Best ever thin "cracker" crust pizza!

[Steve]

I made the most awesome thin "cracker" crust pizza tonight using DKM's recipe!

Thank you, thank you, thank you DKM!!!  

Here's the recipe:

1 pound bread flour (Sam's Club "Bakers and Chefs bread flour")
2/3 cup warm water
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar

Using a KitchenAid stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, add water to the mixing bowl and add yeast. Run mixer for several minutes to dissolve yeast. Meanwhile, in another mixing bowl, mix flour, sugar and salt. After yeast is dissolved, add flour mixture to water and set mixer to speed "2". Run mixer for about 10 minutes using a rubber spatula to scrape any dry flour from side of mixing bowl into the path of the dough hook. After 10 minutes, add vegetable oil and mix for 2 additional minutes using spatula to keep everything in the path of the dough hook. When finished, the dough will appear very scrappy and rough. Pick up the dough scraps and press them into a ball by squeezing them together with your hands. Place dough into a plastic bucket, seal, and and allow to rise at room temperature for 24 hours.

When ready to make pizza, turn dough out onto floured work surface. Using a large rolling pin, roll dough out very thin. Drape dough over an oiled cutter pan, press into place, and trim off excess with the rolling pin. Dock the dough, add sauce, cheese, and toppings. Bake at 500 degrees F. on the lowest rack in the oven (the cutter pan should only be inches from the heating element). I open the oven door frequently to allow the heat to escape... this causes the thermostat to kick on which keeps the bottom heating element on. This superheats the pan making the crust cook and become crispy. When the bottom is golden brown and crisp, remove from oven. Slide pizza out of pan onto a wire cooling rack. Allow to cool 5 to 10 minutes before placing in a serving tray and slicing.

Note: Use low-moisture part-skim mozzerella cheese. I use Stella brand which is available from Sam's Club. For the sauce, use my thin-crust sauce found on the main website (http://www.pizzamaking.com).

Thank you DKM!!!!  
Check out tonight's pizza:

[Steve]

Here's the dough after 12 minutes of mixing. Remove from the bowl and squeeze into a dough ball with your hands.  

[Steve]

Here's the dough after a 24 hour rise at room temperature. Although the dough was very dry and scrappy the day before, it's now soft and moist.  

(Hmmm... looks like a "pizza brain"  )

[Steve]

Roll thin, dock, and add sauce!  

[DKM]

What size of pan is that?

Pizza and dough look perfect.

DKM

[Steve]

I used a 16" cutter pan.

[Randy]

I've got to try this recipe.  Steve are you going to change your web page to reflect the new recipe?

Randy

[Steve]

I've got to try this recipe.  Steve are you going to change your web page to reflect the new recipe?

Randy

With DKM's permission, absolutely yes!  

[Steve]

One other quick comment:

Use a standard cutter pan -- not a perforated cutter pan!

I tried my perforated pan to see if it would help make the dough crispier... Well, with the pan only inches from the heat source... well... you be the judge:  

[DKM]

I've got to try this recipe.  Steve are you going to change your web page to reflect the new recipe?

Randy

With DKM's permission, absolutely yes!  

You have it.

BTW Steve what happend that has made you such a posting fool, You've almost caught up to Randy and myself.

DKM

[Steve]

BTW Steve what happend that has made yuou such a posting fool, Youve, almost caught up to Randy and myself.

Get me talking about something I like and I'll talk your ear off!!  

[DKM]

I take it your a big cracker thin crust fan then, eh.

[Steve]

Let's just say that the cracker crust has been the most challenging to make. I actually like all types of pizza equally. Now that the cracker crust pizza recipe has been perfected, I think I'll move on to a different style... like trying to make the ultimate NY style pizza.  

[Randy]

I'm with you on that one Steve.  It is the quest and the final success that makes this so much fun.

Randy

[DKM]

I understand myself.

Best thing about it is - it is a journey that never truly ends.

DKM

[buzz]

Cracker-like thin pizza doesn't depend on the dough recipe--the best I've ever had comes from a place in the Chicago suburbs which uses a standard flour:water ratio recipe and scant oil. It's the best pizza I've ever had!

The relevant factors are minimizing yeast and a high oven temperature. This pizza place has a metal-floored oven set at close to 600 degrees--with Steve's way of getting the metal pan close to the heating element you can mimic this set-up.

I've tried this method using a standard pizza pan and with my pizza machine, and both make wafer-thin, cripsy, cracker-like crust!

I have yet to use a pizza screen--they're supposed to be awesome. Has anyone ever tried one?

[Randy]

There are several of us that use screens for New York style.
Randy

[DKM]

Well made the recipe as posted by Steve and (Drum Roll Please)

It sucked...

Just kidding  

I thought it was great.

I did have to add a tablespoon of water as the dough was like crums then scaps at first.

Don't even think that you can take a let rise any shorter then 18 hours and I would wait  the full 24 hours (I did).

The smell took me back to the days at the pizza shops.

WOW.

Well off to do a New York.

DKM

[Steve]

What??? You added water???  

Hehe!!  

Yes... a 24 hour rise at room temperature... what a smell!!  

Nothing like it!!

Although I am now on the quest for the ultimate NY style pizza, I'm seriously thinking about another cracker thin crust!!  

Don't forget... Pizza Wars rerun tomorrow (Sunday) on the Travel Channel!!  If you missed it, here's your chance to set the VCR!!

[DKM]

Watched, recorded it, added it to my collection.  Got another NY crust going now for my brother, doing Chicago next week.

DKM