I have been homebaking breads and pizza doughs for a few years but I'm stuck. It seems that the ingredients available to the "home baker" are much more limited than for commercial places (well--we sure buy less quantity).
What have people found to be best sources for home baking pizza ingredients? Flour? Most importantly: cheese? Amazingly, best I've found is Walmart shredded cheese (any variety--mozz, colby jack, cheddar), but I feel so generic doing that. I have been using KA Flour--wheat, bread, APF as well as Sir Lancelot.
What kind of cheese should I be using? Where have people found good cheese sources? Thanks in advance
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There used to be a farm in Vermont that made cheese and yogurt from imported water buffalo but they have closed down...
Personally, I'm not a big fan of Walmart's shredded cheese, and I seek out Sargento's whenever possible for pizza. I like to use their part skim mozz, either in a block or preshreded. Both work well. The moisture level is low enough that I don't get pizza with puddles on it plus I think it browns well and tastes good. I have used 'house brand' cheese from Hannaford's, Market Basket and Walmart and I just am not happy with the browning or flavor. To each their own though. It's all preference.
If I'm planning to make a lot of pizza I will buy a block of their mozz which I will shred myself and blend with some other cheeses, like provolone, perorino, etc.
If I want to do Margarita style pizza I will buy the fresh mozz you find near the deli in ball form floating in brine. I then slice it and lay it out between towels (paper or cloth) and use a plate or other light weight to get a good bit of moisture out.
I really hate those murky puddles on pizza :)
I'm not connected to Sargento at all.. just a fan of their cheeses.
Robert
IMO, it's completely a matter of personal preference. In my case, I tend to use different cheeses and combinations depending on the other toppings. As a couple of simple examples, if I'm making a pepperoni-only pizza, I usually go with mozzarella, but I prefer cheddar on my bacon-only ones. In general, pairings that eat well together are likely to work on pizzas, like ham and swiss, figs and blue, etc., etc. Also, the more loaded a pizza is, the more inclined I am just to use whatever basic types I have handy since the cheese will tend to be a smaller part of the overall flavor.
Other than goat cheese, mozzarella is the easiest cheese to make.