This past week, I went back to the basic pizza, which for me is a the classic Margarita. I'd fooled around with a lot of different dough and sauce recipes and just want to get back to the basics.

For me, the pizza starts and ends with the dough. Lately, 2 things have really helped me improve my dough. A digital scale and an online pizza dough calculator. Tom Lehmann put together this calculator that just makes it so easy to calculate recipes; you gotta try it!

So, here's my basic dough recipe. I used an unbleached organic flour. No high gluten or anything else.

Flour (100%): 394.2 g | 13.9 oz | 0.87 lbs
Water (63%): 248.35 g | 8.76 oz | 0.55 lbs
IDY (.3%): 1.18 g | 0.04 oz | 0 lbs | 0.39 tsp | 0.13 tbsp
Salt (1.%): 3.94 g | 0.14 oz | 0.01 lbs | 0.82 tsp | 0.27 tbsp
Total (164.3%): 647.67 g | 22.85 oz | 1.43 lbs | TF = 0.101
Single Ball: 323.84 g | 11.42 oz | 0.71 lbs

The one thing I did do, is briefly mixed all of the ingredients together so that the flour was wet and just let it sit for about 20 mins. I had read a tip about letting the flour hydrate before working it.

After the 20 mins, I worked it in my bread machine. It is set on a 1 hour program that kneads, rests, kneads and let's the dough rise.

While the machine was doing it's thing, I got started on the toppings. My take on the Margarita pizza is fresh tomatoes, cheese, herbs and olive oil. So, I cut grape tomatoes in half, tossed them in olive oil and oven roasted @ 325 for 25 mins. I chose the grape variety as they were pretty sweet and I wanted that sweetness to compliment the cheeses which can be on the salty side. Roasting brings out the maximum sweetness in the tomatoes.



I didn't give the dough a cold ferment overnight or even 6 hours at room temp. When the bread machine cycle was complete; I took the dough out, cut it in 2 (this recipe was enough for 2 pizzas) and shaped the first skin.

Once the skin was shaped, I topped it with half of the roasted tomatoes, olive oil and sprinkled with a little dried oregano, basil and rosemary.



Then onto a screen and into the oven @ 500 for about 10 mins. Here again, I had read about splitting the bake time which helps the dough.



After 10 mins, the pizza comes out and is ready for the cheeses and fresh basil. I used a good quality mozzarella and provolone. The provolone was firmer, so I grated it and just thinly sliced the mozzarella. On top of the cheese, I placed a few fresh basil leaves.



In for about another 10 mins until the crust had a nice golden color and the cheese was well melted.



The crust was very tasty.



Taking a minimalist approach by using just a few quality ingredients produced a great pizza.

Paul, see what a little research will do? That pizza is gorgeous! You can't beat quality. Our planned lunch isn't going to seem as appetizing after looking at your pictures. I think I'm going to have to move up my Sunday pizza cook.

Paul, the pizza looks great. I did something different last weekend. Had the grand kids over and made them each a 6" cheese pizza which I baked directly on pizza bricks on my gasser. Got to say the crust came out just like I've been trying to do for the last 8 weeks. The bottom was a little burnt with that grayish/white look. It also had nice bubbles in the end crust. So, now I have to think of how to get my 18" monster directly on the bricks without a peel.

Rita and Paul,
Thanks for the compliments. Paul; do you not have a peel or don't wish to use one? You might consider the use of parchment paper over card board. The cardboard serving as a peel and pulling a corner of the parchment paper onto the bricks.

You can also use the back of a large cookie sheet, with or without parchment. But do use cornmeal.

Rita, beautiful pie. What do you consider the advantages of the screen? Esthetically, it misses the mark for me.

Do get a peel! Do use parchment. They make it easy to handle crusts till you have confidence to do it another way.

Actually, Steve, the credit goes to Paul K for the beautiful pizza above.

It would help if I could read....Paul beautiful pie.

Steve, no problem; I'm sure the pics of that tantalizing pizza had your eyes watering which made it hard to read .

Actually Rita does get some credit, she suggested upping my water a bit which got me digging into different recipes which led to the use of dough calculator mentioned upthread. So Thanks to you Rita!

Paul

Paul K and Rita, thanks for the ideas. Will try them out. Maybe I can get one of my woodworking friends to make me a custom peel. What kind of wood would be the best? I'm thinking oak or hickory.

Paul, you can buy peels that can handle large pizzas. This peel may work for you and is fairly inexpensive.

If you want to have one made, I think any hardwood would work. Just avoid any wood that would give off resin (pine, cedar, etc.)

I use an aluminum model that I picked up at a local restaurant supply store for about $10.

Moving this post by Paul K on 10/22/08 to this thread:

My experience with dough is going quite well IMHO . Lately I've been using King Arthur All Purpose flour and really like it. This last pizza was a half and half. Pepperoni, Mozzarella and Pecorino Romano. The other half included green and black olives; that was my half.

Paul,

I appreciate watching your pizza making skills progress through your posts. I hope they taste as good as they look!

Friday night pizza in a tradition around here. Your pics are making in hard to wait……

Gary

Paul, and Chris. Outstanding looking pies there. I haven't made any pies in a long time. I think I need to get some dough made here soon.

I'm going to try my hand at these, this weekend if things turn out.

I know I'm not going to find the flour brands here you are referring to but I bought Bob's Red Mill Wheat Gluten as an additive to bump my flour up a bit.

I haven't opened it yet, I could still take it back ... will it be helpful?

Edit: I think I found my answer in Doug D's WWW dough recipe, I'll just keep the wheat gluten on hand and experiment with it.

Next Q: is this IDY?


Fleischmann's Quick Rise

2nd Edit: ok, found elsewhere this should work, it's what I have so I'll go with it

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Shawn W,

quote:

Originally posted by Shawn W:
Next Q: is this IDY?


Fleischmann's Quick Rise

2nd Edit: ok, found elsewhere this should work, it's what I have so I'll go with it

Yes it is IDY Bud, The IDY needs not be dissolved in water prior to use. Bread machine yeast is IDY as well.