3 Big Reasons to Make Pizza at Home According to a Chef Who Used to Work for Domino's

As you know if you’ve been here for any length of time, one of my refrains is: Pizza is not recipes. Pizza is process.
 
That simple thought is essential to understanding what it takes to make a great pizza at home.
 
Well, I’ve just been upstaged by a quick-thinking kitchen pro with a Masters in Business Administration, a PhD in natural medicine, and an affinity for pizza.

Let’s face it: For my 20 years of pizza, I’ve been flying by the seat of my pants. This PhD person has vast, actual professional experience—yet the tiny overlap on our Venn diagram is potent.
 
I met this dynamic pro at the International Pizza Expo & Conference in Las Vegas.
 
 
She was conducting a seminar in “Bringing Global Flavors to Your Menu.”
 
I’ve always thought I was progressive in my ideas for flavors on pizza.
 
Borrowing a page from the late, great Ed Ladue, whose pizza R&D put California Pizza Kitchen and Wolfgang Puck on the world map of pizza, I’ve been willing to try things that some think are outlandish.
 
And then came Chef Dr. Junnie Lai, MBA. (She does not use all those titles simultaneously, but I can’t help myself.)

ABOVE: Chef Junnie Lai, MBA, PhD of Global Cuisine Consulting LLC. She knows a lot--pizza included. 

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In Las Vegas, Dr. Junnie was standing there behind the stainless-steel countertop in the Pizza Expo demo area, daring us in the audience to consider things about pizza flavors that were outside the box.
 
For example?
 
 
One word: Tenkasu.
 
You might know Tenkasu as “tempura flakes.” They’re little, crunchy, savory bits of deep-fried tempura batter.
 
In her demo, Dr. Junnie used tempura flakes as just one element on a pork-rib pizza that had me thinking…
 
I’ve been doing this wrong.
 
Hello, textural elements!
 
 
The focus on both texture and Asian-inspired components is unsurprising here.
 
Among Dr. Junnie’s myriad professional  credentials, this woman has worked for Domino’s in new product development for Malaysia (her home country) and Singapore.
 
It makes sense that there’s pizza there, especially Domino’s.
 
That region is one of the world’s great crossroads of commerce. And where the international money goes, pizza follows.
 
The Malacca Strait handles about 60% of global international trade. I was once there for a couple of weeks. That was long enough to experience a dynamic and vibrant, cross-cultural landscape of cuisine.
 
 
Example: the breakfast buffet in our Kuala Lumpur hotel.
 
It was like a United Nations of breakfast staples.
 
There were dishes representing a dozen different countries—most of which I’d never experienced.
 
Many of them I’d never even heard of.
 
The gigantic breakfast I assembled from all those different foods was crazy.
 
It was like an international incident on a plate.
 
But I digress.
 
 
I suspected there was more to learn about pizza from Dr. Junnie.
 
With professional experience in the most commercial of corporate pizzas; several culinary certifications from CIA; undergraduate study in health sciences; and advanced degrees both in business and in traditional Chinese medicine (boy, do I feel like a slacker now), this woman was going to have a distinctive take on things.
 
And since we here at Free The Pizza focus on making pizza at home, especially in a standard home oven, I decided to get on the phone with Chef Dr. Junnie.
 
I wanted to ask her a question that seemed way too simple.
 
 
I said, “What are three important reasons to make your own pizza at home?”
 
She thought about it. You could almost hear the gears turning as she considered this. That she didn’t hang up on me right away is gratifying.
 
Finally, she replied.
 
“Eating is more than just nourishment.
 
“It’s an experience.
 
“And when you take it one step further, by preparing and cooking your own food, that experience deepens in a way that can’t be replicated.
 
“Making pizza at home is one of the simplest and most meaningful ways to connect with that process.”
 
 
Alrighty! I am a sucker for demystifying process.
 
I’ve always found process fascinating. It might be because it helps illuminate otherwise oblique instructions. Instead of "just doing it," knowing WHY you’re doing it makes you better at it.
 
For example: A pivotal moment for me was learning how thermal mass makes great pizza possible.
 
That simple concept helped me understand why all the pizza recipes I’d tried prior to having a baking stone were miserable failures.
 
(Thanks, every alleged pro who assured me an upside-down cookie sheet was the answer to my pizza problem!)
 
But all that is old news. Now, in one brief thought, my refrain of “pizza is process” had been outclassed.
 
By the dictum of Dr. Junnie, the first reason you should be making pizza at home is simple.
 
 
REASON #1: “You appreciate food on a deeper level.”
 
I can’t disagree with that. I just wish I’d thought to say it. Good thing Dr. Junnie did.
 
She continued, “When you make pizza from scratch, you begin to understand that its synergy is multilayered. It starts with the dough.
 
“Something as simple as flour, water, salt and yeast can create completely different flavor profiles depending on how long the dough is fermented.
 
“A slow fermentation brings depth, aroma and character. You begin to taste time itself.”
 
While it might seem metaphorical, you really can “taste time” in how it develops a flavorful pizza crust.
 
It’s one of the reasons almost every dough I make undergoes a 72-hour cold ferment.
 
It just tastes better. As one of my regular pizza guests said to me, “You’ve ruined me for all other pizza.”
 
 
Dr. Junnie continues, “Then comes the sauce.
 
“You can go classic with a tomato base, or explore beyond—like cream sauce, pesto, or even something unexpected like mashed potatoes or hummus.
 
“Each choice shifts the entire personality of the pizza.”
 
It’s funny. I’ve seen people’s horrified reactions to a pizza I make with mashed potatoes. Those people can get almost violent.
 
Meanwhile, potato is a common topping in Italy. One of Rome’s classic street foods is a white pizza with potato slices and rosemary.
 
And one of my elder relatives, a very smart guy in his 80s, is a big fan of the mashed potato apizza at the world-famous pizza joint in New Haven known as BAR. (Keep trying new things, friends. Novelty is good for your head.)
 
 
“Next is the layering of toppings and cheese.”
 
“While mozzarella may be the most common cheese, once you start experimenting with blends—adding sharper, creamier, or more aged cheeses—you discover entirely new dimensions of flavor.
 
“This is when you realize… pizza isn’t just one thing.
 
“It’s a composition.
 
“I remember being just 7 years old, already drawn to cooking and baking. There was something fascinating about watching simple ingredients come together and transform into something delicious."
 
There is something delightful about the image of a 7-year-old version of Chef Dr. Junnie Lai, MBA experiencing epiphany in the kitchen.
 
But there’s something else, too. Something important and persistent.  
 
 
One again, we have the “T” word!
 
Watching simple ingredients “transform into something delicious.”
 
This happens repeatedly. Pizza people are often captivated by transformation.
 
Peter Reinhart even discusses it in his TED Talk about baking bread with spent grains from breweries. In the transcript of his 15-minute presentation, some version of the word “transform” appears 18 times.
 
And in his book, Pizza Camp, Joe Beddia of nationally famous Pizzeria Beddia in Philadelphia says of making pizza at home, “It’s best when your oven has a window and a light for watching the bake. I like to watch.”
 
Transformation is captivating.
 
But I just interrupted Dr. Junnie, who was only 7 years old and already fascinated by “watching simple ingredients come together and transform into something delicious.”
 
This was a pivotal moment for her, it seems.
 
 
“It builds respect for food, and a deeper awareness of what you’re actually eating.”
 
I concur.
 
I’ve been cooking most of my life.
 
But I’ve never had more respect for the process and the ingredients than when I began making pizza.
 
It’s easy to become fascinated by the transformation of simple pizza components in combination.
 
It’s also difficult to understand the power of transformation until you initiate it yourself—and then witness what happens when serving it in your home at your own table.
 
Homemade pizza even has a transformative effect on the people you serve it to.
 
We could blame it on the dopamine rush. But I like to think it’s more than that.
 
And I suspect Dr. Junnie does, too. Because…
 
 
REASON #2, “The process becomes the experience. Cooking isn’t just about the final dish—it’s about the journey.
 
Dr. Junnie raises the bar yet again.
 
“Kneading and stretching dough, spreading sauce, choosing toppings…
 
“These small actions create a rhythm. They slow you down. They bring you into the present moment.
 
“For me, the process of cooking is also a time to decompress.
 
 
“It feels like stepping into a playground—where I get to create, explore, and make something delicious with my own hands.”
 
(I admit, I often find time in the middle of my day to interrupt my work flow by making a pizza. Of course, if your work includes making cookbooks, sometimes you rationalize it by calling it R&D.)
 
Junnie says, “When I was growing up, the kitchen was never quiet. My grandmother, my aunt, my parents…everyone would gather around. There were always opinions, suggestions, and yes—sometimes criticism.
 
“But now, I realize those weren’t interruptions.
 
“They were moments of togetherness.
 
“Cooking became the reason we gathered—unplanned, unstructured, but deeply connected.”
 
 
I don’t have kids, but I do have friends who love pizza.
 
I’ve done pizza nights where a bunch of us all gather in the kitchen.
 
I will have already made dough, and sauce and shredded the cheese.
 
Everyone brings a pizza topping.
 
Alcohol might even be involved.
 
We assemble pizzas—and magic happens.
 
The transformation occurs yet again, and with it comes fascination.
 
Just assembling pizzas—combining mundane ingredients and seeing them transformed into discs of joy—becomes thrilling to everyone in the room.
 
I’ve never been exactly sure why.
 
But I suspect Dr. Junnie has one possible explanation.
 
 
As she just said, “Cooking became the reason we gathered—unplanned, unstructured, but deeply connected.”
 
Makes sense.
 
The excitement is unlike any other I’ve experienced.
 
Which brings us to the “sensible” part of the conversation.
 
The adult part.
 
But where there’s still a little magic involved.
 
Here now, the third reason (with no apologies to the Burger King of 1974…)
 
 
 
REASON #3: “You Control Quality, Health, and Flavor—Your Way”
 
Ah-ha.
 
Have it your way.
 
“One of the biggest advantages of making pizza at home is the freedom to choose exactly what goes on it.
 
“You can use ingredients you truly love—whether it’s a rich heirloom tomato sauce, slowly caramelized onions, or delicate slices of prosciutto.
 
“At the same time, you can be more health-conscious.
 
“You control the salt. You choose cleaner ingredients. You add more vibrant, delicious vegetables.
 
“And perhaps the most underrated luxury?”
 
 
This is a big one and deceptively simple—and I believe it’s why people are astonished at how great pizza tastes coming out of a seemingly pedestrian home oven.
 
Ready?
 
Dr. Junnie defines this luxury accordingly: “You get to eat that pizza fresh and hot, right out of the oven--
 
“The crust is perfectly crisp.
 
“The cheese is just melted.
 
“And every bite is at its peak.
 
“That’s something no delivery box can replicate.”
 
Wow. Yeah. I hate to say this because it seems to disparage an entire industry (that’s not the intent) but I have to go there. Ready?
 
 
The Pizza Box is the death of a great pizza.
 
An expert pizzaiolo takes a hot and freshly transformed artisan pizza from the ripping-hot oven and dumps it inside a cardboard box.
 
He closes the lid, and transforms the pizza yet again.
 
Inside that box, the pizza sits in its own steam, and cools for as much as an hour before it arrives at your front door.
 
Cold.
 
Maybe you reheat it. That can give back some of its life.
 
But mostly, people eat that pizza cold and squishy.
 
So it goes.
 
By the reasoning of Chef Dr. Junnie MBA, you get the most desirable and possibly the healthiest pizza when you control it inside your kitchen.
 
I don’t disagree.
 
Now listen to your doctor.
 
 
Thanks very much to Dr. Junnie Lai for playing. She’s is the author of Discovering Your Body Constitution: An Introduction to Personalized Living.
 
You can find out more about the good doctor by visiting her Global Cuisine Consulting website. 
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