Happy Sunday Bread Heads! Let’s talk pizza dough, shall we? Last week I got a request for pizza dough so who am I to say no? There are really two types of pizza dough, deep dish (which is cooked in a pan) and thin crust which is cooked on directly on a pizza stone. Here is the thing, a stone is not actually necessary. Sure it is a great little item for the home baker to have, it allows you to bake all kinds of rustic breads more closely to the way they were originally cooked, but it is not a requirement.
What you will get with a pizza stone is a better "crust bounce" but since none of us has the kind of wood-burning or industrial ovens pizza shops have we shouldn’t worry about it too much. If you follow the instructions in this post you will be able to produce a great home pizza any time.
Here is how this post is going to work; I’ll give the recipe for each kind of dough as well as the recipe that I like best for each in terms of toppings and sauce. If you don’t like some of the ingredients, don’t use them! Pizza is about as individual a taste as you can get. But it all starts with great dough and that you should make the way I describe.
I have been perfecting these dough recipes for about a decade. Going back and forth between making deep dish pizza’s and thin crust depending on the time of the year and Liz’s whims. The real trick to homemade pizza is letting the formed dough rise again, just like bread. Commercial pizza ovens are a hell of a lot hotter than home ovens so the dough gets a huge lift in the oven. You can get the same effect at home by taking a little more time.
I have settled on two types: Deep dish with red sauce, pepperoni, onions and banana peppers (on half) and thin crust with pesto, feta, black olives, onions and spinach. Today you get the recipe for both.
Deep Dish Pizza
Dough ingredients:
2 tablespoons Olive Oil (use extra virgin, please!)
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons whole milk (you can use 2% in a pinch)
2 teaspoons sugar
2 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1 package (2 ¼ teaspoons) yeast
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
Sauce Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
¼ cup finely diced onion (I like red but any type will do)
½ teaspoon salt
2 cloves garlic, finely diced
4 oz tomato paste
8 oz tomato sauce
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Topping Ingredients:
32 pepperoni
½ onion julienned
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
¼ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (don’t use the powdered stuff in a shaker for this)
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
¼ cup banana pepper rings (optional)
Pans – 12 inch cake or pizza pan, brushed with 2 tablespoons of olive oil (this is really important as it helps to cook the crust of the pizza and give it that distinctive crunch)
Method:
I know I listed the ingredients for the sauce second, but you want to make it first. I have some particular ideas about pizza sauce. Primarily it should never be sweet. I don’t like sweet pizza, it is part of why I don’t use fresh tomatoes on it, every. This is why there is balsamic vinegar in the mix, to give it a tart earthy flavor.
In a small sauce pan, over medium low heat, cook the onions and garlic with the salt until they are translucent, about 10 minutes. The idea here is to sweat out the flavors and break down the fibers so the onions and garlic disappear into the sauce. Don’t sauté them, they should never sizzle.
Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes, staring occasionally. When the sauce has thickened, turn off the heat but leave the pan on the burner to cool slowly.
Now it is time to make the dough. Deep dish dough has gains texture and sweetness from the milk, but I like to offset that with the garlic and black pepper, to give a more complex taste to the base of the pizza.
This recipe makes enough sauce for three or four pizzas depending on how much sauce you like. That makes making it in the future faster.
Dough Method:
In a small sauce pan or the microwave heat the milk and olive oil to between 120 and 130 degrees. Add the sugar and stir to combine.
In the work bowl of your stand mixer or a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, yeast, garlic powder and oregano.
Using a wooden spoon or the dough hook attachment, slowly stir in the milk mixture. If you are using a stand mixer, when the dough comes together set it to medium high speed and knead for 5 minutes.
If you are doing this by hand you will be kneading for about ten minutes. Turn the dough out onto a well floured work surface and knead with a strong push-turn-fold method. Don’t be shy about adding more flour if it is super sticky, but don’t add more than 3 tablespoons total or your dough will be tough.
Shape the dough into a ball, and put in a greased bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow to rise until it has doubled in volume, about 30 minutes.
Turn the risen dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and either roll into a disk or press out with your fingers. To do this by hand (I always do it this way) flatten the dough slightly. Press with your fingers halfway between the center of the dough and the edge. This will leave you with a ridge at the outside and mound in the middle, then using your fingers, and working and circular motion flatten the mound in the center. Don’t worry about getting the dough the same size as the pan.
Place the dough in the center of your pan and using your fingers press it out to fit the pan. The outer ridge should ride up the sides just a bit. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 20 minutes.
While the dough is rising again, set your oven racks to the middle of the oven and, if you have one, put your pizza stone on the middle rack. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
To assemble your pizza uncover the dough. Using some olive oil paint the outer ridge of the dough and sprinkle the sesame seeds over it. You want about 1 inch of seeded dough.
Get a large spoonful of sauce (about 2oz) and dab it into the center of the dough. Then working with the back of the spoon spread it out to the edges of the seeds. Trust me on this, less is more when it comes to sauce. You should still be able to see the white of the dough under the sauce. If you need a little more to cover add it in very small dabs.
Sprinkle a thin layer of mozzarella cheese on the sauce. Now it is time for the ‘roni’s! Start with one in the center, then place a circle of pepperoni around it, then a circle around that until you have worked out to the seeded edge. If you like more pepperoni, put them tightly together, if you like less leave a space. It should look like this:
Now is the time to add the banana peppers if you are using them. Liz’s (my wife) does not like them so I only put them on half. Just spread them out evenly on the half you want them on (or the whole thing if you like).
Sprinkle half of the remaining mozzarella evenly over the pizza (staying off the seeds!) and then spread the onions evenly over the cheese. Add the rest of the mozzarella then finish with the Parmesan cheese.
Slip the pan onto the pizza stone (or the rack) and bake for 20-25 minutes depending on how done you like your crust.
Remove from the oven and let stand for at least 2 minutes. Then place a plate over the top of the pan, invert. Remove the pan and put a cutting board on what will be the bottom of the pizza, invert again. Remove the plate. Now you have your Deep Dish Pizza! Let it stand for another couple of minutes as the cheese will burn the hell out of your mouth if you don’t. Slice with a pizza cutter and serve! Delish!
Thin Crust Pizza
Pesto Ingredients:
3oz fresh basil
2 tablespoons pine nuts
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
Dough Ingredients:
1 package (2 ¼ teaspoons) yeast
½ cup hot water (120-130 degrees)
1 tablespoon honey
¼ teaspoon salt
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon oregano
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons cracked black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
Topping Ingredients:
4oz pesto
4oz feta cheese cubed
1/3 cup spinach, shredded
½ cup julienned onion
¼ cup sliced black olives (don’t by the pre-sliced ones, they just taste like the can
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
¼ grated Parmesan cheese
Method:
Pesto- For this application I like a drier pesto, which is why I go light on the oil and don’t put in any Parmesan cheese. If you don’t have a food processor, you might want to just by a good quality jar of pesto. It is a real drag to make pesto by hand and I am not even going to give the instructions.
In the work bowl of your food processor, combine the basil leaves (don’t put the stems in they will make it incredibly bitter!), pine nuts and garlic cloves. Turn it on and drizzle in the olive oil slowly. Let it run for about 30 seconds after all the oil is in. Remove from work bowl (use a spatula, you want every green bit!) and put in a covered container.
Dough:
In a small bowl combine the water, yeast and honey. Stir to mix and set aside for five minutes.
In a large bowl or the work bowl of your stand mixer, measure the flour, salt, garlic powder, oregano and black pepper. Whisk to combine. Pour in the olive oil and whisk for about a minute to completely distribute the oil.
If you are using the stand mixer, attach the dough hook. Make a well in the center of the flour and pour all of the yeast mixture into the well. Start the mixer at a low speed and then move up to medium speed as the dough comes together. If the dough is not picking up all of the flour you can add small amounts of hot water, up to 2 tablespoons. It should clean the bowl but not be sticky. When it comes together turn the mixer to medium high and knead for 10 minutes.
If you are doing this by hand, make a well in the flour and then pour the yeast mixture into the well. Using a wooden spoon, pull the edges of the well into the yeast mixture. Keep stirring until the dough is shaggy and hard to stir.
Turn out onto a well floured work surface and knead for 10 minutes with a strong push-turn-fold technique. It might be a little sticky at first so you can add flour if you need to. The dough will become smooth and elastic, eventually.
Form the dough into a ball and place in a greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until it has doubled in volume, about 25 minutes.
Before you shape your dough you need prepare to get it on the pizza stone. This dough tends to be really fragile and wet. If you have a peel, cover it with a sheet of parchment paper. If you don’t have a peel, use the back of a sheet pan, but still cover it will paper. You will thank me for this little extra step which guarantees that your pizza won’t stick and flop on to the floor of your oven.
If you don’t have a pizza stone, just bake this pizza on a sheet pan covered in parchment paper. It won’t quite have the height in the crust but it will be just as good.
Turn the dough out onto a well floured work surface. Shape as with the Deep Dish dough into a circle about 10"in diameter. Transfer the dough the peel or sheet pan and press out to 12".
Using the back of a spoon spread the pest evenly on the dough, leaving about a 1" area bare at the edge of the crust.
Let the dough rise for 20 minutes.
While the dough is rising, set your racks to the middle of your oven. If you are using a pizza stone place that on the middle rack. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
Assembly:
Evenly distribute the feta cheese cubes around the pizza crust. Cover them with the spinach. Sprinkle a quarter of the mozzarella cheese over the spinach layer. Spread half the onions evenly on the cheese. Cover with half the remaining mozzarella. Add the rest of the onions and olives, then the rest of the mozzarella and the Parmesan cheese.
Open your oven and slide the rack with the pizza stone partially out (not too far, just enough so you can work with it). Grab the edge of the parchment paper that is closest to the oven and use it to slide the paper and the pizza onto the stone. If you are baking this on a sheet pan, just place the pan on the middle rack of the oven.
Cook for 20 minutes, or until the cheese is just starting to brown and the crust is golden brown.
Using the paper, slide the pizza onto a cutting board and let stand for five minutes. Slice and serve.
Whew! That is a marathon set of recipes! Now you are ready to go out and try this on your own. There is really no wrong way to make pizza, it is all about what you like. If you find you don’t like the flavor combination's in my dough, try your own. Likewise just about anything can be put on a pizza, so experiment with those toppings!
The flour is yours.