CHERI'S FAVORITE PIZZA DOUGH, ADAPTED

Blogging buddy Cheri, of Fabulous Foods, worked on her friend Mitch's pizza dough recipe for over a year in a friendly competition, trying to best him. She came up with a really great pizza dough recipe by subbing semolina for part of the flour. Semolina is a de-germed and de-branned flour, just like regular all-purpose, but it's made from a high-protein flour. It's yellow color comes from the type of wheat. Because of the way semolina is processed, its texture is coarser than all-purpose flour, and it's the magic ingredient in this dough. Italians have known about semolina for a long time. (My mother-in-law always used to tell me to buy pasta made with semolina.) It adds the chewy texture to this pizza dough, which a true pizza connoisseur reveres.

I did have some trouble with the recipe -- no way could I use the amount of water in the recipe. First off, when I placed the water, yeast and honey in my food processor and pulsed, I had a huge mess -- the mixture splashed up so much it actually came out of the processor. And I've not had success baking pizzas at 550F -- they burn at that temp. My own method is to set the oven at 550F, then immediately reduce to 400F when the pizza goes in.

I've already rated Mitch's pizza dough recipe 10/10, but I need to rethink that rating. Now that I've made both recipes, I can say that I like Mitch's because I can roll it very thin; but I like Cheri's because it has the flavor and chew that comes from semolina. But neither one has it all, so I'm rating both a 9 and am still searching for that elusive "perfect" pizza dough -- one that is crispy on the edges and tender and chewy inside, and has a good flavor. 9 is a very high rating -- I would make either of these pizza doughs again, because they're both excellent.

Cheri's Favorite Pizza Dough, Adapted

Source: Fabulous Foods

Rating: 9 out of 10

INGREDIENTS: 1 cup very warm water, divided use

2 tsp. active dry yeast (not Rapid Rise or instant)

2 tsp. sugar (I used honey)

2-1/2 cups bread flour

1/2 cup semolina flour (Bob's Red Mill semolina is available in some grocery stores and online)

1 tsp. sea salt

Combine 1/4 cup water, yeast and sugar or honey in work bowl of food processor and pulse to mix. Let sit for about 5 minutes, or till yeast starts to foam.

Measure flours and salt in a large bowl; whisk together. Add 1 cup flour to yeast mixture and pulse to mix. Gradually add remaining water and flour mixture, pulsing while adding. When all ingredients have been added, adjust dough as needed, adding more water to make dough looser, or more flour to tighten it up. You want to use the least amount of flour to get a pliable dough. Too much flour will make the dough tighter and tougher.

Unlike cake batter, yeast dough likes to be beat to death, so have at it! Pulse it, pulse it, pulse it, then pulse it some more. When you've beaten it to death, take the dough out and place it in a bowl that has 1 Tbsp. olive oil smeared around the inside. It helps if your hands still have the olive oil on them -- it will keep the dough from sticking to your fingers. Turn the dough over once, to coat the top with oil as well. Cover with a damp, clean kitchen towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about an hour or so. I like to use my microwave oven (turned off, of course). Test for doubling by putting two fingers into the dough; if the dents remain, the dough has doubled. Also look for little "blisters" on the surface of the dough. You can prepare the dough for baking now, but it will even be better if it "cures" in the fridge overnight. Curing gives the dough more flavor. If desired, you can freeze the dough after the first rising. Let it come to room temperature before shaping and baking. Yield: two (11") pizzas

If you don't have a pizza stone, please do buy one. They're only about $10 and they do make your crust better. I usually cut a piece of parchment about the size of the stone and sprinkle some cornmeal onto it before placing my dough on top. This makes it ever so easy to slip the pizza on and off the stone.

BASIC PIZZA DOUGH LIKE DELORENZO'S

Always searching for the best pizza dough recipe, I stumbled on this recipe posted on the Fabulous Foods website, where blogger Cheri says that her friend, Mitch, the author of this recipe, claims to make the world's best pizza dough. With that kind of a recommendation, I gave it a try.

Pizza is a regional food. There are as many variations of pizza in this country as there are states. If you try to trace the origin of pizza in the U. S., you'll find a complicated trail; but my hubby's hometown, Trenton, New Jersey, is claimed by some to be the birthplace of the Tomato Pie. As my hubby will tell you, a Trenton tomato pie is superior to any other pizza anywhere in the world, and DeLorenzo's is the best of the best. I have neighbors from Chicago who would disagree (they pay big bucks to get deep dish pizza delivered to their door from the windy city).

But Guy is the one I live with. And I make pizza to please him, except, of course, when I make white pizza for myself. (No tried and true Trenton traditionalist would ever touch a pizza with anything other than tomatoes, cheese and traditional Italian toppings like sausage, onions, green peppers, mushrooms, anchovies and the like. Ham and pineapple pizza? No way, Jose -- at least not for Guy.) For Guy, memories of DeLorenzo's pizza are somehow imprinted with overlapping recollections of growing up. To alter any part of the formula would be changing his past. I can respect that, and I do.

Guy gives this recipe two thumbs up, way up. Since, in this household, we focus on thin-crust pizza, I can't comment on how this dough is if it's rolled out thick. But it's tender, light, crisp and flavorful when it's rolled out thin. And Guy is happy because it's "almost DeLorenzo's."

One more comment: if you're limiting yourself to non-rise pizza doughs, you'll never know the joy of tasting the full flavor of a risen dough cured overnight in the fridge. Do yourself a favor: try this one time and see if there isn't a difference. This dough is soft, supple and very easy to work with. What more could you want for making the best tomato pie?


Basic Pizza Dough
Adapted from fabulousfoods.com
Rating: 9 out of 10

INGREDIENTS: 3-1/2 cups bread flour (or part bread flour, part white whole wheat)
1 cup warm water (between 95 and 115F; it should feel comfortable on your wrist.)
1 packet active dry yeast
1 Tbsp. honey
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp. sea salt

In small bowl, stir water and honey till honey dissolves. Sprinkle yeast over water; stir; let sit 5 minutes till it bubbles. Place 1-1/2 cups flour in work bowl of food processor with salt; pulse to combine. Pour yeast mixture over flour; pulse several times to mix. Add oil and pulse till incorporated. Add remaining flour and pulse till dough forms, adding more water or flour as needed to get the right consistency. You want a soft dough, but it shouldn't stick to the work bowl. Place the dough on a floured board and knead for about a minute to build the gluten. Place the dough in a greased bowl; turn to coat both sides; cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot for about 45 minutes, or till doubled. (I usually put my dough in the microwave, turned off, of course, because it's a nice warm spot. Test for doubling by pushing two fingers into side of dough. If dent remains, dough has doubled.)

Punch your fist into the center of the dough and smack it around to deflate the bubbles.

Now you have some options:

1. Let the dough rise again now -- back to the microwave. The second rising will be shorter, maybe 25-30 minutes. Check the dough by pressing two fingers near the edge. If dent remains, dough has risen enough. Punch it down again and shape it. Put sauce and toppings on and bake.

2. Let the dough cure in the fridge -- separate it into 4 balls. Flatten to discs. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in coldest part of fridge (lower back). This will slow the yeast down so the dough won't over-rise in the fridge. You should be able to leave it there for a few days, but I usually take it out the second day and punch it down, then put it back, just to be sure it doesn't over-rise. You do not need to let it rise again when you take it out to use it, but bring it to room temperature before rolling it. It'll roll much more smoothly then. Note: Do not put the entire ball of dough back into the rising bowl into the fridge overnight. It will rise too quickly and your dough will not be good. You must flatten the individual balls of dough and put them in the back of the lower part of the fridge to get them cold quickly and slow down the yeast.

3. Freeze the dough for future use -- It'll be ok for at least a month. Just wrap it in plastic wrap, put it in a freezer bag, and freeze. When you're ready for it, take dough out, and bring it to room temperature before you try to roll it. That may take a few hours, so plan accordingly. And don't worry if it starts to rise again. When you're ready to put the sauce & toppings on, just punch it down first and then roll it to shape. Yeast dough is a funny thing: the more you handle it, the better it is.

Some more info: A rolling pin is the best way to get the dough rolled thin. Each of the 4 pieces should roll to a 10" - 12" crust. I was able to get four 12" pizzas, but it will depend on how thin you roll the dough. Put your sauce, cheese and toppings on and bake in a preheated oven on a preheated pizza stone. I like to place my pizzas on a circle of parchment paper on the pizza stone. And how hot is hot? I've experimented -- to get a crispy thin crust, first of all, don't overload the pizza with sauce and toppings. Make them thin, too. Preheat the oven to 550F, then turn down to 400F as soon as you put the pie in the oven. The crust should puff up quickly, and the center and the toppings should also cook quickly but not burn. This is the DeLorenzo way.

WHOLE WHEAT THIN CRUST PIZZA DOUGH

Here's a quick, easy pizza dough crust from Robbie's Recipes that got nothing but rave reviews on the website. I started this dough at 4:30 pm and was eating pizza by 5:30 pm! How's that for fast? It's not my favorite pizza dough recipe, but for a last-minute dough, it's not bad, either. You can make it by hand or with a mixer. Since I have a 475 watt KitchenAid mixer, I opted to go modern.

Whole Wheat Thin Crust Pizza Dough

Adapted from Robbie's Recipes

Rating: 7 out of 10

INGREDIENTS: .25 oz. pkt. active dry yeast

1/4 tsp. granulated sugar (I used honey)

3/4 cup 110-degree water (It should feel comfortable on the inside of your wrist.)

1-3/4 cups white whole wheat flour (orig. recipe calls for all-purpose flour.)

1/2 tsp. salt (I used sea salt.)

1 tsp. olive oil (my addition)

toppings and sauce of your choice

Dissolve yeast and sugar (or honey) in water; allow to rest for 8 minutes.

Combine flour and salt in large bowl.

Pour yeast mixture over flour mixture and mix well with heavy spoon (or mixer or dough hook.)

Turn dough onto floured surface and knead for 2 minutes.

Working from edges to centr, press dough into 12" circle.

Place dough on lightly greased pizza pan and stretch dough to edges.

Spread sauce over crust and top with cheese and desired toppings.

Bake in 500F oven 8-12 minutes, or till edges are golden.

THIN CRUST PIZZA DOUGH

This is a very easy recipe and it's a good dough for pizza -- tender and thin. It makes 4 8" pizzas, and you can freeze any or all of them before or after baking.

Thin Crust Pizza Dough
INGREDIENTS:
1 small package active dry or fresh yeast
1 teaspoon honey
1 cup warm water, 105 to 115 degrees, divided use
3 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

DIRECTIONS: Dissolve the yeast and honey in 1/4 cup warm water. (I used a Pyrex measuring cup for this, but you could also use a small bowl if you prefer.) The water should feel comfortably warm on your wrist. Don't use your fingers or hand to gauge the temp of the water.

Combine the flour and salt in the work bowl of an 11-cup or larger food processor (or use the mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook). Add the oil, the yeast mixture and the remaining 3/4 cup of water and pulse till dough forms and is well worked, about 5 minutes. (For electric mixer with dough hook, mix on low speed until the dough comes cleanly away from the sides of the bowl and clusters around the dough hook, about 5 minutes.) Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and knead by hand 2 or 3 minutes longer. (I didn't need to do this, because the dough was worked well enough by the food processor; you will have to judge what your dough needs. You will know by the way it feels. If it's soft, smooth and elastic, it's worked enough.) Cover the dough with a clean, damp towel and let it rise in a warm spot for about 30 minutes. (I put the dough in a lightly oiled glass bowl, turned it over so both sides would be greased, and covered it with a clean kitchen towel that I dampened. I placed it in my microwave -- without turning it on of course -- and set the timer for 30 minutes.)

Divide the dough into 4 balls, about 6 oz. each. Work each ball by pulling down the sides and tucking under the bottom of the ball. Repeat 4 or 5 times. Then, on a smooth, unfloured surface, roll the ball under the palm of your hand until the top of the dough is smooth and firm, about 1 minute. Cover the dough with a damp towel (the same one) and let rest 15 - 20 minutes. At this point, the balls can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated up to 2 days (or frozen, if you prefer). Yield: 4 8" pizzas