Pizza Part I (updated)
When in doubt...eat pizza
Update: Check out Part II!
Evidently I have an obsession with pizza. I’ve made hundreds of versions over the years. Pizza on pita, Pizza on matzah, on mallawah dough…. And I’ve tried countless pizza recipes. After years of making and eating pizza, I’ve come to one basic conclusion; it all comes down to the dough. Close to 5 years ago a pizza shop I frequently visited closed down. If there was one thing I actually liked about their pizza was their dough. With the owner retiring I figured I have nothing to lose and set out to nudge, plead and shamelessly beg for the recipe. It took some convincing but with his retirement in the horizon I succeed.
The problem was it was all in percentages. 100% flour…1.8% salt…I placed the recipe on my desk and it haunted me for months. I regretted the day I made the decision in Eleventh grade for forgo Calculus. Yet the urge of having recipe took over and late one night I sat down with a calculator and broke down the recipe, bit by bit. Eureka! It was the best dough ever. Some tweaking was done and it was perfect. I then proceeded to tear up every pizza dough recipe I ever wrote down.
PIZZA DOUGH
Yields: 4 medium pizza pies
2 1/2 lb. white flour (or see note below *)
1 Tbsp salt
3 Tbsp sugar
1 package dry yeast (0.2 oz or 2 1/4 tsp.)
2 Tbsp oil
3 cups water
Place all the dry ingredients in mixer bowl and mix for 10 seconds. Add the water
and mix on low for 2 minutes. Add the oil and mix on low for 2 minutes. Turn the mixer to high for an additional 2 minutes.
Divide dough into 4 balls**. Coat each ball well with flour and cover. Let them rise 1 ½ hours.
You then can refrigerate it or freezing it by placing in individual plastic bags. (coat with flour again to reduce stickiness.) Bring to room temperature before using the dough.
Measuring flour:
* Weight and cup measurements of flour never equal each other. 8 cups of flour sifted is a lot less then 8 cups unsifted flour. If you have a kitchen scale, measure out 2 ½ lb. of flour. Otherwise, use 7 ½ Cup of unsifted flour. If your flour is freshly sifted pack your flour down. If you’re a beginner baker, add up to an additional ½ cup of flour. You’ll have a denser dough, but it will still taste quite good. If you are a more advanced baker, let the dough be sticky. Flour your hands well and flour your working surface well. You’ll be rewarded with an airy light dough.
** For the proper way to shape your dough, follow the directions below for an airtight ball:
With the dough in you hands, flatten it to small disk. Gather all corners into a pouch. Hold the dough so that the gathered edges are in your right hand and the rounded side is in your left. Keep rotating and pulling the corners until you have a seamless ball and no air pockets.
MAKING YOUR PIZZA
1 ball of prepared pizza dough
5-6 Tbsp of pizza sauce
6 handfuls of grated mozzarella or pizza cheese
Cornmeal
Using only your hands and plenty of flour (no rolling pin) stretch and pull the dough until you form a 12”-14” circle. Sprinkle cornmeal on baking paper and place the dough on top. Spread 5-6 Tbsp of pizza sauce on top. Sprinkle with 6 handfuls of pizza cheese, or more, to taste. Trim the edges of the baking paper, about 1 inch from the crust. Place the pizza with the baking paper, directly on the pizza stone.
Bake in a preheated oven at 475°F for 13 minutes. Check the crust for readiness (it should be golden brown).
Need a quick Pizza recipe?
My favorite quick version of Pizza these days is “lafa pizza”. Place a large lafa on a cookie sheet lined with baking paper. Spread pizza sauce or ketchup on the lafa. Sprinkle with cheese and your favorite toppings. Bake at 450F until its ready.
Lafah or Lafa is a large Iraqi pita that is of medium thickness, slightly chewy, doesn't tear easily. Mostly used to wrap shawarma or falafel in food stands.
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Photos by Dan Engongoro
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Comments (16)
WOW! You must be a true pizza lover. I want to start a community post devoted to pizza lovers.
Great Idea. Once you start it I'll add some tips for using a pizza stone. True pizza lovers only bake pizza with a stone.
You are not the only pizza lover out there. All my kids would rather eat homemade pizza than anything else. Love to get more ideas!
Fantastic idea. All my husband wants me to make is pizza. He'll eat it in any shape or form. I'm already bored of eating it so much. Would love some ideas to add some variety!!
This pizza recipe is A1, can you add the recipe for the garlic bread and pizza sauce. Share the wealth with everyone!
Ok, I'll put up Pizza Part 2!
"Life is like a pizza. Even when it's bad, it's good!"
If you're looking for a delicious gluten-free pie crust that's easy ... check out Bob's Red Mill's gluten-free pizza crust mix. It's easy and delicious. My husband, who isn't gluten-free, actually *prefers* it!
I love your website!
Now i know exactly how to do your pizzas all year 'round, instead of waiting for you to come for sucoss! it wont come out as good as yours but i will try...
If you are watching your weight or just want a gluten free pizza, try portabello pizzas. Clean large portabello, fill with favorite marinara or pizza sauce and top with shredded cheese. Can sprinkle on oregano, basil or any other herbs and bake.It even passed the kids test. My eleven yr old son loves it!
We've been making and eating your pizza recipe for almost a year now. We can't get enough of it. my kids who don't like chees love the galic bread. Just wanted to let people know that it's a great idea to make pizza dough after you make challah and your mixer is out anyways.
We love home made pizza. But I'm lazy and make it in my bread machine. It makes it so much easier. I've just been trying to figure out how not to use too much whole wheat because it makes it heavy and hard to work with.
My kids love making their own pies.
Try adding a bit more oil. It might help. Or use half ww and half all purpose flour.
Hint from a pizzeria -- add a little oregano and black pepper to your dough!
Hmmmm tnites dinner was a hit with thoose pizza pies! Thx!
thecookbooklook, we're glad you enjoyed it. Would you rate the recipe so others know http://bit.ly/vMcGei