It’s pizza night, and tonight you want to try something new; something that includes all of your favorite toppings – the supreme pizza.
You probably want to make one yourself this time instead of ordering from your local pizzeria, and perhaps you are now wondering, what is on a supreme pizza?
Well, in general, a supreme pizza contains pepperoni, sausage, olives, onions, and green peppers. It blends all of these toppings to create one delicious pie for both meat lovers and veggie lovers. It’s a great option for when you need a crowd-appeasing pizza.
To Order or Make Your Own Supreme Pizza?
That’s totally up to you. You can either order a supreme pizza from your usual pie joint or prepare it at home. Having it delivered is an option many of us would prefer, simply because it saves us time and the hassle of having to know what toppings go where.
But honestly, making one from scratch is a delight you will never forget. And this is not just because you get to save some bucks; it’s also because you get to choose the toppings yourself and make it your own.
What Toppings Go On a Supreme Pizza?
Like most pizzas, a supreme pizza will feature shredded mozzarella cheese and the standard pizza sauce. In between, however, you will find:
1. Sliced Pepperoni
Pepperoni is a dried, cured, spiced sausage usually made from pork or beef. If you are a meat lover, you will definitely love a touch of pepperoni on your pizza. It adds a certain kind of spiciness to the pie, without overwhelming the eater.
Since it is processed with spices, salt, and lactic acid, using pepperoni on your pizza adds a salty, spicy, tangy flavor to it. Some of the spices used to cure pepperoni include sugar, salt, and garlic powder, but these can change from brand to brand.
You can freeze pepperoni as a step in preparing it. This will not only make it easier to slice but also ensure it stays fresh and longer.
Whole or sliced pepperoni can be obtained from any supermarket in the meat section, butcher shops, or specialty meat shops.
Check both in the refrigerated and in the regular store aisles; since pepperoni is cured, it doesn’t necessarily need refrigeration, hence some stores will just have it on normal shelves.
2. Italian Sausage
Today, most of the sausages we find in the grocery store are labeled as “Italian” to describe the process or the ingredients used to make the product, in spite of being made in a location other than Italy.
Usually,Italian Sausage is made from spiced ground pork, fennel seeds, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. It is this combination that gives the sausage its unmatched flavor and character.
Like pepperoni, Italian Sausage is another add-on that makes supreme pizza great. To use it on your pizza, however, you must slice and cook it first. Cooking your sausage before use is important and this is because pizzas usually take very little time to bake.
So if you throw in raw meat like Italian sausage, your pizza will cook before the sausage cooks well. Increasing the time the pizza stays in the oven will not help much because you may end up burning the pizza.
3. Sliced Onions
Now that we have enough meat on the pizza, let’s add some veggies and the first item on the list will be chopped onions. Any variety will do, whether it’s red, white, or yellow.
However, raw onions cannot withstand the fierce, dry heat of the oven and will burn and get crunchy a few minutes after they are exposed to such heat. This is because onions trap their moisture within their cell walls.
Given that your pizza will only take a short time to cook, the onion cells might not break down sufficiently to release the moisture needed to prevent them from burning.
Sauteing the chopped onion before using it as a pizza topping may help jumpstart the breakdown and hasten the moisture releasing process.
But this will mean cooking the onions in oil and butter, which will generally change their taste and texture. And that’s just like adding a different topping altogether.
So, how can you avoid this, you may ask?
Toss your onion slices with a mixture of salt and sugar in the ratio of 1 teaspoon of salt to 2 teaspoons of sugar. Since these two ingredients suck water from the onion cells, the onion will be able to retain its raw flavor and crunch throughout the baking period.
4. Sliced Green Pepper
Green peppers and supreme pizza go hand in hand like camping and marshmallows. You can’t leave them out if you hope to produce a delicious, savory pie.
But to get the best results, you must prepare them right. Remember, green peppers contain high water content that can make the crust soggy.
For this reason, it is recommended that you cook them a bit before placing them on the pizza. Some people even let their pizza cook first before adding green pepper topping to avoid excess moisture.
Also, green peppers, especially those fresh from the garden, have been found to overpower other topping ingredients. To prevent this, you can roast them until soft and sweet or sauté little dice in a pan.
5. Diced Black Olives
Black olives make a fantastic topping for supreme pizzas. You can use green olives if you want, but black olives are preferred in pizzas and salads due to their high oil content. You will love their tangy taste, especially when combined with other ingredients.
You can get fresh black olives from your local grocery store. If you wish to sample different varieties, check the olive bar. But if the store doesn’t have an olive bar, just grab a few cans from the shelf. Drain, dry, and chop your olives before using them as pizza toppings.
To Cook or Not to Cook Your Supreme Pizza Toppings?
While most of the toppings used for supreme pizza can just be sliced up and added to the pizza before cooking, there are some that must be cooked first to ensure better flavor and texture.
Pizza usually takes very little time to bake and this bake time is actually meant to melt the cheese and crisp the dough. Precooking your toppings helps everything cook better within the short baking window to guarantee the best results.
Here are a few things to remember in regard to precooking and preparing your toppings:
- Treat each topping separately. Season and cook it properly before adding it to the rest of the toppings. Precooking everything together may have some shortcomings because some ingredients cook faster than others.
- Consider how each ingredient enhances your pizza. Some will add flavor, others will add texture, and some will give your pizza a color pop. Knowing this, you will be able to determine how long you want each topping to cook to get the best out of it.
- Cook meaty ingredients well. If for instance, the Italian sausage you are using for your supreme pizza is made of raw ground pork, it is important to ensure the sausage is completely precooked to avoid foodborne diseases.
- Make sure all canned or cooked vegetables are well-drained and completely dry before adding them as pizza toppings.
- Vegetables with high water content should be roasted or precooked to avoid adding sogginess to your pizza.
How Do You Get the Most Out of Your Homemade Supreme Pizza?
For starters, you don’t need the exact ingredients we have listed here. If there is something else you would like to include in your pizza, there is no crime in adding it. Just don’t overdo it. The dough will not bake properly if there is too much topping.
One of the advantages of making your own pizza at home is that you can customize it however you like. And don’t worry if you don’t have much time to make your dough. You can buy premade dough from your local grocery store and all you will have to worry about is adding the toppings.
To reduce hands-on effort, you can have your toppings prepped ahead of time. For the veggies especially, you can slice them all one day and store them in the freezer. That way, you will have enough supply of toppings for each day you want pizza.
Now, are you ready to make your very first supreme pizza? This video will take you through the basic steps.
The Takeaway
Supreme pizza is a great way to grace your pizza night. Whether you are buying yours from the local pizzeria or baking it at home, you will have a memorable meal for you and your loved ones.
If you decide to have a homemade supreme pizza, however, make sure to get the right ingredients, and importantly, ensure that those that need precooking have been cooked properly. And do not add too much topping or your crust won’t cook.
Barbara is an enthusiastic food-exploring person that goes through different culinary experiences. She got inspired by creating a pizza blog post after she tasted one of the best-selling pizzas in Toledo.