PIZZA DOUGH 

Makes four 12- to 14-inch round pizzas (about 275-300 grams each)

There are many opinions about pizza dough that reflect what each pizzaiolo prefers in a dough. Some make their dough with dry yeast; others use a natural starter. Dough from a natural starter makes wonderful pizza but requires you to prepare a leaven the day before and mix the dough on the day of baking. I usually use active dry yeast, which rises quicker than starter, saves time, and doesn’t require as much advance planning. I like my crust crisp, puffy, and chewy in the center, one that bubbles and blisters nicely in a hot oven. The dough has a high hydration (weight of water divided by weight of flour; my dough is about 73% hydration). Higher hydration makes the dough more pliable but stickier and harder to handle, but once you get used to it, it’s fairly easy to use. If you want a firmer, easier to manage dough, adjust the water downward to 440 g, or 70 % hydration. 

ON VOLUME OF DOUGH 
The recipe makes 4 pizzas, which may be more dough than you need at one time. You can divide, wrap, and freeze the pre-portioned dough for another time. It will last a month or two in the freezer but remember that the dough will become more tender over time. 

ON OVENS 
Ovens vary a lot, and you’ll need to find the temperature and rack position that works for you. My home oven – not a professional one but a reliable one – bakes a good pizza at 550 ºF on my oven stone, heated well in advance.

ON STONES AND STEEL 
I have a substantial stone – ¾-inch thick x 15 inches x 20 inches – which gives the dough an even heat and helps maintain a steady oven temperature. You have to heat the stone 45-50 minutes ahead at full heat to ensure it is heated through. Oven steels are popular these days, and I’ve had good pizza success with them. I still prefer a stone, perhaps mainly for its texture. 

ON MEASUREMENTS AND SCALES 
Although pizza dough is simple, relatively easy-to-make dough that is judged mainly by feel, accurate measurements are important for a consistent final quality. U.S. measurements in cups, quarts, and pounds are familiar to us, but metric measurements are more accurate and mathematically simpler to work with, and when you’re aiming for precise percentages, a metric system helps immensely. If you don’t already have a one, I suggest you buy a digital scale accurate to one gram. Many scales run on batteries and can be found for under $20. If you don’t want to purchase a scale, online conversion apps abound. 

TOPPINGS
Choices of toppings is nearly endless. I like traditional combinations but you can improvise, as in the last three here:
∙Margherita – tomato sauce, mozzarella, fresh basil
∙Italian fennel sausage, rapini, mozzarella, chili flakes
∙Capers, anchovy, Moroccan black olives (pitted ripe olives in oil, no herbs), fresh oregano
∙Arugula dressed with anchovy vinaigrette, grated parmesan
∙Sautéed eggplant, mint, anchovy
∙Spring onions, green garlic, oregano, prosciutto, tomato sauce, dry mozzarella, grana padano

7 g active dry yeast
A pinch of sugar
460 g warm water (about 100 ºF)
625 g “00” pizza flour 
11 g sea salt 
Olive oil for the bowl

Combine yeast, sugar, and water in a large mixing bowl. Stir to dissolve yeast and set it aside to let it come to life for 15 minutes. Combine flour and salt in a separate bowl and stir to blend. Add the flour to the water and yeast and mix with a bowl scraper or your hands to form a dough; the dough will be wet and sticky. Incorporate all loose flour into dough. Coat a clean bowl with a little olive oil and place dough inside bowl, turning dough inside bowl to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set to rise at room temperature, around 70 ºF, for about 3 hours, or in the refrigerator for about 6 hours. The dough will more than double in volume, small bubbles will appear on the surface, and dough will be light and airy.

Remove the dough from the bowl and place it on a lightly floured surface. Dust the dough with flour and divide into four equal size pieces, about 275 g each. Knead each piece for 2 minutes or so, and roll each piece into a taut ball. Dust top of balls again with flour. Wrap any balls you don’t intend to cook in plastic wrap and freeze until needed; they’ll last in good condition a month. Cover and rest remaining balls in the refrigerator for minimum two hours and up to six before forming them into pizza rounds. Once formed in rounds, they’ll rise again slightly as they wait for toppings.

Arrange all your topping ingredients ahead in small bowls ready at hand. To bake pizzas, press each dough ball into a flat, thick round about an inch thick. Dredge each ball in flour and shake off excess. Rest dough for 10 minutes on floured surface. Press the edge into a 1-inch rim with your fingers all the way around the dough. Stretch the dough by turning it in between your fingers and letting gravity pull it as you turn it around. Place the dough on your knuckles and backs of your hands, and stretch the dough into a larger circle by turning it around gently. When stretched into a large round of about 14-inches, lay dough on a floured peel. Assemble your ingredients on top of dough. Bake pizza in a pre-heated oven at 550 ºF for 14-15 minutes, turning for even browning. Remove pizza from oven and brush edge of crust with olive oil. Cut into 6 or 8 pieces and transfer to a serving plate. Eccola!

If you prefer sourdough pizza dough:
100 g mature sourdough levain
2 g active dry yeast
350 g warm water (about 100 ºF)
500 g Caputo pizza flour of other “00” pizza flour 
11 g sea salt 
Olive oil for the bowl

Combine sourdough levain, yeast, and warm water. Mix to disperse. Add flour and mix into a dough. Knead dough for 4-5 mins to strengthen dough. Cover dough with a damp cloth and rise for 1-2 hours until doubled in volume. Add salt and knead to integrate salt into dough. Divide into 3 pieces about 325 g each. Work into rounds, cover and rise for about an hour until nearly doubled. Form into pizza rounds as described above.

©2020 Christopher Lee