How to Make a Delicious Pizza from (semi) scratch
Recipe makes 2 extra large pizzas or 4 small/medium pizzas.
Ingredients:
2 1/2 - 3 c. all purpose flour
2 c 00 flour
3 Tbs. diastatic malt powder (I purchase mine at Anthony's Goods, but you can purchase elsewhere; this is not a sponsored post.)
3 Tbs. vital wheat gluten (I use Bob's Red Mill, available at most grocery stores, but any brand will work.)
1 Tb kosher salt
2 1/3 c. warm water
1 Tb active dry yeast (1 1/2 yeast packets) *Note: not instant yeast
1/2 tsp. granulated sugar
Olive oil for oiling bowl
Supplies:
Pizza stone (I use this one)
Oven
Mixing bowls
Wooden spoon
Measuring cups and spoons
Parchment paper (my favorite is if you care parchment sheets)
Food-grade plastic bags or containers
Wooden peel (aka "big paddle" - I have a wood one, but a metal one would work too, if you prefer it)
Optional: kitchen scale, stand mixer
Instructions:
**Note: The dough can be made the day of use or up to 5 days in advance.
In a large bowl or in the bowl of your stand mixer, combine 2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour with the 00 flour, vital wheat gluten, salt, and diastatic malt powder. Stir to combine, then add 1 7/8 c. warm water. Stir until the ingredients form a shaggy dough. Cover with a damp towel and let sit for from 40 minutes to up to 3 hours. (The purpose of this step is to hydrate the flours; no harm comes from a longer wait, but 40 minutes is plenty if you're on a time crunch).
Mix the yeast, sugar, and approximately 1/4 c. of lukewarm water. Allow to sit until they are very foamy, then add to the dough.
If using a stand mixer: with the dough hook attachment, stir on low for approximately one minute.
If mixing by hand: use your hand or a wooden spoon. Hold your hand or spoon in place and spin the dough in one direction for 2 minutes, then reverse directions for 2 more minutes.
At this stage, you may find the dough is too loose. Add just enough all purpose flour to create a very sticky, fairly loose dough with a softness that borders on unworkable.
Oil a large mixing bowl with olive oil. Transfer the dough to the bowl, turning to coat all sides. Cover with a damp towel.
If baking the same day: depending on the temperature of your house, you may leave this dough to rise for anywhere from 4-12 hours. The cooler the temperature, the more the dough benefits from a longer rise time.
If baking later: allow the dough to rise for 4-6 hours, then separate it into two equal parts (use kitchen scale, if available) and place each in a food-grade plastic bag or container. Store in the refrigerator until 4-6 hours before baking.
On the Day of Baking:
Place pizza stone on middle rack in oven. Approximately one hour before baking time, turn oven to 500 (if your oven can do 550, even better; be aware, though, that some ovens - like mine - will give out after a period of such use). If you plan to use any ingredients like roasted red peppers or eggplant, this is a good time to roast them. (See below for a roasted eggplant recipe.)
At the same time, take each section of dough and ball it to create surface tension.
Video of shaping pizza dough.
10 minutes before baking your first pizza, either cut a piece of parchment paper to approximately 18 inches and place it on your counter or use a precut parchment sheet. Take one ball of dough and, placing it on the tops of your knuckles as you make fists, gradually stretch and turn the dough until it reaches its desired size. Place it on the parchment paper.
A video of stretching the pizza dough.
After adding your sauce, toppings, cheese, and, if desired, oregano to the top of your pizza, slide the pizza (and parchment) onto your peel, and from there, slide them onto the pizza stone.
Video of person in messy kitchen carrying pizza on peel to oven and sliding it onto the pizza stone while hairy dog watches.
For regular pizza, simply bake 9-10 minutes.
If you prefer your pizza with a "dirty skirt" (more in the style of a wood fired pizza), finish with 1 minute under the broiler.
You can prepare your second pizza while the first one bakes.
Some added notes:
Why so much pizza? I like to take pizza to work in my lunch. It's easy, portable, and not too messy, and if I have to eat my lunch cold while sitting at my desk (which is usually how I eat lunch), it still tastes good. Also, my spouse and I like different things on our pizza. So I always make one for each of us, and then we each have pizza all week. This is also enough pizza to serve 4-8 people for dinner, which is nice if you want to have friends over or you have kids.
Want to reheat your pizza? The best way to reheat: if you have a toaster oven, pop it in there for several minutes, and it will taste like it just came out of the oven! You can also reheat it in the oven, but that seems like a waste of energy unless you’re reheating a lot.
My favorite pizza toppings: roasted eggplant cubes (see below) with some finely chopped spinach/arugula/basil and some chopped walnuts and pickled jalapeños. Mozzarella and parmesan for me!
My spouse's favorite pizza: First, under the sauce, a layer of American cheese. Ew, yuck! He is from St. Louis, and apparently that's a thing there. Then the sauce, then some veggie "meatballs", mushrooms, and sliced fresh jalapeños. I know...lots of jalapeños. 12 years living in South Texas had an impact. After that, mozzarella and parmesan, followed by a big sprinkling of oregano.
My favorite pizza sauce: I could lie and say I make my own, and I have been known to do that, but I actually really like Pomi Pizza Sauce, and I’m busy, so I just use that.
Roasted Eggplant Cubes
Peel an eggplant. Throw it on a baking sheet. Toss with a lot of any neutral oil that has a high smoke point, salt, and any seasonings you like. I’m partial to a mixture of red chili flaxes, mesquite smoke powder, and smoked paprika. Put it in the oven while you start your preheating and are heating up the pizza stone. After about 10 minutes, take it out and stir. Bake until the eggplant is puffy and a little bit charred.
