| 2 |
 |
cup warm
water (100° to 110°) |
| 1/2 |
|
teaspoon sugar |
| 1 |
|
teaspoon
salt |
| 2 |
|
package active
dry yeast |
| 5
1/2 |
|
cups to
6 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting |
|
|
Coarse-grain
cornmeal, for dusting |
| 5 |
|
teaspoons olive
oil, plus more for bowl |
|
|
Pizza
Sauce |
| 24 |
|
ounces fresh
mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced |
|
| |
1. Heat
the oven to 500°, with a 16-inch diameter pizza stone placed on
lowest shelf position, for at least 30 minutes. |
| |
| |
2. Pour
warm water into a large bowl. Add sugar, and sprinkle in yeast.
Using a fork, stir the mixture until yeast is dissolved and water
has turned a tan color. Let yeast stand until foamy, about 10
minutes. In a separate bowl combine the 5 1/2 cups flour and salt,
and mix well. Add 5 teaspoons of olive oil to yeast mixture and
then add flour mixture to bowl. Mix with a heavy fork until the
dough comes together, adding more flour as needed until dough is
smooth, not tacky, when squeezed. Kneed dough in the bowl with
your hands. Transfer to clean surface; knead four or
five turns into a ball. |
| |
| |
3. Brush
the inside of a large bowl with olive oil, and place the dough in
the bowl, smooth side up. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, or
place entire bowl in a plastic bag and place in a warm spot until
doubled in size, about 40 minutes. Remove plastic wrap, and press
your fist into the center of the dough to punch it down. Fold the
dough back onto itself four or five times. Turn dough over,
folded-side down, cover with plastic wrap, and return to the warm
spot to rise again until the dough has doubled in size, about 30
minutes. |
| |
| |
4. Punch
down the dough, and transfer to a clean surface. Using a bench
scraper or a sharp knife, divide the dough in half, and then half
again and knead each quarter four or five turns into a ball. If
making 2 pizzas, place one of the dough balls back in the oiled
bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Put the other 2 in a plastic
bag and refrigerate. Lightly flour a clean surface, place the
remaining dough ball on top, pat into a flattened circle, cover
lightly with plastic wrap, and let rest 5 minutes. Using your
fingers, begin to flatten and push the dough evenly out from the
center until it measures about 7 to 8 inches in diameter. Do not
press the dough all the way to the edges. Leave a slightly raised
border, about a half-inch wide, around entire circumference of
pizza dough. |
| |
| |
5. Sprinkle
cornmeal all over the surface of a pizza peel, and set aside. Lift
the dough off the surface, and center it on top of your fists.
Hold your fists about 1 to 2 inches apart. Begin to rotate and
stretch the dough, moving your fists until they are 6 to 8 inches
apart and the dough is several inches larger. Then place your
fists under the inside of the outer edge, and continue to stretch
the dough a little at a time until it reaches about 12 inches in
diameter. The dough will drape down over your forearms. At this
stage, it is important to keep your fists along the inside of the
outer edge and watch that the dough does not get too thin or tear
in the center. At the same time, make sure to maintain the
slightly raised border on the edges. The dough is surprisingly
resilient and will not tear if this step is done carefully and
slowly. |
| |
| |
6. Arrange
the pizza dough into a circle on top of the cornmeal-dusted peel.
Leaving the raised edge uncovered, pour 9 tablespoons of the pizza
sauce onto the dough. Using the back of a tablespoon, evenly
spread the sauce leaving a half-inch border of dough uncovered.
Arrange half of the mozzarella slices on top of the sauce. |
| |
| |
7. Lift
the pizza peel and, using a slight jerking motion, slide the pizza
about one inch back and forth on the peel to loosen it. Slightly
tilt the peel, and place the front tip of peel on the back side of
the stone. Slide the pizza off the peel, centering it on the
stone. Bake until the crust is golden brown and crisp on the edges
and the bottom, 10 to 12 minutes, turning the pizza halfway
through baking. While first pizza is baking, shape and assemble a
second pizza using remaining dough. Using tongs, lift the edge of
the first pizza, and slide the peel all the way under to remove it
from the oven. Using a pizza wheel, slice the pizza into eight
pieces, and serve immediately. |
|
