pizza at home
we have been making pizzas at home for a couple of months. our favorite dough recipe is from lidia bastianich. problem is that we can never roll or pull it out to the size suggested and even at the smaller size we achieve, the crust though delicious is a little too cracker-like. we like a thin crust, but ours need a little more breadi-ness, especially at the edges. we are baking it on a stone at 450- 500 degrees in a thermidor gas stove with electric oven. any suggestions?
also we've tried various mozzarellas and find such tremendous variations in buffalo mozzarella from delicious to soupy and unappetizing & that cow milk versions work better for us. comments?
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12 Comments:
I've been making pizza at home for years. I don't know about Lidia's dough recipe so I can't comment on that. I don't use a recipe I just proof a packet of dry yeast then add it to about oh 3 cups or so of AP flour and a palm full (maybe 2 teaspoons) of salt. Add as much warm water as needed to make a dough then run it on the dough hook for maybe 7-10 minutes. The dough should be a little tacky still when you put it in a greased bowl to proof for about an hour or so until it's doubled. Push it down ( I never "punch" down my doughs that's not necessary) then cut in half, cover and let it rest for at least 5 minutes before you try to make the pizza. Then gently push it into shape. Don't use a rolling pin - pizza should be worked by hand - If you get resistance then stop and let it rest before you try again.
And a drier mozzarella works better than a fresher wetter one.
tapioca at 6:26PM on 07/20/09
Can you double the recipe and then work it into the size you want? This would make it thicker since there would be more dough.
gingercookiewithlime at 7:29PM on 07/20/09
I have had mixed results with pizza dough forever. The recipe I currently use makes a crust that I would consider a good middle ground- pleases both those who prefer thin and those who wish it was thicker. It has a generous 1/2 cup olive oil to 5 1/2 cups flour (enough for 2 14-inch pizzas roughly). The oil helps it to brown on the bottom and give a crisp edge, but the crust itself definitely has that breadiness you are talking about.
If you want the complete recipe, let me know and I'll post it.
CatBoy at 8:05PM on 07/20/09
tapioca: thanks i'll try it. and gingercookiewithilime: another good suggestion.
and catboy: please do post your recipe.
thank you all.
schulmama
schulmama at 8:23PM on 07/20/09
@schulmama: I switched to this dough recipe a little more than a year ago and have had fantastic results with it. (Never mind that the photos look like ass in that post—my kitchen lighting sux.)
Adam Kuban at 9:05PM on 07/20/09
I use a sourdough crust, the recipe for which I've gradually adjusted to give me into a relatively consistent result. Definitely do not use a rolling pin, as tapioca said. Forming the round by hand will knock less air out of the dough, as well as giving you a thicker crust around the edge.
Also, how long do you let the dough rest after you form it into a round? I find that a good 30 minute rest will allow the dough to rise a bit more and give a slightly airier and more tender crust.
Lastly, I make the dough a couple days ahead of time and let it do most of it's rise in the warmest part of my fridge. I find this gives a better flavor and texture.
I generally don't use fresh mozzarella on my pizza, unless it's some that I've made myself - central Missouri stores don't have a wide selection of fresh mozzarella, and forget about buffalo mozzarella. So I can't help you there. I usually use a nice melting cheese, like fontina.
Nicholas H at 9:46PM on 07/20/09
olive oil is always a plus in the dough .... that's all i have to say!
pooch at 9:50PM on 07/20/09
The recipe (created by Tony Gemignani of Pyzanno’s in Castro Valley, CA) can be made using a mixer with a dough hook or in a food processor, although the latter will have to be done in two batches. If you don’t like drinking your tap water, you should not use it to make pizza dough— use bottled or filtered water.
Because of the generous amount of oil, the pizzas can be formed and left at room temperature for an hour or so without the dough rising. It is best to cook only one pizza at a time, with the oven rack in the lowest position.
1 package active dry yeast
1 cup warm (100 degree) water
1 cup ice-cold water
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon salt
10 tablespoons olive oil
5 ¼ to 5 ½ cups bread flour
In a small bowl combine warm water and yeast; stir to mix and let stand 5 minutes. In a separate bowl combine the cold water, sugar, salt and stir until dissolved; add the olive oil.
If you are using a stand mixer, place 5 ¼ cups flour in the bowl along with both water mixtures. Blend with the dough hook on low speed until the mixture is smooth and not sticky, about 14 minutes. If the dough remains sticky, add 2 tablespoons flour and mix a few minutes longer.
If you are using a food processor, place 2 ¾ cups flour in the processor bowl with half of each water mixture and process until a smooth dough is formed, about 2 minutes. If the dough is sticky, add a tablespoon flour and process a few seconds. Repeat the process for the second half of dough.
Divide the dough into two pieces (unless you used the processor) and place on a floured surface. Form each piece into a ball, pulling the opposite sides together and pinching into a neat seam along the bottom; repeat until it is a smooth ball. Place each ball into a zippered bag, press out air, seal, and refrigerate overnight, or up to 2 days.
To form the pizzas, let the dough stand at room temperature for half an hour, then roll into a 10-inch circle on a lightly-floured surface. Gently stretch the dough into a 14-inch round and place on a lightly greased pizza pan or pizza screen, or a peel dusted with cornmeal if you are using a baking stone.
Top the pizza as you like and bake in a preheated 500 degree oven for about 15 minutes.
CatBoy at 10:05PM on 07/20/09
I love Rose Levy Beranbaum's pizza crust recipe (from The Bread Bible). A pretty wet dough, only a little mixing, no kneading, let it sit in the fridge overnight then press onto well oiled sheet pan (no rolling, the best part!). I bake it for 5 min, cool and keep in the freezer to have great pizza in less than 10 min. This crust tastes so good it made me realize how important a yummy crust is and how little toppings are needed. It is so easy to make, I'll triple the batch and make a bunch of personal size crusts to keep handy in the freezer.
mrsmoosie at 10:14PM on 07/20/09
For years I have been using Evan Kleinman's recipe from March 2002 Fine Cooking., I cut the H20 to 1.25 cuos add a scosh more salt and also sometimes some oregano to the dough. I mix by hand and do not knead for an extensive period of time. It is best if mad the night before and given a slow rise in the fridge but works fine if done a few hrs ahead in the same day. Multiple batches work just fine.
Cheese- For several years we have used whole milk mozzarella from Trader Joe's-much better than low fat. Recently we were visiting our son who made a pizza using scamorze rather than mozzarella. A significant improvement. I would suggest trying it as a sub for the mozza. Reminded me more of the flavor I remember from growing up and eating pizza in NY,
Once you find what you want as a recipe try it on the grill. Its wonderful just remember to generouslly oil the dough before putting on the grill to prevent it from sticking.
Hope this helps.
dasmueller at 10:43PM on 07/20/09
I make pizza at home regularly with great success. For two medium size pies, I start with a cup of warm water (I base everything on the water) in the mixer bowl. Dissolve a tsp. of yeast, add a TBS of sugar, or maple syrup, or malt, or honey...whatever you like. Start the mixer. Add about a cup of flour. Mix. Add salt...Maybe slightly less than a TBS....mix with dough hook and continue adding flour until you have a dough that is soft, slightly sticky, but workable with a little flour. Turn onto a board or counter and kneed for 5 - 8 minutes. You will want the dough to be sticker that you think...It's a feel - thing, but too much flour will not be a good thing. This only needs to proof for an hour. Then cut in half. Kneed into two balls. Let rest 15 minutes and roll or stretch. You are good to go. If you want more...increase the water and work from there.
Cook pizzas on a stone at the highest temp attainable for the best results. I cook mine in my Big Green Egg at over 750 degrees.
In my opinion, the best pizza cheese is real Italian Fontina (not the domestic imposter).
derosa at 6:42AM on 07/21/09
I used this recipe--quick, minimum cleanup, versatile (can be rolled thin like a cracker or pressed into a pan thick like Chicago-style), nice taste and texture.
1 pkg. (2-1/2 tsp.) yeast
1 c. warm water (110 degrees)
1/4 c. canola, corn or vegetable oil
1/4 c. olive oil
1/2 c. cornmeal
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
Up to 3 c. flour
In the bowl of a KitchenAid mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the yeast, water, oil, olive oil, cornmeal, sugar and salt on low speed. Add 2-1/2 cups of the flour and knead on low speed until well-incorporated, cleaning sides of the bowl with a rubber scraper two or three times. The dough should be very sticky but not wet; if it seems too wet, add up to 1/2 cup more flour a little at a time. Knead on low speed until dough cleans the side of the bowl and is smooth and no longer sticky, 5-10 minutes. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise at room temp until doubled, or in refrigerator overnight.
Spread on a very lightly oiled cookie sheet, or roll out thinly on a lightly-floured surface and transfer to a cornmeal-dusted peel, or press into two lightly oiled 9" cake pans or pie plates for Chicago-style thick pizza.
betteirene at 4:36PM on 07/21/09