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http://www.pmq.com/cgi-bin/tt/index.cgi/noframes/read/1207PMQ Think TankPosted By: pizzashark
Date: 5/7/03 20:10
Dough:
10 LB High Gluten Flour (Gold Medal Full Strength works well)
8 oz Cottonseed Oil
3 oz salt
1 oz Baker's yeast (beer yeast)
84 oz Water
Combine yeast, oil, and 1 cup flour with water at 100-110 degrees. Mix 2 minutes and then let rest 15-20 minutes until foamy. You can add some sugar to enhance the shelf life of the dough but I don't recommend it as the sugar content will brown the crust too fast under the high heat.
Mix salt (we used Diamond superfine crystals) in with the flour seperately. Then add flour/salt mixture and mix until well kneeded and developed... We would kneed on low speed for almost 30 minutes. I know that sounds like a great deal of time but that's the way we did it and the dough would stretch with the utmost of ease. In short, we beat the crap out of the dough.
Portion balls, cover and refrigerate for 8 hours. Proof at room temperature for 2 hours prior to hand stretching.
Bake at 550 degrees 5-6 minutes on a pre-heated hearth.
This is a somewhat sticky dough and requires flour to be applied before stretching and such. The high moisture content in this dough is necessary due to the hearth bake and the high heat it is exposed to. This is an authentic N.Y. style crust. Thin and crispy with a puffed edge. The pizza peel should be dusted with a good deal semolina flour to allow easy placement in the oven. If your dough is still sticking to the peel you are using too much sauce, aren't topping it fast enough, or not stretching such that you have a 1/8" center. In short... Get it into the oven FAST! Too much sauce is ALWAYS a bad thing when it comes to NY Style Pizza. You are "painting" the crust with sauce... that's all.
The dough will hold refrigerated for 3 days. When you begin to see black dots appearing on the dough you know the yeast is beginning to die... Black dots are not bad and they won't show up after baking but you have about a day left to use it.
If you get bubbling of the dough during cooking it is usually because the dough did not come up to room temperature before it was stretched. Cold dough tends to bubble.
Sauce:
2 #10 cans of Stanislaus Full Red Fresh Pack
1 # 10 can of water
3 oz fresh grated romano cheese
Add Oregano, Basil, Ground Black Pepper, etc. as you see fit. If you want the best dried spices buy them from Penzeys. They have a website and will quote bulk prices. If you can get fresh spend the money and blow them away.
One thing about dried oregano... Unlike Basil, Dried oregano takes time to release its flavor... More time than a 6 minute bake will allow. Take your oregano and mix it with hot water from the sauce recipe and heat it to a boil for a while. Then add that mix to your sauce. Basil can go in anytime because it releases its flavor very quickly during the baking. Also add some citric acid or lemon juice to really bring up the fresh tomato taste. A little salt won't hurt but I don't recommend it as the cheese and toppings usually have plenty. When you bake at 550 degrees on a hearth you are searing the entire top of the pizza into one great blend of flavor. Salt from the cheese and toppings will flow through the pizza.
Use a high quality cheese. You spend more but it costs you less as you are using less. You want this crust to be tasted, not burried. Also... before you place the cheese on the pizza give the center 3" or so an extra dash of that grated Romano. The sharp taste of the Romano in the first few bites will stick with your customer as they eat their way to the edge.
I wish you all the best with your pizza ventures and hope this can help some people. In time I will have my patented brick conveyor oven available for everyone to test and I welcome all inquires at my e-mail address.
Until then...
Passionate about N.Y. Style Pizza...
Pizza Shark
