I read this post by Natalie from Perry's Plate, and I knew that if it really tasted anything like Papa John's crust, it would be a winner in this house. And let me tell you—she's right! This homemade crust is the closest I've made to restaurant quality. I still truly love my original recipe (seen here and here), but now I have two regulars. This new one has to be prepped 24 hours ahead, where my other only takes about 20 minutes. So I'll definitely use both.
Pizza Pizzas
From Alton Brown, Food Network (via Perry's Plate)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 cup warm water
2 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon instant yeast
2 teaspoons olive oil
- Place the sugar, salt, olive oil, water, 1 cup of flour, yeast, and remaining cup of flour in the bowl of a standing mixer. Spray the dough hook attachment with cooking spray. Turn machine to low and mix until the dough just comes together. Then knead for 15 minutes on medium speed.
- Tear off a small piece of dough and flatten into a disc. Stretch it until thin. Hold it up to the light to see if the taut membrane has formed. If the dough tears before it forms, knead the dough for an additional 5 to 10 minutes.
- Place the ball of dough in a stainless steel bowl. Add 2 teaspoons olive oil and toss the dough to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 18 to 24 hours.
- Preheat oven (between 450 and 500), with stone on lowest rack. Flatten into a disc (or two, depending on the size of pizzas you want) on a pizza peel, and top immediately with toppings for a crisp crust. For a chewy crust, let the dough rest for 30 minutes before topping.
- Spread cornmeal on stone (careful - it's hot); slide the pizza on. Bake until crust is golden brown. Let sit for a few minutes after you've removed it from the oven. Voila!
3 comments:
Isn't that an awesome recipe?! I'm glad you tried it! Nice job of condensing it down, too. Alton's really wordy :)
Erica- what's the best way to transfer the crust with toppings to the pizza stone? We've tried it a few times with one disastrous attempt and one pretty good one. I'm excited to try this dough!
Thanks for the comments, girls! Emily - do you have a pizza peel? It's the wooden paddle looking thing that you sometimes see them use in restaurants or movies. I'm sure you could get one at Bed, Bath & Beyond or maybe even Target. Natalie also says in her post that she uses a big cutting board. Just make sure the bottom is well floured.
Also, sometimes I just put the crust on first for a few minutes. You just fold the rolled-out dough into fourths, set it on the cornmeal-ed stone, and quickly unfold it. That way you don't have to worry about all the toppings slipping off, and it also helps you get an extra crispy crust.
I'm so glad you asked this question, and good luck!
Post a Comment