Shef D's Basic Pizza Dough
So, my daughter Kendra asked me to share my pizza dough "recipe". I struggled because I make pizza dough like I do any other recipe...I just start making it, and when the dough looks sad, I improvise! (Don't give me trouble about not writing things down--"well, if you wrote it down, it will always be the same!" Well, I actually LIKE to cook dangerously!) With pizza dough, you just never can predict what struggles lie ahead because every batch is different-humidity-temperature of kitchen-temperature of the the ingredients-chef's temper-ature (haha), etc. Anyway, I decided to make both a thick "Chicago" style thick crust pizza PIE (My Aunt Cassie would always say "gonna have pizza PIE"...after all these years, I can still hear her say that.)
This recipe makes 1 large, deep dish and one large, regular pizza. It can be used for three large, regular pizzas, too.
Ingredients:
(I gotta get the boring stuff out of the way before we have fun)-Commentary by Shef D himself!:
Making the Dough:
Step 1: Now, down to business...pour the water into a large bowl and add the yeast. Beat the mixture with a fork. You have to wake up the little, "active" yeast follicles. Don't use a spoon. The yeast follicles coagulate....on the spoon, the side of the bowl, and as FLOATIES! Beat until the mixture looks milky.
Step 2: Add the the sugar and beat again until the sugar dissolves. This excites the little yeast follicles into feasting on the sugar and gives them the strength needed to lift up the flour! Then add the olive oil, salt and 3 tablespoons of the margarine (or butter)...beat it with a fork!
Step 3: Add the flour 1 cup at a time. Mix it with a fork while continuing to add flour. As the dough gets less like old, nasty paste, fold the dough in half, squish down with your fist. Fold the dough in half again, and squish down with your fist. By Friday, after a long week, i like to drive my fist slowly into the dough. You, on the other hand might like to PUNCH it! So, by now you figured out that at this point, you adjust the recipe according to your mood and how much flour it takes to make the mixture look like dough. Just remember one rule... STOP when the dough looks this picture!
Step 5: Pretend you are a bread maker machine. Sound affects are optional. If you owned a bread machine, you know that it starts out mixing and mixing until the dough looks like mine in the picture above after mixing the ingredients. Then it mixes incrementally...at 15 minutes, stirs about 10-20 revolutions. At 30 minutes, stirs and folds. At 60 minutes, It does a quick twirl, twirl, twirl...done. rising....rising....rising....(patiently waiting)...more rising....Now, you do it with your dough! I usually let the dough rise at least an hour at room temperature; you don't have to let it rise this long. The goal is to have a smooth, stretchy/springy dough that is easy stretch out over the pizza pan.
Cover your HAPPY dough, with a wet towel. I inserted a fork in the center to create a towel "tent". Why do we cover the bowl with a moist towel while the dough is rising? It keeps the dough from drying out. The dough should rise.
Uncover your dough as it rises near the top of the bowl or rim, so the dough does not stick to the towel!
Step 6: Grease the pizza pans.
Step 7: Ok, I actually let the dough rise too much in this round. What I do in this situation is stir and turn the dough over with my fork. Then I let it rise for about 5 minutes or so and then divide the dough between the pizza pans. Before grabbing the dough, I'll either sprinkle flour on the dough and my hands, or just grease my hands before grabbing the dough to keep it from sticking to my hands. Preheat oven the to 425 degrees.
Step 8: Set the dough in the center of the pizza pan and then stretch toward the edge. I push, it springs back. I push, it springs back, but each time, less and less. When the pizza pan is half way covered, I let the dough rest for 3-5 minutes and then start again. I push and flatten the center and nip and tuck the dough around the edge to form the crust. I'll let it rise a few moments, then push, flatten, and nip and tuck. I'll repeat until the pizza dough has a pizza shape and dough formed around the edge to how thick I want it to be. Once the dough is formed like I want it, I stick the dough into the preheating oven for 3-5 minutes.
After letting the dough bake for 3-5 minutes, I'll remove the dough from the oven and apply my favorite toppings.
Step 9: I'll return the fully, topped pizza to the oven and bake on 425 degrees for 20 minutes and then check the pizza(s) in the oven. If not a golden brown crust, I leave the pizza PIE(s) in the oven for 5 minute increments, checking each time for doneness.
Step 10: While the pizza is in the 5 minute increment stage, I'll melt in the microwave the remaining margarine or butter and add the garlic (or Parmesan cheese or both!) powder and stir. Then when the pizza is golden, I'll pull it from the oven and brush the butter or margarine mix onto the crust.
The process ends when you let the pizza sit and cool for about 10 minutes before cutting in and enjoying the pizza PIE!!
Converting Recipe:
If you are only making one large pizza (not deep dish), divide the ingredients by 3 (except the margarine/butter...change it to 3 tablespoons) and add just a little bit more of everything (I'm going to drive the engineers in my life insane with stuff like "add a little bit more").
As for the flour/water, the ratio is approximately 1.83 cups of flour per cup of water. As you see, this is an estimate and the recipe teaches you how to add just enough flour needed to make a smooth, workable dough. I you are making 1 large pizza, I suggest starting with 1 1/4 cups of water.
ENJOY!!!Shef D
This recipe makes 1 large, deep dish and one large, regular pizza. It can be used for three large, regular pizzas, too.
Ingredients:
(I gotta get the boring stuff out of the way before we have fun)-Commentary by Shef D himself!:
- 6 Cups of Water ~ "Cold out of the tap. I'm tired of trying to find the right temperature. I go with cold. You won't kill your yeast!"
- 8 Teaspoons of Yeast ~ "Nothing fancy. Last time I bought 2 lbs of Red Star Active Yeast. Store it in the refrigerator."
- 3 Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil ~ "Why? My preference over other oils. Trust me!"
- 5 Tablespoons of Margarine ~ "You know...most of the time I use the healthier low fat options; however, butter is better!"
- 3 Tablespoons of Sugar ~ "Forget the diet. This is pizza PIE! If you want to diet, eat a rice cake with tomato paste sprinkled with feta!"
- 2 Teaspoons of Sea Salt ~ "Yes, sea salt. I think it has a better taste, and I end up using less."
- 11 Cups of Flour ~ "A bit much, but that's what it took to make the dough today."
- 1/2 Teaspoon of Garlic Powder (Optional) ~ "I'll let it go if you simply don't like garlic, but I better hear that you substituted Parmesan cheese!"
Making the Dough:
Step 1: Now, down to business...pour the water into a large bowl and add the yeast. Beat the mixture with a fork. You have to wake up the little, "active" yeast follicles. Don't use a spoon. The yeast follicles coagulate....on the spoon, the side of the bowl, and as FLOATIES! Beat until the mixture looks milky.
Step 2: Add the the sugar and beat again until the sugar dissolves. This excites the little yeast follicles into feasting on the sugar and gives them the strength needed to lift up the flour! Then add the olive oil, salt and 3 tablespoons of the margarine (or butter)...beat it with a fork!
Step 3: Add the flour 1 cup at a time. Mix it with a fork while continuing to add flour. As the dough gets less like old, nasty paste, fold the dough in half, squish down with your fist. Fold the dough in half again, and squish down with your fist. By Friday, after a long week, i like to drive my fist slowly into the dough. You, on the other hand might like to PUNCH it! So, by now you figured out that at this point, you adjust the recipe according to your mood and how much flour it takes to make the mixture look like dough. Just remember one rule... STOP when the dough looks this picture!
What your dough should look like when you're done mixing it...it's almost HAPPY!
Step 4: Wet a towel and ring it, so it ain't dripping. I used a fork like a tent post to keep the towel off my dough. If I was doing a single, regular large pizza PIE, the fork wouldn't be needed because the bowl is large and deep enough to keep the towel off the dough.Step 5: Pretend you are a bread maker machine. Sound affects are optional. If you owned a bread machine, you know that it starts out mixing and mixing until the dough looks like mine in the picture above after mixing the ingredients. Then it mixes incrementally...at 15 minutes, stirs about 10-20 revolutions. At 30 minutes, stirs and folds. At 60 minutes, It does a quick twirl, twirl, twirl...done. rising....rising....rising....(patiently waiting)...more rising....Now, you do it with your dough! I usually let the dough rise at least an hour at room temperature; you don't have to let it rise this long. The goal is to have a smooth, stretchy/springy dough that is easy stretch out over the pizza pan.
Cover your HAPPY dough, with a wet towel. I inserted a fork in the center to create a towel "tent". Why do we cover the bowl with a moist towel while the dough is rising? It keeps the dough from drying out. The dough should rise.
Now the dough is more than HAPPY...it's REALLY HAPPY dough!! BABY! looking good now!
Ok... i looked away for just a minute or two and my REALLY HAPPY dough rose even higher!!!!!
Step 7: Ok, I actually let the dough rise too much in this round. What I do in this situation is stir and turn the dough over with my fork. Then I let it rise for about 5 minutes or so and then divide the dough between the pizza pans. Before grabbing the dough, I'll either sprinkle flour on the dough and my hands, or just grease my hands before grabbing the dough to keep it from sticking to my hands. Preheat oven the to 425 degrees.
Step 8: Set the dough in the center of the pizza pan and then stretch toward the edge. I push, it springs back. I push, it springs back, but each time, less and less. When the pizza pan is half way covered, I let the dough rest for 3-5 minutes and then start again. I push and flatten the center and nip and tuck the dough around the edge to form the crust. I'll let it rise a few moments, then push, flatten, and nip and tuck. I'll repeat until the pizza dough has a pizza shape and dough formed around the edge to how thick I want it to be. Once the dough is formed like I want it, I stick the dough into the preheating oven for 3-5 minutes.
Tame that dough! Push-n-pull...keep doing this until it looks like pizza PIE!!! Remember, YOU are in control, not your dough! This dough is pictured in my deep dish pizza pan.
Step 10: While the pizza is in the 5 minute increment stage, I'll melt in the microwave the remaining margarine or butter and add the garlic (or Parmesan cheese or both!) powder and stir. Then when the pizza is golden, I'll pull it from the oven and brush the butter or margarine mix onto the crust.
The process ends when you let the pizza sit and cool for about 10 minutes before cutting in and enjoying the pizza PIE!!
Converting Recipe:
If you are only making one large pizza (not deep dish), divide the ingredients by 3 (except the margarine/butter...change it to 3 tablespoons) and add just a little bit more of everything (I'm going to drive the engineers in my life insane with stuff like "add a little bit more").
As for the flour/water, the ratio is approximately 1.83 cups of flour per cup of water. As you see, this is an estimate and the recipe teaches you how to add just enough flour needed to make a smooth, workable dough. I you are making 1 large pizza, I suggest starting with 1 1/4 cups of water.
ENJOY!!!
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