Contributed by Rachel & Brendan (From Peter Reinhart’s “Artisan Breads Every Day”)
We’ve shared our Chicago style deep-dish & grilled pizza recipes in previous volumes of the family cookbook. Here’s our go-to recipe for a thin crust style pizza. It’s nice because it can be made several days ahead of time (it’s actually more flavorful if you do).
Use with the Crushed Tomato Sauce recipe from Soups & Sauces.
Ingredients:
- 5 1/3 c unbleached bread flour (680 g)
- 2 tsp salt, or 1 Tbsp coarse kosher salt
- 1 tsp instant yeast
- 3 Tbsp sugar
- 2 cup room temperature water
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl. If using a standing mixer, use the paddle attachment & mix on the lowest speed for 1 minute. If mixing by hand, use a large spoon & stir for about 1 minute, until well blended. The dough should be coarse & slightly sticky.
Let the dough rest for 5 minutes to fully hydrate the flour. Switch to the dough hook & mix on medium-low speed, or continue mixing by hand, for 2-3 minutes, until the dough is smoother but still soft, supple, somewhere between tacky & sticky.
Spread 1 tsp of oil on a work surface, then transfer dough to the oiled surface. Rub your hands with the oil on the work surface, then stretch & fold the dough one time, reaching under the front end of the dough, stretching it out, then folding it back onto the top of the dough. Do this from the back end then from each side, then flip the dough over & tuck it into a ball.
Divide the dough into 5 equal pieces, each weighing about 8 oz. Form each piece into a ball, place each into a separate sandwich-size Ziploc bag misted with spray oil. Seal the bag & refrigerate overnight or for up to 4 days (flavor will develop with time), or in the freezer for several months.
About 90 minutes before you plan to bake the pizzas, place the desired number of dough balls on a lightly oiled work surface. With oiled hands, stretch & round each piece into a tight ball, then place them on a pan that’s been lightly oiled (preferably with olive oil). Loosely cover with plastic wrap, let rest at room temperature until ready to bake.
About 1 hour before baking the pizzas, preheat the oven with a baking stone as high as the oven will go. If you don’t have a pizza stone, you can assemble the pizzas on baking sheets covered with parchment paper & bake them on the pans. While the oven is preheating, prepare your cheeses, sauce, & toppings (see below).
Dust your work surface with flour & your pizza peel with cornmeal (or flour). Transfer a ball of dough to the work surface, tap it & stretch it into a 10-12 inch disk. When the crust is ready to be topped, place it onto the corn-mealed/floured peel. Top the pizza as desired, then slide it onto the baking stone. If using a panned pizza, just put it into the oven. Bake for 4 minutes, then rotate 180º & bake for 3-4 more minutes. Remove the pizza, garnish as desired, then let it cool for 1 minute before slicing & serving.
