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no-knead pizza

If you’ve never heard of Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, it’s likely you’ve been living in a cave the last couple years because the concept has received much acclaim by home bakers because of its relative-ease due to the no-knead method.  I won’t get into the hard science of it, but the resulting dough can be left to “age” in the refrigerator for up to two weeks – the longer it ages, the closer it resembles a traditional sourdough loaf with its tangy flavor.  Here, I use that same basic technique to make an olive oil dough.  The recipe below will make enough for two one-pound loaves, or about three 8” pizzas.

• 1 3/8 C lukewarm water
• ¾ tbsp granulated yeast
• ¾ tbsp salt
• ¾ tbsp salt
• ½ tbsp sugar
• 1/8 C extra virgin olive oil (the fruitier, the better)
• 3 ¼ C unbleached all purpose flour

Mix all the ingredients but the flour in a lidded container (it should not be airtight).  Gradually mix in the flour with a spoon until it has all been incorporated (you may need to use wet hands to get the last bit incorporated).  This would be easier to do with a stand-mixer and dough hook, but alas, the kitchen gods have not gifted me one yet.  Cover the dough and allow to rest for about two hours or until the dough has flattened on top.

Once the dough has collapsed or flattened, you can throw it in the frig or use it right away; honestly it’s easier to handle when it’s a little colder, so 30 minutes would work.

(The rest of the dough can be used by cutting off the amount you want to use, allowed to rest on the counter for 20-30 minutes before baking.)

At this point I jack up my oven to 500 degrees and put in the pizza stone.  I cannot stress this enough – buy a pizza stone.  If you don’t want to spend the $20, buy a couple of fire bricks at a tile store.  If your oven is anything like mine, in about 10 minutes, the timer will go off to say it’s preheated – let me tell you now, it’s not.  I use a thermometer inside my oven and it usually takes about 20-25 minutes to come up to temp; I recommend you buy that $5 device.  The key to a crispy crust without charring the toppings is having a hot oven and hot stone.

I’m no expert pizza maker (and I certainly don’t throw it in the air), so here are my tips on forming the crust:

• Lightly flour the clean surface you’re working on, and add some flour to the top of the dough
• Rub the flour over the dough and pull it gently and fold it underneath – you’ve just “cloaked” the dough
• I use a rolling pin to get started flattened to very thin, but if you don’t want to use that method, you should press with your finger tips and work outward towards the edge, pulling gently as to not break it

Before topping the pizza, take out your pizza peel if you have one, or an inverted pizza pan, and sprinkle generously with cornmeal and shake the dough.  This will ensure the pizza slides off when you attempt to put it in the oven.

I won’t even begin to suggest ingredients to use, because that’s the beauty of pizza – anything can be added, and I encourage you to make pizza when you need to clean out the frig – scraps of cheese, bits of charcuterie, excess veg…the dough is your canvas.  In the top picture I used organic, jarred tomato puree, fresh tomato, mozz, ricotta, serrano ham, mixed greens & olive oil.  Typically I don’t even use a tomato sauce; I just use olive oil or a little pesto.  Again, it’s totally up to you.

Enjoy the recipe!