You pile wet toppings on pizza crust

THE RESULT: A soggy bottom.

THE FIX: The crust is undeniably one of the best parts of homemade pizza. To get the coveted golden-brown crust, you need to give pizza dough some love. There are two ways. The first option: Prebake the crust. This is helpful if you’re topping the pizza with particularly wet ingredients like fresh tomatoes that will release water as the pizza cooks. To prebake, roll out the dough onto a baking sheet and place it in a preheated oven for 2 to 3 minutes. This initial time in the oven seals the dough and prevents moisture from penetrating it. The second option: Place the pizza dough on a preheated baking sheet or pizza stone. The heat beneath the dough gives it a jump start in the oven, creating a brown rather than soggy crust. To preheat the pan, place it in the oven when you set the temperature. It’ll be ready to go when you are. Sprinkling the pan with cornmeal before the dough goes on is also helpful. Cornmeal stops the dough from sticking to the pan, reducing moisture absorption.