The Perfect Pizza #2

My quest for the perfect pizza continues. This time the crust recipe came via Everybody Loves Pizza by Penny Pollack and Jeff Ruby.  I can’t remember exactly how I acquired this book but it was likely during my stint interning in network news or when I worked in the TV production world.  Either way I love this book. It’s filled with information about pizza across the U.S. and tons of anecdotes about pizza.  At the back of the book are  a number of pizza recipes from recognized chefs and restaurants.  Of course when I saw a recipe for Mario Batali’s pizza at Otto I knew I had to give it a try.

I’ve made this before and in retrospect I think I always found this recipe too yeasty.  Incidentally this time around my yeast was wonky and my dough barely rose causing me to have a pizza cracker!  Not stellar and far from perfect.  I might try this again with fresher yeast to see how this dough reacts with the pizza stone and the higher cooking temps.

Topping wise the pizza was pretty great!  I used mozzarella, goat cheese, mushrooms, spinach and roasted red peppers.  It reminds me of the 90s!

So the quest for the perfect pizza continues.  As Jay-Z would say… “on to the next one”.

PIZZA CRUST

• 1/4 cup  white wine
• 3/4 cup warm water
• 1  package yeast
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 1/2 cups double zero flour and 1/2 cup AP flour, sifted together

DIRECTIONS
Combine the wine, water, and yeast in a large bowl and stir until dissolved. Add the honey, salt, and the olive oil and mix thoroughly. Add 1 cup of the flour and mix with a wooden spoon to make a loose batter. Add 2 more cups of the flour and stir with the spoon for 2-3 minutes to incorporate as much flour as possible.

Bring the dough together by hand and turn out onto a floured board or marble surface. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes, until you have made a smooth, firm dough. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a towel. Set aside to rise in the warmest part of the kitchen for 45 minutes.

Cut the risen dough into 4 equal pieces and knead each portion into a round. Cover again and let rest 15 minutes.

To make the pizzas: Dust a clean work surface lightly with flour. Working one dough round at a time, use your fingers and palms to flatten the dough into a 10 to 12-inch circle, each about 1/8-inch thick.