Happy Pizza Dough

I’m from Chicago, where pizza was a way of life! I came across this pizza dough recipe that I haven’t tried before in Bon Appetite. We sell the “00” flour at the Mercantile which results in a “crunchewey” pizza like you find in pizza parlors using wood burning pizza ovens.

Pizza dough

The secret to this dough is not to mess with it too much – don’t roll it out or knead it too much and go light on your toppings. Start this a day ahead of time to allow it to ferment properly.

5 Cups All Purpose Flour

2 1/2 Cups “00” Flour

1 teaspoon active dry yeast

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

4 teaspoons flake sea salt (I used Murray River)

3 Cups Very Warm Water

Mix all dry ingredients together. While stirring, add water to the flour mixture (I did this in a Mix Master with a paddle). Take out the dough and place on a well-floured surface and knead until all the flour is incorporated. Place in a bowl large enough for the dough to

Constance works the dough with her knuckles

expand by two and half times.  Do not oil the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave out at room temperature for 24 hours. The dough will look bubbly and will expand twice its original size. Remove the dough onto a well-floured surface and spread it out with your fingers and then cut into 6 or 8 even pieces.  Roll each dough piece into a ball and cover with plastic wrap for an hour before baking.  At this point you can wrap the dough balls in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 3 days.  This dough does not freeze well because of the limited amount of yeast.

When ready to make your pizza, use a pizza stone for best results.  Preheat oven to 500F or 550F and place pizza stone on the top 1/3 of the oven for one hour.

To form your pizza, take a rested pizza dough ball and place on a well- floured surface.  Using your fingers, start spreading the dough outwards. Take the dough and invert over your fists, allowing gravity to stretch the dough further. Place onto a pizza peel or the back of a cookie sheet that has more “00” flour or polenta on it to prevent it from sticking. Rub the dough with olive oil or oil of choice and put your toppings on (go light on the toppings) and a light sprinkle of flake salt and cracked black pepper.

When placing pizza on the stone, turn on your broiler. Yes, really! The heat from the broiler from above and the hot stone beneath recreates the wood-burning pizza oven effect. Keep your eye on the pizza as these cook quickly in 5-7 minutes. Take it out of the oven and allow it to rest for a few minutes on a wooden board or wire rack.

Yum!

Cut and serve hot.

Constance Jesser owns The Jacksonville Mercantile with her husband, David, and is a professionally-trained chef. She may be reached at the store at 541-899-1047.