New Yorker Pizza Crust250 grams High Gluten Flour (13% or more)
180 mililiters Water ca. 38°C
(if you do a fridge rise, you can use colder water)1 tablespoon Sugar
1 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Yeast
(I usually use about 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon)1 tablespoon Olive oil
1 teaspoon Sesame oil
(roasted. My secret, but not anymore....can be found in the Chinese food section)1) Mix flour, sugar, salt, dry yeast in large bowl. Heat water to ca. 39° C. Add almost all the water, holding back maybe 20ml. Let sit about 30 seconds.
2) Turn on mixer with dough hooks and stir at low speed first then high speed for 5 minutes.
The flour will look scrapy at first and slowly come together, add the rest of the water. A ball will form. The dough will appear be slightly sticky at first.
3) Now let rest 5 minutes.
4) Add the oil. Turn on mixer again medium speed for 5 minutes. The Dough will get very slick and it will look as though the oil will not get mixed in, but after a minute or 2 the dough will form a ball again.
5) Let rest a minute, prepare a container where the dough can rise. Put a few drops of oil in the container and spread it with one of your hands. Rub both hands together so the palms are thinly oiled. Now you knead the dough between your hands.
6) Take the dough in your hands. The dough should have a silky, very smooth feel to it. If the dough is a little sticky yet don't worry. Roll the dough between your hands back and forth, pressing your hands together once in a while. The ball will form. Now fold the ball by stretching away from your body and placing the fold at the bottom of dough ball. Repeat this 4 or 5 times.
Roll the dough again between both hands till smooth and no seam can be seen.
7) Place the dough ball in container and flip once over again so the upside is lightly oiled. Put on lid. Let rise in refigerator overnight for next day use or in a warm place for use in a few hours.
The dough should rise after about 20-30 min. The rise is at first slow but after 3 hours it will be doubled or more. In the fridge you will also have a good rise within 24 hours.
9) Flour your workboard or peel slightly with flour. Remove the dough from container. Hold dough in both hands and fold over several times. Then reshape to a ball. Flour both sides of dough and press into a disc. Form the edge a bit by pressing in your thumb about 3/4 inch from the outer rim. Then using your fingertips flatten the center portion of the disc working your way around to the outer edge. Check the bottom every once in a while lifting the disc from the peel and use a few pinches of flour on the worksuface if necessary to prevent sticking.
10) now lift up dough and place over your fists. By pulling your hands apart you stretch the dough over your fists. Rotate the dough over your fists and pull your hands apart again. Continue until you have completed one rotation.
11) here's the fun part ( and the part where everyone will laugh when you screw up). Holding the dough over your fists, toss it up a bit rotating your fists in a clockwise (or counterclockwise) direction to give the dough a spin. You'd be surprised how fast you can learn that. The dough will get thinner after 4 or 5 spins.
12) Now stop. Place dough on peel again. Check the Diameter. Large enough yet?? If not stretch over your fists again a bit. Look for the not so thin places and stretch there more. Now check the size again.
13) Place on peel. Use a few pinches of cornmeal on the peel to prevent sticking. Shape the dough circular by lifting the edges and pulling a bit.
14) Now work fast. Spread your sauce on the dough. I found that 3-4 tablespoons of sauce enough for a 12" diameter. Spread the cheese and then the toppings on top. Twitch or shake the peel to make sure the pizza moves on the peel. And off into the well preheated oven onto your stone it goes.....
The stone should be preheated at the least 1/2 hour. If you use a screen, place the shaped dough directly on it. Top the pizza and place in oven with or without the stone.
makes enough dough for a 12-14" inch pizza depending on how much you stretch it.
Pierre wow...now I need a break.
**Edit** corrected some typos. Clarified some text.
