Finally did an awesome thin crust

[Papageorgio]

Thanks to DKM and Steve for the great recipe and tips. It sent me on my journey.

After many failures here is my secret to success.

For one dough I use 1/4 cup milk...1/4 cup water.
Bring it to proper temperature( just warm) and add 1/2 tsp. SAF instant yeast. Let sit for 15 minutes.
Then...add 1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vegetable oil.

With liqiud mixture in a mixing bowl begin adding flour. (Sams club bread/pizza flour)
Note: I do NOT use a measured amount of flour.

Keep adding small amounts of flour. The mix turns into what appears to be pancake batter. At this point I'm using a whisk to ensure the flour is well mixed.

Keep slowly adding flour until mixture is too thick for whisk then switch to a Danish whisk I got from Breadtopia online.

Keep forcing more and more flour until mix becomes very dry and won't accept anymore flour. It should appear 'scrappy' and dry as described by Steve. Then, by hand, I intentionally break the flour into smaller lumps/pieces. The goal is to create what was described by Steve as a "Pizza Brain".

Finally, mounding the dry clumps into a ball and place in a bowl covered with Saran wrap. Let this sit for 24 hours. The dry clumps will have transformed into a wetter pile of brain and almost doubled in size. The smell is awesome.

Take dough and roll out on a floured surface VERY thin. 1/16". The dough feels dense and somewhat like thin leather and fairly easy to roll. Don't dock if you like bubbles. Dock lightly if you want some bubbles. Cut off excess dough if too large for the pan. Add sauce and toppings bake at 475.

I start out at the bottom rack with a perforated pan. After a few minutes the pizza begins to set up and then transfer (slides off the pan) on to the pizza stone (fibrament) for the remainder. When cooking is complete transfer back to perforated pan, cut and serve. (keep pan elevated to prevent moisture from forming. (see photo). There are two pans. I use a trivet to elevate the perforated pan above a second solid pan to catch any drippings that may occur.

A noticeable difference in this dough is how wonderful it smells while cooking. It fills the room with goodness. The taste is excellent with a light, thin, airy cracker crunch.

Thanks again DKM and Steve. You guys have changed my pizza forever and I could not have done it without you!!!

The pizza below is a straight mushroom (portabello) with a mix of Grande provolone and half Grande mozzarella. What an excellent pie!

[Jackie Tran]

Very nicely detailed write up with a picture no less. Thanks for sharing this. What do you use for sauce?
Do you have any side shots or a pic of the bottom?

[Papageorgio]

Sorry, I should have taken a photo of the bottom. People were waiting and I quickly snapped shot. I will be making another in a few days and will post a side profile. (it looked just like Steves)

I knew as soon as I ran the pizza cutter across I could hear the cracker/crunchy sound. There were actually little pieces of cracker debris left in the pan.

Very important to note...I had made two pies. One I docked with a fork. The other I didn't dock at all. It made an enormous difference in the amount and size of bubbles. I believe you need to experiment to see what suits your expectations.

The tomato sauce I use is the large can (6 lb. 10 oz.) of GFS 'extra heavy pizza sauce with basil'. I add nothing to this other than water. When diluted it makes almost twice the amount. I buy the large cans for $4.95. I have done many experiments with the sauce but I find, with this type of pizza, simple is what works best.

My goal is to make the most basic of pizza. A poor mans pie with minimal ingredients but with as much flavor as possible. I never add more than three toppings. Less is more. (sausage/pepper is the favorite)
If I wanted a heavy ladened pizza I go for a different style.

Again, after many failures of this recipe the success finally came after I went with SAF yeast and most importantly, started with a batter mixture and slowly worked in the flour. I believe this method helps to ensure that the yeast is very evenly spread throughout the mixture.  I do it all by hand using no mixers.

If you want a thin cracker crust jump in and give this a try. You will not be disappointed.