This recipe is portioned for use with a 12x17 pan. If adjusting for different sized pans, do not increase the amount of yeast unless the recipe is more than doubled. Reduce yeast proportionately if reducing the recipe size.
1. The sauce: The sauce is very simple, a can of good quality crushed tomatoes with a finely chopped medium white onion mixed in and a pinch of kosher salt. This sauce is not cooked or spiced at all, simply chop the onions and mix them into the crushed tomatoes. Please note that (1) 28oz can of crushed tomatoes with the recommended amount of onion will top (4) 12x17 trays so be sure to adjust your topping amount accordingly.
TIP: use one of those kitchen-chopping gadgets to chop the onions very fine, not a knife. Not only is it faster & easier, there are no tears. Remember, very finely chopped. There are no chunks of onion in this style of pizza, just the onion flavor.
2. The cheese: The cheese is a 50:50 mixture of shredded mozzarella & white cheddar (Wisconsin or Vermont) cheeses.
3. The dough: The dough is a basic pizza dough recipe. This recipe will yield an approximately 1-3/4 lb dough ball. The sugar & oil are optional but do contribute to the browning & softness of the crust if used.
Combine the following ingredients in a bowl or mixer in the following order:
9.8 oz of bottled water (just under 1-1/4 cups)
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp olive oil
3-1/4 cups of high gluten bread flour
2 tsp salt
2-1/4 tsp instant yeast (this is 1 packet of bread maker yeast)
After forming all ingredients into a single dough ball, let rest for 15 minutes, then knead thoroughly for 6 minutes. Put ¼ cup peanut oil into 12x17 blue steel pan (higher sides are better). Stretch dough to cover about 2/3 of the pan. Cover the pan with plastic wrap to keep the moisture in & prevent the dough from “skinning”.
After 1-2 hours, remove plastic wrap & knock the dough down & stretch to fill the pan. Pull dough up along the sides of the pan and into the corners. Re-cover with plastic and give dough enough rise time to fill the pan. 30 minutes to 1 hours should be enough.
Uncover dough, sprinkle a pinch of kosher salt on top then top the pizza with the sauce & cheese. Be sure NOT to knock the dough down while you’re topping it. This will only require a few tablespoons of sauce & a handful of cheese, both evenly spread. This Pizza is not loaded with sauce & cheese so top evenly & moderately to maintain the balance of flavors.
Bake in a 450-475 degree oven on bottom rack for 12-15 minutes until the cheese appears to just start to burn. At this point, the crust should be crispy, browned, & fried.
For the experienced pizza bakers on the forum, here is the weight based recipe that I normally use:
Pizza Dough 12x17 pan
Flour | 100% | 409g
Water | 67% | 274g
Salt | 2.0% | 8g
Sugar | 2.0% | 8g
IDY | 2.0% | 8g
Olive oil | 1.0% | 4g
