For years I was spoiled when it came to pizza. After college I spent several years as the General Manager of a fantastic Italian restaurant in New York City. We had a wood burning oven, one of the last wood burning ovens that remained in Manhattan at the time. We made most of our food in that oven, from whole fish to breads, but the pizza that came out of it was simply out of this world. We made fresh mozzarella daily, and would often sell out of pizza dough. This wasn't the greasy large pizza I grew up with, piled high with meats and large chunks of vegetables. This Neapolitan pizza was defined by its simplicity, and quality of ingredients.
Sure you can buy a pre-made pizza dough, and it will most likely yield a delicious pizza, but homemade dough really takes it to the next level. For me, pizza dough needs to be fermented. When my wife Angela and I had the idea to make homemade pizza for the second episode of our web series Angela Tries to Cook, we had plans for Angela to make the dough as well as prepare the pizza itself, but staying up late enough to accommodate the dough's schedule proved to be difficult, so I stepped in.
For the pizza we’re discussing here and working with in the video, I used Ken Forkish’s pizza dough with poolish recipe from his book Flour Water Salt Yeast.
A large portion of the dough is fermented for 12-16 hours before mixing the final dough and proofing for an additional six hours. It is not a lot of work, but there is a strict schedule involved, so before you endeavor to make such a dough, be prepared to be around when the dough needs attention. The benefit of making dough like this is in its taste, consistency, and ability to rise. With some light digging you can find a recipe that fits your schedule. If you want to make a simple same day pizza dough, I posted a recipe a few years ago. Additionally, one of Ken Forkish’s other similar recipes, Overnight Straight Pizza Dough, has been reprinted with permission here.
So, with the dough taken care of (by me), Angela was left with splitting it, and making the pizzas. Making pizza is very simple, although Angela at moments doesn't make it look that way. The key to stretching pizza dough, or really working with most bread doughs, is to be very gentle. Remember, dough is alive and active, so the goal is to keep that dough happy. Work gently through the entire dough making process for best results.
Stretching pizza dough-
When you’ve got your dough portioned and ready to stretch, flour your work surface, and gently place the dough on top of it. Lightly flour your hands and the top of the dough. Make a fist and gently press it into the center of the dough (Angela called it a “stamp”). Lift your hand and turn it a quarter turn and repeat several times, until you have an even crater in the middle of the dough. Being careful not to rip the dough, pick it up with your thumbs and forefingers gently, and work from the inside out, stretching lightly as you move the dough in a circle. As the dough begins to stretch out you can try putting your hands underneath, draping the dough over your fingers, and spreading your fingers apart as you continue to move the dough in a circle. Cover your work surface (a pizza peel or cutting board) with semolina or cornmeal to avoid sticking, then place your stretched dough on top of it. You can pull from the edges to make sure your dough is evenly stretched.
Toppings-
Start with a simple tomato sauce. Pizza sauce does not need to be cooked, and in Neapolitan pizza it is never cooked before going onto the pizza. Simply get a can of peeled San Marzano tomatoes. Strain the majority of the juice into a bowl and reserve for other applications. Take the tomatoes from the strainer and smash them with your hands or a spoon, (avoid a metal bowl if possible as the tomatoes have a lot of acid). Be sure to add salt after spreading the tomatoes onto the pizza, as they are unsalted.
Cheese, most meats and hearty vegetables can go on before going into the oven. More delicate ingredients like prosciutto, basil, and arugula should go on the moment the pizza is removed from the oven, to cook lightly, but not get damaged in the high heat of the oven. The traditional margherita pizza has a drizzle of olive oil, tomato sauce, mozzarella, with a few sprigs of basil added after it comes out of the oven (some recipes also call for parmesan).
Cooking-
Pizza should be cooked hot. 475 degrees is a good place for home ovens, and pizza stones. If you are using a pizza stone be sure to put the stone in before the oven heats up, as you want to heat it gradually to avoid cracking. You also want your pizza stone to be as hot as the oven, so take some extra time to preheat. There are other options, I like to use a pizza steel, which is very similar to the pizza stone, except it's a thick piece of solid steel that would be very difficult to crack. If you don't have something like that you could cook your pizza on anything heavy and flat. In a pinch I have used a regular sheet pan or cookie sheet turned upside down, or the bottom of an upside down cast iron skillet. Whatever you do, heat it up before you put your pizza in the oven. You can lightly dust your cooking surface with semolina or cornmeal, but if your dough is made properly and it doesn't stick to your work surface, it's not necessary.
Just before the pizza goes in, I like to brush the crust very lightly with olive oil to help the curst brown. Cook your pizza until the dough has risen, and begun to brown. You can use a heat resistant spatula to ensure that the bottom of your pizza crust has firmed up properly before removing it from the oven.
Be sure to brush the semolina off of the pizza stone between pizzas.
Save Extra Dough-
Extra dough can be saved in the refrigerator for a couple of days, or in the freezer. Try making calzones, or cut the dough into small portions and make fried dough. If you do make calzones, be sure not to put too many wet or uncooked ingredients inside, and be sure to cut some vent holes on top. There are all sorts of creative recipes with pizza dough out there on the web.