The Perfect Pizza #3

My quest for the perfect pizza continues.  I was not happy to let my previous endeavour be my authoritative post on the Mario Batalie Otto pizza dough recipe.  I had to give it another shot especially since I”m pretty sure the problem was my yeast.

This time my dough rose properly and actually looked like pizza dough… very promising!  However, when I baked it I didn’t love it.  The dough was pretty dense and didn’t have the air pockets that my first attempt showed.  There also wasn’t a lot of “chew” to it, the crust could have been a bit softer.

I will be removing this dough recipe from my pizza making repertoire for sure.  Please give send along suggestions of other great dough recipes!

For the toppings I decided to get a bit fancier.  I did potatoes, rosemary, sausage and mushrooms.  Sadly, I overcooked my potato slices when I pre-cooked them but the pizza still turned out okay.

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.