Food
April 11, 2017
How To Make The Best Homemade Pizza
A few things make our recipe for homemade pizza dough as good as anything you’ll find in the best pizzerias. First, we adopt N.Y. Sullivan Street Bakery owner and no-knead bread guru Jim Lahey’s method of turning on the broiler before baking the pie, which causes the crust to puff and blister like it would in a wood-burning oven. We also add a small percentage of rye flour and let the dough ferment longer to yield a more complex crust. Finally, we dust the pizza peel with semolina instead of flour, which makes the job of transferring it to the baking stone much easier. (It also gives the crust a lovely crunch.) Find the dough recipe below, as well as five delicious topping ideas.
Food editor’s tip: While there is nothing like homemade dough, if you don’t have the time or forethought to make your own, any of these recipes can be made using store-bought dough with delicious results. Either way, pizza night at home will never be the same again.
You’ll need a dough scraper, digital scale, pizza peel and baking stone.
Start by making a sponge, which helps build flavor. Mix 2 cups warm water, 1 tsp active dry yeast, 2 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour and 1⁄4 cup rye flour. Cover and let stand at room temperature for 1 1⁄2 hours.
Stir 3⁄4 cup warm water, 2 1⁄2 tsp fine sea salt and 3 cups all-purpose flour into the sponge. Knead, adding flour if it gets sticky, until dough is smooth and elastic, 7 to 8 minutes. Kneading forms gluten strands, which give the crust its irresistible chew.
Cover the dough and put in a warm spot to rise until doubled, approximately 1 hour. Knead briefly, cover and let rise again. Use a scale, preferably digital, to divide up the dough into six 8- to 9-oz. portions.
Fold the sides of each dough portion in and place it seam side down. Using cupped hands, rotate the dough counterclockwise to form a tight ball.
Let the balls rest for 1 hour, covered with a tea towel, to relax the gluten strands. This makes it easier to stretch and shape.
Press the dough with your fingertips instead of rolling it out with a pin to help preserve gas bubbles and yield an airy crust.
Form your hands into fists. Gently stretch the dough from the middle out using your knuckles, creating a thinner center and thicker edge.
Grab the dough by the edges and rotate counterclockwise to finish stretching it out until you have a 10″-diam. circle. The overall thickness will be a bit uneven.
Sprinkle the peel generously with semolina before laying down the dough to help the pizza slide easily onto the baking stone. Next, add toppings and bake! Find specific baking instructions in the following recipes.
This tomato-and-cheese disc is topped with a superb salad of cured beef, peppery leaves and shaved Parmigiano.
Get the recipe here.
It’s hard to believe a cheeseless pizza can be this good. A thin crust topped with olives, capers and anchovies, it’s the perfect predinner pie.
Get the recipe here.
The piquant cheese tempers the butternut’s sweetness, while earthy sage ties the flavors together.
Get the recipe here.
The queen of pizzas features vibrant tomato sauce, gooey mozzarella and a licorice whip of basil.
Get the recipe here.
This stunning white pizza is piled with bitter greens, spicy sausage, sharp onion and fiery chilies.
Get the recipe here.
Donna Griffith
House & Home March 2014
Ashley Denton (food), Stacey Smithers (props)