PIZZA DOUGH

For the Neapolitan Pizza

Recipe adapted from King Arthur

Start by whisking together bread flour and instant yeast in a mixing bowl.

Once the dry ingredients are evenly dispersed, add water to the bowl and combine. Next, add kosher salt before kneading the dough using your method of choice.

Place the dough into an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. For what is known as primary bulk fermentation, let the dough rest at room temperature for 2 hours. Or, for what is known as a cold ferment, let the dough rest inside of the refrigerator for 3-5 days.

Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces by weight to ensure accuracy. Shape each piece into balls by rolling the dough between your hands and pinching the edges down underneath the dough itself until each piece is as round and taut as possible.

Place the balls of dough on a lightly floured rimmed baking sheet or inside of a proofing container.

Cover and proof for 1 hour if you made the dough the same day or 1 ½ - 2 hours if the dough is refrigerator cold. The dough should spread out, but not quite double in size.

Flour both your work surface and the dough itself and pat the dough out as wide as possible with your fingers. Leave a very small rim around the outside that will eventually become the crust.

Begin gently and slowly stretching the dough by passing it knuckle over knuckle until it is as thin as you can get it, which in this case, is about 12 inches wide. Place the stretched out dough on a generously floured pizza peel.

Roughly purée San Marzano tomatoes and add a generous pinch of kosher salt. Separately shred or tear pieces of fresh mozzarella.

Apply the pureed tomatoes and mozzarella cheese very sparingly on top of the pizza dough.

Place the pizza in the oven at 932°F for only about one minute. Once it emerges from the oven, top it off with some fresh basil. Slice and serve as desired.

For the Deep Dish Pan Pizza

In a bowl, combine bread flour and instant yeast and whisk to disperse.

Add water for a dough with a hydration of 70%. Next, add olive oil to add flavor and shorten the gluten strands. Mix to combine.

Then, add kosher salt and continue mixing until no dry spots remain. Use the lift and fold technique to develop the gluten. Let the dough rest in an oiled container overnight in the refrigerator.

Generously lubricate a 10 inch cast iron skillet with olive oil. Carefully dump the chilled ball of dough inside of the skillet. Flip the dough once to coat it with oil and gently press it out to fill the bottom of the pan.

Depending on how cold your dough is, you may experience some resistance. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest for 15 minutes before trying again. Once it is shaped, it should be out of the refrigerator for about an hour and a half before topping and baking.

To begin, preheat a pizza stone in the oven at 550°F for at least an hour, ensuring that the bottom of the pizza gets blasted with enough heat to make it crisp.

Roughly purée San Marzano tomatoes and add a generous pinch of kosher salt along with shredded or torn pieces of fresh mozzarella.

Top off the pizza with a generous layer of the San Marzano tomato purée and a thick layer of low moisture mozzarella cheese, making sure to spread it all the way out to the edges for a cheesy crunch on the outside. Add some thick slices of pepperoni and top everything off with some freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Place the pizza into the oven for anywhere from 10-15 minutes, being rotated once halfway through.

After baking, let the pizza rest for at least 10 minutes to absorb the oil. If the bottom texture is not crunchy enough, place it in the cast iron skillet on the stovetop over medium heat for 2-3 minutes until the bottom is crisp. Slice and serve as desired.

For the New York Style Pizza

Combine bread flour, sugar, and yeast in the bowl of a food processor.

Process it together a few times just to combine everything before streaming ice water through the feed tube as the machine runs until a ball of dough forms. This should give you a dough with a hydration of about 60%.

After letting the dough rest for about 15 minutes, add kosher salt and olive oil. Pop the lid back on and process for anywhere from 60-90 seconds until you have a smooth, supple, and silky dough.

Using a lightly oiled countertop and hands, knead the dough until it cohesively comes together in a very soft and smooth mass. Form it into a taut ball and place it into an oiled container to proof in the fridge overnight to improve the dough’s texture and flavor.

Divide the chilled dough in half and stretch it into two taut balls. Place the balls of dough on a lightly floured rimmed baking sheet or proofing box for about 2 hours at room temperature or until it is light and easy to work with.

Flour both your work surface and the dough itself and pat the dough out as wide as possible with your fingers. Leave a very small rim around the outside that will eventually become the crust.

Begin gently and slowly stretching the dough by passing it knuckle over knuckle until it is as thin as you can get it, which in this case, is about 14-16 inches wide. Place the stretched out dough on a generously floured pizza peel.

Add a layer of a cooked tomato sauce with garlic and basil as well as lots of shredded low moisture mozzarella cheese.

Place the pizza in the oven at 700°F for 5-7 minutes. Rotate the pizza often and make sure to pop any air bubbles before taking it out of the oven once the exterior is deeply browned and the cheese is melted and golden brown.

Let the pizza rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.