MY CRUST

I am a bread fiend, and the crust has been my favorite thing about pizza since my childhood — when I used to volunteer to eat the leftovers for family members who were less carb crazy. It only took me ten pizzas to realize how much time is wasted by typing out the same crust recipe over and over, and now that I finally have a staple recipe, I want to make things easier for all of us. Any changes will be noted recipe to recipe, but for all intents and purposes, this is how I make pizza crust 90% of the time.

This is a standard recipe, using all-purpose flour and a minimum of additional ingredients. I use regular, active yeast, because my experiments with quick-rising yeast intended specifically for pizza actually ruined the dough. I don't judge anyone for using them, or for using self-raising flour. All my recipes for pizza can be made with whatever crust you feel comfortable with. I use this recipe because it is no-frills, and I think anyone can do it.

I always use a dough hook, and have recorded the recipe using this method. But be aware this crust is also doable with a wooden spoon, or just your hands. It takes more elbow grease, and is not something I would want to do on a hot day, but it can be done!

Ingredients:

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup warm water [90º - 100º]

1 1/2 cups room temperature water

~ 1 cup additional flour for kneading, rolling and dusting

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour and salt. Prepare the warm water in a measuring cup or small bowl. Test the temperature with a meat thermometer for best accuracy. I never go above 105º F, as that risks killing the yeast. The lower the temperature, the longer the yeast takes to activate, so I always aim for the 95º - 100º sweet spot, that gets the yeast foaming after a minute or so.

Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water and let it foam. It's okay if some of the yeast does not get completely saturated and begin to bloom, as long as the water is not too hot, the dough will rise eventually.

Add the yeast mixture to the flour and mix with a dough hook on a low speed. Pour the rest of the water [at room temperature] over the flour as it mixes. You can pause occasionally to scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula and get all the flour incorporated.

After 5 minutes or so on a low-medium mixing speed, the dough should be holding together well. It will still be somewhat wet at this stage, which I prefer, because I knead it with a lot of extra flour. Turn out the dough onto a floured surface. The dough will likely be sticky and silky, which is exactly what you want. Knead in lots of flour for 2 - 5 minutes, until the dough stops sticking and forms a cohesive ball. This may require between 1/4 and 3/4 of a cup of extra flour. I prefer to prepare the dough this way because it allows me to perfect the dough manually, instead of just relying on my initial measurements being accurate.

Prepare a second bowl to allow the dough to rise. I use a large, ceramic mixing bowl. Lightly oil the bowl with olive or canola oil, and place the dough in the bowl, turning it over to coat the surface. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and place somewhere warm to rise. I usually put the bowl on the stovetop, over the oven, and set the oven at a low temperature, around 150º - 200º depending on the ambient kitchen temperature.

Allow the dough 1 - 2 hours to rise. If you let it go two hours, uncover after one hour and punch the dough to remove excess air, then replace the plastic wrap.

Once the dough has risen, it should be doubled in size. Again, turn the dough out onto your floured surface and knead for a few minutes. Separate the dough into two, even pieces. I like to pull the dough into a log shape, then squeeze or twist in the middle to separate, but you can use a knife as well.

Shape each dough ball into a 14-inch circle. I usually use a rolling pin to make things go faster, but you can mold it on your hands, toss it in the air, whatever works for you.

Lay your prepared crust on a baking sheet or pizza stone. If you do use a pizza stone, I recommend pre-heating it for at least 20 minutes first. Once your crust is ready, proceed directly to toppings or do my favorite, pre-baking step.

I like to bake the crust for about ten minutes before I top it. This is not necessary, but makes for a crispier result. Because I do not have a wood-fired brick oven to blister the crust fast, I like to give it a little while to bake first if I am add any toppings that might burn if they hang around in the heat too long. As I said, this step is completely optional but I do recommend trying it at least once.

That's it for my basic pizza crust - favorite extra embellishments include adding a little honey to the dough during mixing, or sprinkling parmesan on any bare part of the crust before toppings. Good luck!