Pizza Crust

Jeremy's Birthday brought a much anticipated gift--Apparently we're going to be eating a lot more pizza around here.

To the serious pizza connoisseur, the secret to good pizza dough is more about a philosophy than a recipe. In the classic Napoli-style pizza, this philosophy involves long-kneading for significant gluten-formation, a long(at least overnight) slow rise in the refrigerator to develop the flavor, a rest to relax the dough and allow you to toss to a nice thin crust, which when baked (on a stone) in a extremely hot(500-800 degree) oven crisps nicely on the bottom in a short amount of time(6-8 minutes) while remaining chewy on the inside. This recipe is not for the faint-hearted. It is involved and intense; however, your efforts will he hugely rewarded we definitely recommend it.

Pizza Napoletana from The Bread Baker’s Apprentice by Peter Reinhart

• 4½ cups unbleached bread flour, or all-purpose flour
• 1¾ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon instant yeast
• ¼ cup olive or vegetable oil (you can omit if you use AP flour)
• 1¾ cups ice-cold water

Stir together the flour, salt, and instant yeast. Mix in the oil and water on low speed until the flour is all absorbed. Mix on medium speed for 5-7 minutes to create a smooth, sticky dough. (It should clear the sides but stick to the bottom.) Transfer dough to floured counter. Line a sheet pan with lightly oil-misted parchment or a sil-pat.

Cut the dough into six equal pieces (or larger if you are comfortable shaping larger pizzas). Lift each piece and gently round it into a ball. Transfer dough balls to sheet pan and mist generously with oil. Cover sheet pan with a plastic cover or food-grade bag. Put the pan in the refrigerator overnight to rest the dough, keep up to 3 days. (You may also freeze, thawing a day ahead.)

Remove the dough from the refrigerator 2 hours ahead of time. Gently press the dough into flat disks about ½ inch thick and let rest for 2 hours. 45 minutes ahead preheat oven as high as it will go (not broil). Place baking stone in the lower third of the oven to preheat. Generously dust your pizza peel or the back of a sheet pan with semolina flour or cornmeal. Toss and gently stretch dough to about 9-12 inches in diameter, lay it on the peel or pan, making sure there is enough cornmeal to allow it to slide. Top the pizza. Slide the pizza onto the stone. Bake 5 to 8 minutes.

Enjoy!