La Pizza o La Morte: dough
This is the first installment in a never-ending series of posts on making homemade pizza.
Friday nights used to be date nights. Since COVID, they’ve become take-out and movie nights. If my kids had it their way, Fridays would be Domino’s and movie night. Fortunately for them, they understand there is only one right answer when I ask, “Which is better, Domino’s or Dad’s pizza.”
“Dad’s!”
There are hundreds of ways to make pizza, but no matter which you chose, it will take some time. The least time/labor intensive option is to grab a ball of ready-made dough from Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s. There’s no shame in that option from time to time, but even if you opt out of making your own dough, you’ll still have to temp the dough you buy. Homemade pizza is not an impulse (you do still have Domino’s for that, just don’t forget the garlic butter). Making pizza is a lifestyle.
If you’re making your own dough, you need to recognize that it is not a static ingredient—it is alive. Sure, you can make it the same day you plan to cook it, and I often do because I am more a moody eater than a fastidious planner, but you still need several hours for the yeast to do its work. I’ve also found that the temperature of the room is crucial. If you are going to use the dough the same day, find a warm-but-not-too-warm place for it to rise.
The other option is to ferment the dough which requires some time in the fridge. If you take this option, you’ll need to wrap the dough in plastic wrap and put the dough balls in the fridge. Somewhere between 24-48 hours gives you those bubbles and that sexy leopard print blistering on the crust. I’ve found that a bit of oil on the plastic wrap is essential for getting the dough out of the plastic.
This option clearly takes more prep. You have to ask yourself, “Will I be in the mood for pizza on Saturday night?” The answer is almost always yes. If so, Thursday will be your night for making dough, but you can get by with Friday and still have 24 hours for the yeast to work. Don’t forget that you will still need time on Saturday—keep telling yourself, “it’s a labor of love!”—for the dough to temp and rise. Even with the fermentation, the dough will be very elastic and retractable without some time in a warm room to spread out.
Be gentle with the dough. Form your crust first, being careful to keep the air bubbles intact, and never use a roller. The only reason to use a roller is because you didn’t take my advice; you thought, “I’m in a hurry and I want pizza. I don’t really need to temp the dough. It’ll be fine” It’s now not fine, you can’t get it stretched out without it snapping back to the size of a hockey puck, and you have to reach for the roller to rescue it from becoming a pizza flavored bagel. Yes, I know from experience. It still happens more frequently than it should. You can’t rush pizza.
As for getting it into the flat shape it needs to be in order to hold your ingredients, there are many options. You can, and should, try tossing. It is an impressive party trick and if your guests see you in the back yard tossing the dough, your pizzaiolo chops are instantly increased. However, truth be told, slapping and stretching is a better option. Use your balled fists to get the dough as thin as possible without breaking, and make sure it’s even throughout the middle.
Now that we have established that time and temperature are the most important factors to turning any recipe into workable pizza crust, let me add one more necessity: a gram scale. I learned years ago as a baker than weight is a far better measurement than volume for baked goods. Pizza dough is no different. If you don’t have a scale, you won’t be able to make the recipe I’m giving you. I’d recommend buying a decent one since it needs to be trusted and it will likely take a beating over the years. Also remember that you need to be able to read the weight (in grams, preferably) while a large bowl is resting on top. I have no idea why some scale manufacturers can’t foresee this problem.
This entire blog post has simply been a preface to the dough recipe, which is actually very simple at first glance. However, there is nothing simple about simplicity. I do not have the time or experience to tell you about hydration rates, humidity, altitude, and all the other factors that will impact your pizza’s crust. Keep working with the dough and learn the feel and taste and texture you prefer and don’t worry about the science. Keep telling yourself, “I’m making homemade pizza. I am a pizzaiolo.” Imagine yourself in the shadow of Mt. Vusuvius beside a field of San Marzano tomatoes or working the oven on a busy street market in Naples. You will be transported. You are making pizza. And pizza, like a good friend, will forgive your deepest flaws. Pizza is grace. Don’t take it too seriously. When it’s good it’s good, and when it’s bad it’s good. And if it all goes to rubbish, there’s always Domino’s.
Dame la pizza o dame la morte.
Addendum:
Scale this recipe. No matter how you’re cooking your pizza, it’s not worth it for two pies. You’ll always eat more than you think. Double or triple and invite some friends.
It calls for Tipo 00 flour. I buy Caputto’s red bag in bulk on Amazon. It calls for AP flour to be mixed in half and half, but I generally just use only Tipo 00 because it speeds up the prep time and makes a more Italian variety of crust.
