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Recipes => Recipes => Baker's Corner => Topic started by: smokendevo on January 12, 2014, 08:41:12 PM

Title: So you want to make Pizza, you need to start with a good crust
Post by: smokendevo on January 12, 2014, 08:41:12 PM
I been reading Artisan Breads Every Day - by Peter Reinhart's In the book he has some good recipes for pizza dough. Thought I would share his recipes as there are more and more of us making Pizzas.  ;)

Neo-Neopolitan Pizza Dough
Pizzerias have long known the value of overnight, delayed fermentation, and I’ve written about this extensively in American Pie: My Search for the Perfect Pizza, as well as in other books. After teaching hundreds of pizza and focaccia classes around the country and assessing the relative benefits of the many versions of pizza dough that I wrote about in other books, I’m including and updating the most popular versions here.
This recipe is a variation of the neo-Neapolitan dough I introduced in Amercian Pie. I recommend making individual size pizzas, because the heat in home ovens simply isn’t sufficient to do a good job on larger pizzas. This dough will keep for up to 4 days in the refrigerator or for months in the freezer; just be sure to move it from the freezer to the refrigerator the day before you need it, so it can thaw slowly, then treat it like refrigerated dough. Both the sugar and the oil in this formula are optional. If you leave them out, you have a Napoletana dough (though not a true pizza Napoletana dough unless you  use  Italian  “00”  flour, which is softer and more  extensible than American flour and does not require as much water). However, in my pizza classes across the country, this version, which is similar to the dough used at some of the top American  pizzerias (such as Frank Pepe’s, Sally’s, Totonno’s, and Lombardi’s), always gets the most votes for favorite.
5⅓ cups (24 oz / 680 g) unbleached bread flour
2   teaspoons (0.5 oz / 14 g) salt, or 1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt 1 teaspoon (0.11 oz / 3 g) instant yeast
2 tablespoons (1 oz / 28.5 g) sugar, or 1½ tablespoons honey or agave nectar (optional)
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons (17 oz / 482 g) water, at room temperature
2 tablespoons (1 oz / 28.5 g) olive oil (optional)

DO AHEAD    

Combine all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl. If using a mixer, use the paddle attachment and mix on the lowest speed for 1 minute. If mixing by hand, use a large spoon and stir for about 1 minute, until well blended. The dough should be coarse and slightly sticky. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes to fully hydrate the flour.
Switch to the dough hook and mix on medium-low speed, or continue mixing by hand, for 2 to 3 minutes, until the dough is smoother but still soft, supple, and somewhere between tacky and sticky.
Spread 1 teaspoon of olive oil on a work surface, then use a bowl scraper to transfer the dough to the oiled surface. Rub your hands with the oil on the work surface, then stretch and fold the dough one time, reaching under the front end of the dough, stretching it out, then folding it back onto the top of the dough. Do this from the back end and then from each side, then flip the dough over and tuck it into a ball. Divide the dough into 5 equal pieces, each weighing about 8 ounces (227 g). Form each piece into a ball, then place each into a separate sandwich- size freezer bag misted with spray oil. (Or, if you have room in the refrigerator, you can form the dough into tight balls and refrigerate them on a pan, as described below.) Seal the bag and refrigerate overnight or for up to 4 days, or in the freezer for several months.

ON BAKING DAY    

About 90 minutes before you plan to bake the pizzas, place the desired number of dough balls on a lightly oiled work surface. With oiled hands, stretch and round each piece into a tight ball, then place them on a pan that’s been lightly oiled (preferably with olive oil).

Loosely cover with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature until ready to bake.
About 1 hour before baking the pizzas, preheat the oven  and  a baking stone as high as the oven will go.  If  you  don’t  have  a  pizza stone, you can assemble the pizzas on baking sheets covered with parchment paper and bake them on the pans. While the oven is preheating, prepare your cheeses, sauce, and toppings.
When ready to assemble and bake, put about 1 cup (4.5 oz / 128 g) of flour in a bowl. Use some of it to dust the work surface, your hands, and the peel, if you have one. Put one of the pizza dough balls in the flour to coat the bottom. Transfer to the work surface and gently tap it down with your fingers to form a disk. Slide the backs of your hands under the dough, then lift it and begin to rotate it, using your thumbs to coax the edges of the dough into a larger circle. Don’t stretch the dough with the backs of your hands or your knuckles, let your thumbs do all of the work; your hands and knuckles merely provide a platform to support the dough. If the dough starts to resist and shrink back, set it on the floured work surface and let it rest for a minute or two. You can move on to another dough ball, repeating the same  gentle stretching. Continue  working the dough and resting it as  need be until it is about 10 to 12 inches  in diameter. It should be thicker at the edges than in the center and the center should be thin but not paper-thin. If the dough rips, you can try to patch it, or you can form it back into  a ball, move  on to  another dough ball, and try again in 15 to 20 minutes.
When the  crust is ready to be  topped, place it on the  floured peel. Use flour rather than cornmeal or semolina, as it doesn’t  burn  as quickly in the oven. Top the pizza as desired,  then  slide  it  onto  the baking stone. If you aren’t using a baking stone, just put the panned pizza in the oven.
Bake for about 4 minutes, then use the peel or a spatula to rotate the pizza. It will take anywhere from 5 to 7 minutes for the pizza to fully bake, depending on the oven (convection ovens bake faster). The edge should puff up and be a deep golden brown, perhaps even slightly charred.
Remove  the  pizza, garnish  as  desired, then  let it cool  for  1  minute before slicing or serving


Sourdough Pizza Dough

This recipe uses sourdough starter primarily as a flavor enhancer rather than for leavening. It adds a subtle complexity without drawing attention to itself. However, if you prefer a more tart flavor you can omit the instant yeast and give the dough four hours of fermentation at room temperature before dividing it into dough balls and refrigerating.

SOURDOUGH STARTER    

2 tablespoons (1 oz / 28.5 g) mother starter, cold or at room temperature
6 tablespoons (3 oz / 85 g) water, at room temperature
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons (4 oz / 113 g) unbleached bread flour

DOUGH    

All of the sourdough starter (8 oz / 226 g), cold or at room temperature
1½ cups (12 oz / 340 g) lukewarm water (about 95°F or 35°C) 4 cups (18 oz / 510 g) unbleached bread flour
2 teaspoons (0.5 oz / 14 g) salt, or 1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt 1 teaspoon (0.11 oz / 3 g) instant yeast
2 tablespoons (1 oz / 28.5 g) sugar, or 1½ tablespoons honey or agave nectar
2 tablespoons (1 oz / 28.5 g) olive oil
To make the starter, combine all of  the ingredients and stir  to distribute the mother starter evenly; it should have the consistency of wet dough. Place the starter in a clean, lightly oiled bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let it ferment for 6 to 8 hours at room temperature. It will swell considerably and nearly double in size. It can be used immediately or held for up to 4 days in the refrigerator.
To make the pizza dough, cut the starter into about 12 pieces. Pour the lukewarm water into a mixing bowl, add the starter, and use your hands to break up the starter and incorporate it with the water.

Pizza and Focaccia Toppings

Remember that pizza or focaccia is simply dough with something on it, so feel free to experiment with flavorful toppings. Because focaccia is thicker than pizza it often takes longer to bake, so some toppings are better left off until the final few minutes of baking, especially dry cheeses such as parmesan (focaccia baked in round cake pans perform more like pizzas, so they can be fully topped prior to going  into  the oven). Some ingredients, like fresh pesto or aioli, are even better when added after the pizza or focaccia has finished baking.
Most commercial pizza sauces work fine,  but  if  you  enjoy  making your own, which is quite easy and highly recommended, remember that canned tomato products do not need to be heated up or cooked since they will be cooked on the pizza or focaccia.

CRUSHED TOMATO SAUCE    

MAKES 4 CUPS

1 can (28 oz / 794 g) crushed tomatoes
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried basil or 2 tablespoons minced fresh basil (optional)
1 teaspoon dried oregano or 1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano (optional)
1   teaspoon granulated garlic powder, or 5 cloves fresh garlic, minced or pressed
2   tablespoons red wine vinegar or freshly squeezed lemon juice, or a combination
1   teaspoon salt, to taste



Title: Re: So you want to make Pizza, you need to start with a good crust
Post by: smokeasaurus on January 12, 2014, 08:42:09 PM
Wow, there is a lot more to making a pizza than I thought.......
Title: Re: So you want to make Pizza, you need to start with a good crust
Post by: muebe on January 12, 2014, 11:14:14 PM
Thanks Devo... Bookmarked ;)
Title: Re: So you want to make Pizza, you need to start with a good crust
Post by: pz on January 12, 2014, 11:15:56 PM
Nice reference!
Title: Re: So you want to make Pizza, you need to start with a good crust
Post by: sliding_billy on January 13, 2014, 02:41:42 AM
Call favorite pizza shop... drive to said pizza shop... return home... eat.  I like your way a lot better than mine.
Title: Re: So you want to make Pizza, you need to start with a good crust
Post by: TwoPockets on January 13, 2014, 10:14:03 AM
Thanks for the information! I got a pizza oven for Christmas. I will be trying this.
Title: Re: So you want to make Pizza, you need to start with a good crust
Post by: Pam Gould on January 13, 2014, 10:51:01 AM
Thanks for the information! I got a pizza oven for Christmas. I will be trying this.
Tell me about your pizza oven.  Pam       .☆´¯`•.¸¸. ི♥ྀ.     
Title: Re: So you want to make Pizza, you need to start with a good crust
Post by: TMB on January 13, 2014, 12:26:52 PM
Saving this one thanks!
Title: Re: So you want to make Pizza, you need to start with a good crust
Post by: smokendevo on January 13, 2014, 02:37:55 PM
Thanks for the information! I got a pizza oven for Christmas. I will be trying this.
Tell me about your pizza oven.  Pam       .☆´¯`•.¸¸. ི♥ྀ.     

LOL   Ok Pam but I think if you look down at the signature of my post's you will see I also have one of those Uuni Pizza ovens. Perhaps you missed my other cooks with it.

What I can tell you is this pizza dough recipe is way different from any I have made in the past.
I tried one today in the Uuni oven, I should have precooked the crust as it is a very soft crust and getting it into and out of the Uuni was very difficult. The Uuni does not offer much clearance from the cooking surface to the top of the oven. A hinged top would serve it well for placement and removal of the pizzas. Later this week I will try a precooked crust as the one I made today will not be on display  ;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: So you want to make Pizza, you need to start with a good crust
Post by: Pam Gould on January 13, 2014, 03:11:57 PM
I missed that you have a Uuni too. I'm sure you used the usual flour or cornmeal for putting in the Uuni..do you think maybe a lil more flour in the dough would help? I have tried that and it helps. I also use the 00 flour and it's a finer flour. I also use whit whole wheat flour too..makes it chewier.  just saying. Pam      .☆´¯`•.¸¸. ི♥ྀ.     
Title: Re: So you want to make Pizza, you need to start with a good crust
Post by: smokendevo on January 13, 2014, 03:31:34 PM
Thanks for the tips Pam and yes I had lots of cornmeal and flour, its all about learning how to cook on these things. Although it has warmed up to 25°F it still was not good cooking temps for outside pizza  ;D Lets just say I am chalking this one up to the learning curve on this oven.
Title: Re: So you want to make Pizza, you need to start with a good crust
Post by: pz on January 13, 2014, 04:35:43 PM
... as the one I made today will not be on display  ;D ;D ;D

That's okay, devo - we've all been there.  Not too long ago I burned the bottom of one so black it looked like an old vinyl record, and as uniformly black.  That oven floor must have been 1200F
Title: Re: So you want to make Pizza, you need to start with a good crust
Post by: HighOnSmoke on January 13, 2014, 06:14:19 PM
Definitely bookmarked! Thanks Devo!
Title: Re: So you want to make Pizza, you need to start with a good crust
Post by: muebe on January 13, 2014, 07:55:06 PM
Thanks for the tips Pam and yes I had lots of cornmeal and flour, its all about learning how to cook on these things. Although it has warmed up to 25°F it still was not good cooking temps for outside pizza  ;D Lets just say I am chalking this one up to the learning curve on this oven.

Devo there is a bit of a learning curve on the Uuni. But then again I think there is a learning curve when cooking wood fired pizzas in general. Heck just getting the thin dough pizza to release from the peel can be a little bit of a challenge!

The dough I make is very similar to the one you posted. I kind of played around with the amount of yeast and water to get the crust the way I like.

I roll out the dough and then have all the ingredients ready on the table. I try to make sure the ingredients are close to room temp. And the dough is also close to room temp too.

I add some flour to the dough as I roll so it is not so tacky and then a layer of corn meal to the peel. I move the dough to the peel and then quickly prep the pizza. The longer the dough sits on the peel the more difficult it will be to release into the oven. Also heavy toppings will make it tougher to release.

So being ready and working quickly is the key. It almost takes longer to prep the pizza then to cook it in the Uuni. The the pizzas I cooked the other day were 4 minutes total. 2 minutes, rotate, two minutes, done.

And if making more than one pizza give the oven a few minutes time for the floor to reheat before cooking the next one.

Now that I have a few Uuni pizzas under my belt they are coming out really good IMHO!

Well these are my suggestions for the Uuni owners on here. Hope they are helpful ;)
Title: Re: So you want to make Pizza, you need to start with a good crust
Post by: TentHunteR on January 14, 2014, 01:08:55 AM
Perfect timing for this thread and some good info & discussion! I've been experimenting with pizza dough recently.
Title: Re: So you want to make Pizza, you need to start with a good crust
Post by: smokendevo on January 14, 2014, 08:29:47 PM
OK so after my failed attempt of a thin crust pizza using this recipe I decided that I need to rethink THIN. You need to be able to handle the dough with out it ripping or having holes all over the place. So this time I went with the rolling pin....yes I know what your thinking but until I get the hang of throwing dough in the air its rolling pins for me.
Yesterdays pizza was just to thin for me to handle and by the time it cooked it was just a ball of dough and fixings  ;D

So here is the one I made for my self tonight, I am very happy with it and it was very good.

The dough on the peel
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-XIGRZSR-19E/UtXf64Eh0zI/AAAAAAAAIJQ/7bPXc1p40GQ/w702-h465-no/DSC_0059.JPG)

Added the store bought sauce, this is the next thing I want to work on. I know I can do better than store bought  ::)

Mushrooms and cheese added
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-FLRIaLyW9j4/UtXf8b3J4DI/AAAAAAAAIJc/rKcnG6TCLOA/w702-h465-no/DSC_0061.JPG)

Some pepperoni
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-LTCvz9ncTIc/UtXgJVs1HoI/AAAAAAAAIJk/aVwJEx2Hlss/w702-h465-no/DSC_0062.JPG)

Tomatoes, green peppers and olives
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-QigD_Rr53_0/UtXgKVbwmaI/AAAAAAAAIJw/wwaXgmvX_ok/w702-h465-no/DSC_0063.JPG)

All cooked up
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-GUfwxAzn-Oc/UtXgK_r74RI/AAAAAAAAIJ0/i_s3jYW8kjQ/w702-h465-no/DSC_0064.JPG)
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-pHODuPoRgoc/UtXgS7q4pHI/AAAAAAAAIKA/HGCHw9q7E3M/w702-h465-no/DSC_0065.JPG)
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-eN67iCeLc6U/UtXgTTkE97I/AAAAAAAAIKE/akf5WIVfyl0/w702-h465-no/DSC_0066.JPG)
Title: Re: So you want to make Pizza, you need to start with a good crust
Post by: muebe on January 14, 2014, 08:32:47 PM
Devo pizza looks great!

No need to be ashamed of using a rolling pin... I do too 8)
Title: Re: So you want to make Pizza, you need to start with a good crust
Post by: CDN Smoker on January 14, 2014, 09:05:28 PM
That looks fantastic ;D
Title: Re: So you want to make Pizza, you need to start with a good crust
Post by: MossyMO on January 14, 2014, 10:31:45 PM
Nice looking pizza! Do you deliver?
Title: Re: So you want to make Pizza, you need to start with a good crust
Post by: smokendevo on February 03, 2014, 07:22:16 PM
I'm really liking this dough. I read if you start getting holes in it to just let it rest for a bit and it will start to get that elastic texture back and yes that worked for me. Also going as far as I can throwing it in a circle and than using the pizza dish to finish it off works great. One pizza for work tomorrow. Pepperoni, cheese peppers and olives. 
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-5MesHyY2sZk/UvAxOqRDbkI/AAAAAAAAIVY/ZmHmd1iu7pE/w835-h553-no/DSC_0030.JPG)
Title: Re: So you want to make Pizza, you need to start with a good crust
Post by: Pam Gould on February 03, 2014, 07:28:34 PM
Looks like you have a handle on the pizza already. I have a metal peel and just set it in there one time, cooked right on the peel..it came off real good.  .☆´¯`•.¸¸. ི♥ྀ. 
Title: Re: So you want to make Pizza, you need to start with a good crust
Post by: smokendevo on February 03, 2014, 07:44:34 PM
I have two metal and one wooden peels Pam. I use this method to season the pan and so far it has worked out pretty good.

How To Cook On & Season A Stainless Steel Pan To Create A Non Stick Surface!
http://wholelifestylenutrition.com/videos/how-to-cook-on-season-a-stainless-steel-pan-to-create-a-non-stick-surface/