Pizza Dough

The Best Pizza Dough

I think cooking really great basics, like pizza, is far more rewarding than cooking a really complicated meal. I've tried dough recipes that require kneading and rising, but never got as good of a texture or flavor as with this recipe. Simple and delicious, win-win...

This pizza dough is a version of a Peter Reinhart recipe. There is no kneading and it’s very easy to make. It does require a little patience, after you mix the dough, it then sits in the fridge for three days. It takes me about 1/2 and hour to make 2 batches. After three days, I put the dough in the freezer (or make pizza). 
One batch makes 4 10 inch pizzas. 

Equipment: 
food processor
parchment paper
zip lock bags 

Ingredients: 
3 1/2 cups of bread flour
1 cup of whole wheat flour
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp yeast 
1 tsp sugar
1/4 cup olive oil
more olive oil for coating dough

 1. Add ice to 2 cups of water and set aside.

 2. Fit your food processor with a dough blade and add the following:

3 ½ cups bread flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 tsp salt

1 tsp yeast

1 tsp sugar

3. Mix to combine, then drizzle in ¼ cup of olive oil while the processor is running.

4. Continue running the food processor and drizzle in 1 ¾ cup of the ice water (ice removed). Don’t add the water too fast, or it will not mix evenly. When a ball forms in the bowl, you are done. The dough will be sticky, but if it is very sticky, add a tablespoon of flour and run the processor another minute. If the dough is dry, add a tablespoon of water and run the processor another minute or so.

5. Turn out the dough on a floured surface. Form it into a ball if it’s not fully formed into one. Cut into 4 pieces, and roll each into a ball. Cup your hand and add about 1 tsp of olive oil, then rub your hands together and pick up one ball, turning it your hand to coat evenly with oil. Repeat for the other three. If this seems like too much oil, work two of the balls at a time. Using parchment paper, (I like the non bleached kind that comes in individual sheets), roll up each piece, try to get most of the air out of each packet as you roll it, and fold the sides under to create square packets. Place these packets in a freezer bag and put in the fridge for 3 days.

6. On the 3^rd day, either put the dough in the freezer or use it to make pizza.

 

7. About an hour before you make pizza, take the dough out of the fridge and let it sit on the counter. You can leave the dough in the parchment packets until you are ready to use it. (Or remove it and gently form into rounds, flatten until about an inch thick, cover with a damp towel.)

8. Preheat the oven to 550 degrees or higher. Pizza stones are not a prerequisite for great pizza, but I highly recommend one. Place it in the top or bottom of the oven, closest to wherever your heat source is. If you don’t have a pizza stone, then make the pizza on a sheet pan.

9. Pour about ¼ c of oil into a small bowl and add a slightly crushed clove of garlic to it, set aside.

10. Unfold the parchment, sprinkle cornmeal on the top of the dough, gently unpeel it from the parchment. Turn it over and sprinkle cornmeal on the other side. Use more cornmeal to coat your hands to keep the dough from sticking to your hands. This dough is very stretchy, and may seem difficult to work with at first. But, it just requires a little practice, and even the practice pizzas will be delicious. Sprinkle a sheet pan or pizza board with cornmeal, and have close to your dough. Make your hands into two fists and let the dough fall over the top of them. If it doesn’t just fall, then it is still a little cold, but will still work. With your two fists together, rotate the right fist, gently working around the edge of the dough, stretching it into the shape you want it to be in. When it seems big enough, flop it down on the pizza board. It may need a little additional spreading at this point. Always handle the dough gently. 

11. Add your favorite toppings. These are my recommendations:

a. lightly brush the dough with the garlic olive oil before anything else goes on. (Any left over oil can be added to your salad dressing, minus the garlic.)

b. pizza sauce

c. fresh mozzarella, cut up into smallish pieces

d. fresh grated parmesan

e. natural pepperoni, sausage or prosciutto

f. one or two of your favorite veggies

Think less is more with pizza toppings. After lightly brushing the crust with olive oil, I lightly cover it with sauce-enough to still see the crust. Lightly dust with Parmesan, sprinkle a few veggies, a little meat, sprinkle on chunks of mozzarella and that’s it. (adding a little fresh basil right after taking the pizza from the oven is great too.)

12.  Transfer the pizza to the pre-heated pizza stone. A pizza board or peel makes getting the pizza onto a pizza stone really easy. It’s a little harder with a sheet pan to get it to slide off gracefully.

You may also pre-cook the dough for 2-3 minutes before putting anything on it. This ensures a well cooked crust (no doughy taste), but also makes the transfer to the pizza stone a lot easier, because the crust will hold it’s shape better. There is a very subtle difference in cooking the pizza this way. The crust seems to rise a little less in the oven, but it’s barely noticeable.

13. Cooking times will vary from oven to oven. I cook mine about 7 minutes before checking it. If you notice your oven cooking the pizza unevenly, then rotate halfway through the cooking time. Cook the pizza until the crust is browned. It will look almost over cooked before it’s done.

To see more of my work: http://www.smcintyre.com/