Pizza - Thin Crust

Yield: 2 pizzas   America's Test Kitchen recipe

Dough

(Make dough 1-3 days ahead of time.  It needs to cold rise in refrigerator)

3 cups bread flour, plus more for work surface

2 t sugar

1/2 t fast rising yeast

1-1/3 cups ice water

1 T vegetable oil, plus more for work surface

1-1/2 t salt

Combine flour, sugar and yeast. Slowly add water until dough is just combined and no dry flour remains. Let stand 10 min.

Add oil and salt to dough and process until dough forms a satiny, sticky ball that clears sides of work bowl. Remove dough and knead briefly on lightly oiled countertop until smooth, about 1 minute. Shape dough into tight ball and place in large lightly oiled bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 24 hours and up to 3 days.

Sauce (this sauce recipe is actually for four pizzas)

1 (28 ounce) can whole canned tomatoes, drained and liquid discarded. San Marzano are good

1 T extra virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced (about 2 teaspoons if from a jar)

1 t red wine vinegar

1 t salt

1 t dried oregano

1/4 t black pepper

Sauce can be made at the time of making the pizzas.

Process tomatoes, oil, vinegar, garlic, salt, oregano and pepper in food processor until smooth, about 30 seconds. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Cheese

1 ounce parmesan cheese, finely grated (about 1/2 cup)

8 ounces whole milk mozzarella, shredded

Toppings

Be judicious; an overloaded pie will be soggy

Hearty vegetables: Maximum of 6 ounces per pie. Single layer. Vegetables such as onions, peppers, and mushrooms should be thinly sliced and lightly sautéed (or microwaved for a minute with olive oil)

Delicate vegetables and herbs: Leafy greens and herbs like spinach and basil are best placed beneath the cheese or added raw to the fully cooked pizza.

Meats: Maximum of 4 ounces per pie. Pre-cook and drain. Poach meats like sausage (1/2-inch chunks), pepperoni, or ground beef for 4-5 minutes in a wide skillet with ¼ cup of water.  If using pre-cooked chicken, add it to the pizze just for the last ~2 minutes of cooking so it does not dry out too much.

Directions

One hour before baking pizza, adjust rack in oven to second highest position, about 4-5 inches below broiler. Set pizza steel (or stone) on a rack and heat oven to 500 degrees.

Remove dough from refrigerator and divide in half. Shape each half into smooth, tight ball. Place on lightly oiled baking sheet, spacing them at least 3" apart. Cover loosely with plastic wrap coated with non-stick spray; let stand for 1 hour.

Coat 1 ball of dough generously with flour and place on well-floured countertop. Using fingers gently flatten into 8" disk, leaving 1" of outer edge slightly thicker than center. Using hands, gently stretch dough disk into 12" round, working along edges and giving disk quarter turns as you stretch. Transfer dough to a well-floured peel and stretch into 13" round.

Using back of spoon or ladle spread 1/2 cup tomato sauce in a thin layer over the surface of dough, leaving 1/4" border around edge

Add 1/4 cup Parmesan evenly over sauce

Add 1 cup (and maybe a little more) mozzarella

Add other toppings as desired.

Slide pizza carefully onto stone and bake until crust is well browned and cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown (8-9 minutes total) rotating pizza after 6 minutes. Remove pizza and place on wire rack for 5 minutes before slicing and serving. Repeat this with second ball of dough.

Equipment

Pizza steel (Like steels better than stones).

Pizza peel (Super Peel on Amazon is perfect with canvas ‘conveyor belt’)

Notes

Excellent thin crust pizza.