pepper, mushrooms and onions I end up with too much juice which makes the crust soggy underneath. With this recipe I also use 4 kinds of cheese, meat and roasted diced tomato, but not a tomato sauce.

I bake the pizza at 450, I suppose I could go to 500 with a pizza stone under my pizza pan. I guess I could also go direct to the pizza stone but then would have to get into the whole pizza peal thing with a different crust. Really do not want to go there.

Any pizza wisdom out there?

Long

Long,

I'm reasonably successful in the oven and, despite my Chicago upbringing, prefer a thin crust. I'm still working on pizza on the BBQ to avoid all that heat in the kitchen in the summer.

A pizza stone is key and no reason you can't do a thin crust on one and they turn out great. I use 500 degrees but only because that's as hot as my oven gets and I put the stone in at that temp at least a 1/2 hour prior to cooking the pie. I use a little cornmeal under the crust and it slides right off with little effort.

I think if you go to this method then you won't have any moisture issues but if you want to try it without this you might try cutting up the peppers and onions and letting them rest on a paper towel to reduce the moisture a bit. Don't know what you could do with mushrooms though.

Allen

Saute them in advance

I too prefer a stone (I use unglazed quarry stone, much cheaper) for thin crust pizza. To battle the moisture problems, I roast my veggies first.

Do you pre-bake your crusts before you top them? When not using a stone, I give a crust 7 minutes in a 450 degree oven before topping and baking.

Best of luck. Few better "experiments" in the kitchen than perfecting pizza.

Mr. Longwinters

My pizza experience is, perhaps, less purposeful than yours, but maybe I can be of some help.

First off, I would say +1 to prebaking, and to the use of cornmeal to keep the crust from sticking. With the recipe my wife and I use, we prebake for about 12 minutes - but I suppose whatever works. I'm not convinced you need a pizza stone - we don't use one, and we get fine results (not to contradict the experience of the other posters - I'm sure their stones do a wondrous job - I just think that it can be done, if need be, without). As Frito Bandito mentioned, I think you may want to try pre-roasting your veggies (but it does change the flavor - pizza is one of the few dishes I prefer to have fresh, as opposed to sauted, mushrooms on).

If I was to contribute a new thought to the discussion, as I not sure I have yet, it would be that you might try (this would only work with a well pre-baked crust) cooking on a rack (like, say, a metal cooling rack with tightly spaced bars) instead of a pan - this might also help with the moisture problem, as moisture that 'leaked' through the crust would probably dry quickly, the bottom being more open to the hot air in the oven (this is mostly theoretical - although I think I recall doing a few frozen pizzas this way).

-Brendan

Do what the other are saying about the crust and all but have you tried waiting until the last 5 minutes or so to place the vegis on then? That's the way one shop around here makes theirs and it's some good stuff. Bake the pie, sauce, meat and cheese but pile on the vegis at the end. They get good and hot but stay crisp and no sogginess.

Thanks for the help guys. Lots of good experience and ideas.

Long

Does the pizza pan have holes in it? If not you are trapping moisture, which will likely create a soggy pizza. Everything else mentioned here by others is all good info as well. Main thing is not to make in advance but right before you put into a really hot oven. For that matter try cooking right on the rack using parchment paper if you like. Frankly, a pizza stone is the best investment you can make. It is good for all sorts of things and can be used on a propane or charcoal grill. I make mine on a Big Green Egg at 500 degrees. Nothing better than BBQ chicken pizza with cilantro, red onions, tomatoes and cheese. Use bbq sauce instead of pizza sauce.

So does anyone know the difference between a pizza and a guitar player?

A pizza can feed a family of four...

Funny....

Instead of a pan with holes you may want to look for a pizza screen. Many pizza joints use them and it's a lot easier to move the pie with a peel when it's on a screen. Here's an example and just for the record I know NOTHING about this seller. I'm just showing this as an example. There are plenty of them available on eBay. Theese work well for the thin crust lovers.
Two tricks to using a screen. Never push down on the dough when applying the sauce. You do not want to push the dough into the screen.
Carry it on a peel. If you lift the screen with out a peel before the pie hits the oven then don't let gavity force the dough into the screen. This can be an issue if your the sort that puts 5# of topping on your pie.

http://cgi.ebay.com/PIZZA-SCREEN-14-HEAVY-DUTY-Seamless-Construction_W0QQitemZ120416034189QQcmdZViewItemQQptZBI_Bakeware_Cookware?hash=item1c095add8d&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2%7C65%3A1%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318%7C301%3A0%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50

Agreed and that is actually what I was suggesting. I have several with multiple size openings. Either way if your pan does let steam escape the result is soggy whatever....just like popcorn. Even a stone is porous and allows steam to escape. Nice thing about the pizza pan with larger holes is you can use it for stir fry or grilling veges and fish on a grill. Also just realized you were using peppers, which contain a ton of moisture. Better to pre-roast and lay down a layer of cheese then toppings then another layer of cheese. Also. your better cheeses will contain more moisture. I have found placing my stone the fire at the exact time that I start making the pizza, which should not take more than 3 minutes, takes the moisture factor out. The longer that uncooked pizza sits the more apt you are to wind up with a soggy mass...Practice!!!!

Had the same problem with soggy pizza. Precooking the crust as others have added, helped the most. Also reduced the sauce by half.

With pizza stones, coarse cornmeal works the best. Pizza moves easy and it lets air between the stone and the pie.

Lots of good ideas here. I'd echo the idea of making sure that the veggies are really well drained. The other idea is to put the veggies on top of the cheese and not on bottom.

Dober

And the difference between a pizza and a drummer is that the pizza cannot only feed a famiily of four, but it can do so without being annoying.