Living in NYC there is literally a pizza store every couple blocks so when I made this dough I didn't expect to make a pizza out of it but somehow I ended up making the best pizza I've ever made. I don't have a pizza stone, pizza peel, or a fancy oven. I have a standard oven and when you're in the city you just gotta make shit work so making a traditional circle pie was out of the question and way too much work to be honest. So I thought the next best thing was to make a square pie in a sheet pan. I used a combination of oil, a hot oven, and direct contact with the sheet pan to get that extra crispy crust while the interior got super light and fluffy. The corner pies got extra crispy and the burnt cheese made it irresistibly so naturally those were the first pieces to go.
I've had my fair share of eating pizza in NYC and this pizza can totally stand against them.
Ingredients:
for the dough:
· 500 grams bread flour
· 350 grams of water
· 5 grams of rapid rise yeast
· 6 grams of kosher salt
· 4 tablespoons of olive oil
for the toppings:
· 1 cup of tomato sauce ( I use TJ’s marinara sauce but use your favorite!)
· 1 pound of shredded cheese
· Sprinkle of dry basil (or fresh if you have)
Instructions:
1. In a large bowl combine all the ingredients except for the olive oil until a dough is formed. It should be wet and slightly sticky.
2. Cover it with plastic wrap and let it rest for 5 minutes.
3. After the 5 minutes is up, uncover the dough, and wet your hand in water. Give the 2 book folds. Flip it over so the seams are facing down. Let it rest for 10 minutes
4. After 10 mins are up, give it one more book fold and then let it rest for about 1 ½ - 2 hours or until it has doubled in size.
5. Once you see that the dough is doubled in size, grab a sheet pan and pour the olive oil in and transfer the dough on to the sheet pan and slowly spread the dough out until the sheet pan is covered by the dough. Use some extra olive oil on your hands to help prevent sticking. Let rest for 30 – 45 minutes or until noticeable puffy.
6. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees farenheit and once the dough is done puffing up, gently spread on the sauce, sprinkle the cheese on, and top with basil. Bake for 20 minutes.
Products That Helped Me Create This Recipe
Nordic Ware Natural Aluminum Baking Sheet Pans
Whats included: Two half sheet pans
Mini Review: Doesn't warp, great quality, and even baking through out! Great for cakes, roasting veggies, (ahem) pizza, etc! Used for over a year now and it looks the same. No scratches or dark spots!