Do you feel guilty for wasting your time and mouth-energy on sad, floppy crap masquerading as pizza? Don't worry, just whip up some fabulous no-knead pizza dough, turn out some killer thin crusts, and the pizza gods will totally forgive you. This recipe is my hands-down favorite. In the few years since discovering it I've honed my technique to produce a passable homemade version of the crisp-chewy thin-crust deliciousness available in pizzerias throughout New York City.
The recipe originally comes from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, but I ran across it on a random blog. Ignore her photo, she made it WAY too thick for the style I go for (though you could certainly use it to make fat, bready pizza if that's your jam). Anyway, here are the stupid-easy directions.
Stir together the following in a large bowl or container (it rises quite a bit and I've had it ooze/explode out of a Tupperware in the fridge before, so allow plenty of extra room):
2-3/4 c lukewarm water
1.5 Tb each granulated yeast and salt
1 Tb sugar
1/4 c extra-virgin olive oil
6-1/2 c unbleached all-purpose flour
Cover loosely and allow to rise on the counter for 2 hours. The dough is ready to use at this point, or it can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. I've also frozen balls of it wrapped in plastic for later. The flavor absolutely improves over time. It's a bit looser and stickier than "normal" pizza dough, so make sure your hands/surfaces are well floured. Just pull off pieces as you need them and allow to return to room temp before proceeding with your pizza. I generally get 4 thin-crust pizzas about the size of an average cookie sheet from this recipe.
To bake, crank your oven up to the highest possible temperature (550 F for mine) and preheat well. Lightly grease your cookie sheet with Pam or olive oil. Roll/stretch your gorgeous, soft, room-temp dough out very thinly on a well-floured surface. I have good luck with a rolling pin. Place on the prepared cookie sheet and bake, untopped, for 3 or so minutes. It may puff up some here. You want it firm on the bottom but not done yet. Remove from the oven, carefully flip the crust over, and add your sauce/toppings to the new top surface. Use a light hand with both sauce and toppings, especially veggies, or your pizza will be soggy. Yech. Return to the inferno of your oven until the edges and bottom are browned to your liking. Slice, serve, and see the face of God/lose yourself in the glorious structural integrity of New York-style thin crust.
The recipe originally comes from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, but I ran across it on a random blog. Ignore her photo, she made it WAY too thick for the style I go for (though you could certainly use it to make fat, bready pizza if that's your jam). Anyway, here are the stupid-easy directions.
Stir together the following in a large bowl or container (it rises quite a bit and I've had it ooze/explode out of a Tupperware in the fridge before, so allow plenty of extra room):
2-3/4 c lukewarm water
1.5 Tb each granulated yeast and salt
1 Tb sugar
1/4 c extra-virgin olive oil
6-1/2 c unbleached all-purpose flour
Cover loosely and allow to rise on the counter for 2 hours. The dough is ready to use at this point, or it can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. I've also frozen balls of it wrapped in plastic for later. The flavor absolutely improves over time. It's a bit looser and stickier than "normal" pizza dough, so make sure your hands/surfaces are well floured. Just pull off pieces as you need them and allow to return to room temp before proceeding with your pizza. I generally get 4 thin-crust pizzas about the size of an average cookie sheet from this recipe.
To bake, crank your oven up to the highest possible temperature (550 F for mine) and preheat well. Lightly grease your cookie sheet with Pam or olive oil. Roll/stretch your gorgeous, soft, room-temp dough out very thinly on a well-floured surface. I have good luck with a rolling pin. Place on the prepared cookie sheet and bake, untopped, for 3 or so minutes. It may puff up some here. You want it firm on the bottom but not done yet. Remove from the oven, carefully flip the crust over, and add your sauce/toppings to the new top surface. Use a light hand with both sauce and toppings, especially veggies, or your pizza will be soggy. Yech. Return to the inferno of your oven until the edges and bottom are browned to your liking. Slice, serve, and see the face of God/lose yourself in the glorious structural integrity of New York-style thin crust.
See the face of God, huh? Wow, must be *some* magical/mystical stuff there... ;o)
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