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As these messages make clear, its very personal what makes a good pie.
I have a crust test, If I hold a slice, the slice should not droop but be rigid enough to stand on its own. I hate soggy dough.
Here is what I do:
The recipe is really simple: fresh flour (If you have had it more than a few months, or don't remember purchasing it? Throw it out. Flour absorbs all kinds of awful tastes.), virgin olive oil (extra-virgin actually has less taste and for me the cheaper virgin is better for pizza, not a big deal though), salt (yes, you must put salt in the dough, kosher or sea salt really is better too), fast rising yeast, maybe some fresh or dried herbs, fresh ground black pepper, or red pepper flakes, but don't rely on these to make bad dough good.
I get the yeast (1 tsp) started with a little honey and luke warm water (optional), in a Kitchen Aid blender with a dough hook. Let the yeast start to activate and bubble in the blender. If you like a really yeasty crust, and are in a hurry, you can even double the amount of yeast. Add 2-3 tbs oil and somewhat slowly add the flour, mainly to avoid a flour bomb. The dough should form a tight ball in your blender (or food processor). You want to work this really well, this builds up the gluten that is essential for a good, thin, crispy crust. You should be able to touch the dough ball, and not have it slough off in your hands. But don't make it too dry either. Err on the side of moist. I work it in the Kitchen Aid for about 20 minutes, then pull the ball out and work it really good with my hands. You have to do this to produce dough that's strong and workable enough for good pizza. This should not be messy at this point, you can add small amounts of flour if its too moist. Try to not add any water, you don't want to ever make the dough too dry. Always be careful adding flour. If you push on the dough, it should rebound to its original shape pretty quickly. You really want a strong dough, or else the pizza will be too bready and cardboardy.
Now let it rise for a few hours, I do this on top of the fridge. You can put it in the fridge if you aren't eating for a long time, but you need to let it get back to room temperature before working it, I've found. Two hours is generally plenty of time. Punch it down, and rework a little. Separate into as many balls as crusts you will be making. Now let these sit for at least 10 minutes for the dough to relax. But don't let them really rise again. It should be easy to work after this, if it isn't wait a little bit. You want to gently shape it at this point. Don't rework (fold) it from now on. The dough should be able to be stretched extraordinarily thin and not tear. If it's tearing, you didn't work it enough initially. I just stretch it with my forearms and closed fists. Keep it a little thicker on the outside, if you want some crust to rise on the edges.
Get a pizza keel and stone. Preheat the oven to 11, you are not going to get the oven too hot (unless you are in a commercial kitchen). Spread some corn meal (or polenta) on the keel, this will allow you to slide the finished pizza off the keel and not deform the dough. Corn meal acts just like little ball bearings, and actually adds to the taste a little. Now place the final dough onto the keel and be careful with toppings. Adding really moist toppings can ruin a perfectly good crust. Tell your wife that pizza shouldn't have that much spinach on it. Be really careful with leafy greens. Also sauce, if any, should be reduced to a paste. Less is more with toppings. Let the dough shine through. Don't go so crazy with the cheese either, just a little fresh buffalo mozzarella (although it's wet, so just enough) and some hard cheese is wonderful.
Should take less than 10 minutes to cook. You can turn the broiler on for a minute if you like slightly browned cheese and crust.
Anyhow, that's how I do it. Lots of opinions. Would be good to hear a good deep dish recipe.
posted by 67.164.166...
, Mon, 27 Feb 2012 08:11:31
, Mon, 27 Feb 2012 10:42:42, Mon, 27 Feb 2012 08:59:50, Mon, 27 Feb 2012 09:18:24, Mon, 27 Feb 2012 10:21:38
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