A Perfect and Simple Pizza

I have tried many pizza dough recipes in the past and have had no luck finding a simple and good recipe until now. I started my quest with Wolfgang Puck’s pizza dough. I made his dough over and over again but found the dough to be more like a cracker. The following  recipe has a little more body to it. I tried letting the dough rise before and  after placing the toppings on  to give it little thicker and lighter crust. I also tried baking at different temperatures and found that the highest temperature produces the best pizza. A pizza stone is a must have and really produces a pizza with a great crust. I topped this pizza with sliced vine-ripe heirloom tomatoes, prosciutto, goat cheese and fresh basil. I don’t know which ways is best, but try  cooking the pizza with the basil on it and then add some of the basil after baking.  Anyway, you decide which works best for you.

Day One

 Pizza Dough

4 1/2 cups of unbleached high-gluten bread flour

1 3/4 teaspoons of Kosher Salt

1 teaspoon of instant yeast

1/8 cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 3/4 cups cup of ice water

Stir together the flour, salt, and instant yeast in a 4 quart  bowl of an electric mixer.  With the dough hook, on low speed, add the olive oil and water. Mix on medium speed for 7 minutes to develop the gluten. The dough should clear the sides of the bowl, but stick to the bottom. Remove the dough and place it in a ceramic bowl with a tablespoon of olive oil . Roll the dough around to coat. This will allow the dough to rise easily.  Cover the dough with a towel and place in the refrigerator overnight.

Day Two

The Pizza

1/2 pound thin sliced prosciutto

4 large ripe heirloom tomatoes

1/2 pound goat cheese

1 bunch of basil

A fine cornmeal for dusting

Olive oil

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Remove the dough from the refrigerator 2 hours prior to baking. Preheat the oven and pizza stone to 500 degrees. Divide the dough into half and place on a counter lightly dusted with cornmeal. With your hands and working from the center out press with your fingers to flatten the dough. With a rolling pin roll the dough to about 1/4 inch thickness. Transfer to a pizza peel or round metal pan dusted with cornmeal. Brush the top of the dough with olive oil and line the dough with the sliced tomatoes. Place thin slices of prosciutto over the tomatoes and crumble the goat cheese on top. Pick half of the basil and place on the pizza. Sprinkle with salt and fresh ground pepper. Slide the pizza onto the hot stone and bake for 14-18 minutes. Remove from the oven to cool. I like to brush the sides with olive oil and season again with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Place the remaining basil on top and drizzle with olive oil.