The Pizza Crust

Two nights ago we had pizza cooked to perfection on the deck using our wood fired oven.  The crust had a light crunch that melted in my mouth.  The sauce had enough pungency that it was noticeable to the "just right" extent, and the topping....barbequed chicken with a mild barbeque sauce by Fletcher was perfection.  Topped with fresh tomatoes after taking it out of the oven was the final cou de gras.  After a lot of experimenting with the dough and with the sauce, and seeming to have found a level we have been looking for, I will share my secrets.  

Of course, the foundational key to good pizza is the crust.  I have found the following dough recipe to work consistently well and it can very successfully be used to make bread in your oven as well.  Here it is:

Start out with one and a third cups of warm water 85 degrees or so.  Mix in with the water one packet of dry yeast or two and a quarter teaspoonfuls of bulk yeast and let sit for 10 minutes.  Measure out and sift four cups of white flour and add one teaspoon salt and two tablespoons olive oil.  When ready, mix in the yeast and water mixture and knead for 10 minutes.  I use a Kitchen Aide Mixer with a dough hook and put the speed on two and just let it go until the dough is kneaded.  Place in a bowl, cover with a damp cloth and let sit in a warm spot until it rises, usually an hour or two.  This dough rises quickly and is very forgiving, so could be used if in a hurry after an hour very easily.  For one full sized pizza with a thicker crust, which I like, I use half of the batch to make one crust.  I knead it out by hand, quickly flattening it out with flour to keep it from sticking on my stainless steel work area.  Once dry enough, I lay it on parchment paper and roll it out to the size and thickness I want, add my sauce, cheese and other condiments, and slide on the peel.  I cook on a pizza stone in my wood fired steel oven for a perfect finish.  I slide the pizza on the stone with the parchment paper in place and after a few minutes of baking, slip the peel under the pizza and pull the paper off so that the crust has direct contact with the stone.  Cook until golden and enjoy a perfect crust!

Now you have the foundation of a perfect pizza!  Enjoy!  Next article I will share with you my pizza sauce.