Jeffs Epic Homemade Pizza Dough Recipes

JEFFS EPIC HOMEMADE PIZZA DOUGH

Steps:

• In a medium bowl (I used a measuring cup), combine the WARM water (not too hot or you'll kill the yeast), sugar and yeast until dissolved. Leave for 5 - 10 minutes until the yeast activates and the mixture develops a layer of froth on the surface.
• In a large bowl, mix the sea salt and flour and make a well in the center. Add the yeast and olive oil. Mix together with a fork or wooden spoon, and then use your hands until the dough comes together.
• Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until the dough is smooth, shiny and elastic (about 5 - 10 minutes) or allow the kitchen aid to do this. If the dough is too sticky or soft, add a little extra flour or if it's too dry and crumbly, add a little water.
• Shape the dough into a round ball and place in a large, oiled bowl. Cover with a damp cloth for roughly 45 minutes or until the dough doubles in size.
• Punch down the dough to remove the air and place it on a lightly floured work surface. Divide in 2 and shape each piece into round disks (this step requires common sense, meaning if you want small 6" pizzas or if you scale the recipe for more people you will need to divide the dough into more balls).
• Place the dough balls on a sheet of parchment. Cover with a light coating of oil and let them rise again, for about 20 minutes.
• Dough is now ready to add whatever toppings you like bake in a 400°F oven for approximately 15 to 20 minutes (less or more time as required). Keep an eye on it until the cheese browns and the crust looks done to your liking.

TRUE CHICAGO-STYLE DEEP-DISH PIZZA

Steps:

• Mix sugar, yeast and 11 ounces room temperature water (about 80 degrees) in a bowl and let bloom for 15 minutes. Combine flour, salt and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Once yeast has bloomed, add to dry ingredients along with corn oil. Gently combine with a rubber spatula until a rough ball is formed.
• Knead on low speed with the dough hook for 90 seconds. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl and proof until doubled in size, about 6 hours. Punch down and let dough settle for 15 more minutes.
• Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees F.
• Coat bottom and sides of a 12-inch cake pan or traditional Chicago style pizza pan with melted butter. Using your hands, spread out about three-quarters of the dough across the bottom and up the sides of the pan (save the remainder for another use). Cover entire bottom in mozzarella, all the way up to the edge. Cover half with a thin, even layer of raw sausage. Cover the other half with the pepperoni. Top with a couple handfuls of crushed tomatoes. Spread out with hands to the edge. Sprinkle top evenly with grated Parm.
• Bake, rotating halfway through, until golden around the edge, about 25 minutes. Let rest for about 5 minutes, then either gently lift pizza out of pan or just cut your slice out of the pan like a pie!

DETROIT-STYLE PEPPERONI PIZZA

Steps:

• Position an oven rack in the bottom of the oven and preheat to the highest temperature setting, 500 to 550 degrees F.
• Pour the oil in a large, square metal cake pan (or, ideally, an authentic Detroit-style pizza pan). Put the Pizza Dough in the pan and gently stretch it out to fit so the dough reaches the corners. If the dough is being temperamental, set it aside for another 10 minutes to relax and try again.
• Layer the pepperoni on the dough. Then lay the cheese cubes all over, especially around the perimeter up to the edge of the pan (this creates the coveted crispy cheese crust). Dollop the pizza sauce on top in 3 lines.
• Bake in the ultra-hot oven until bubbly and golden and a crispy cheese crust has formed, 10 to 15 minutes. Using a fish spatula, loosen up the edges and place on a cutting board. Slice into squares and serve!
• Put the flour, salt, yeast and sugar in a food processor with a metal blade attachment and pulse to combine. Add 1 cup warm water, then process until a ball forms, about 30 seconds (if a ball does not form, add a bit more flour). Process for another 30 seconds, then roll into a tight ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl. Proof in a warm spot until the dough doubles in size, about 2 hours.
• Heat a small saucepot over medium heat and add the oil. Add the Italian seasoning and garlic and saute until fragrant; do not let the garlic burn. Add the tomatoes and sugar and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and simmer until concentrated, about 30 minutes. Set aside to cool.

EASY KITCHENAID MIXER PIZZA DOUGH

Steps:

• Put water in mixer bowl and sprinkle yeast over water to dissolve.
• Mix water and yeast with whisk attachment until foamy.
• Add Olive Oil, Salt, Oregano and Honey and whisk together until well blended.
• Add 1 Cup of Flour and mix together.
• Remove whisk attachment scraping dough mixture into bowl and attach bread hook to mixer.
• Add another Cup of Flour and mix on low speed until well incorporated and dough is not "sticky". If dough is too sticky, add the additonal 1/4 cup (or more) of flour until it resembles bread dough.
• Mix dough on medium speed for 5-7 minutes until it is elastic and smooth.
• Remove dough ball from mixer and place in an oiled bowl large enough for the dough to double in size.Cover bowl with a damp cloth and allow dough to rise in a warm place, away from drafts.
• When dough is doubled in size (15-20 minutes), remove from bowl and punch down dough, roll out to desired thickness and shape.
• Drizzle Olive Oil on rolled out dough, sprinkle with additonal Dried Oregano and Kosher Salt, and top as desired.
• Bake on a perforated pizza pan in a very hot (500 degree) oven. Start pizza on bottom rack for 5 minutes. Using a pizza peal, slide the peal underneath the pan and move the pizza to the oven's top rack. Continue baking until crust is browned, and toppings are heated (5-7 minutes more).
• Using the pizza peal, remove the pizza pan from the oven carefully. Place pan on a heat proof surface, then use the pizza peal to remove the pizza from the pan. Allow pizza to cool for 2 minutes on the peal, then slice as desired using a pizza cutter.

QUICK AND EASY PIZZA CRUST

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). In a medium bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
• Stir in flour, salt and oil. Beat until smooth. Let rest for 5 minutes.
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat or roll into a round. Transfer crust to a lightly greased pizza pan or baker's peel dusted with cornmeal. Spread with desired toppings and bake in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Let baked pizza cool for 5 minutes before serving.

OLD WORLD CHICAGO-STYLE THIN CRUST PIZZA

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the milk, water, yeast and sugar. Lightly whisk and let sit until bubbly and the yeast is bloomed, about 5 minutes. Add the oil.
• Mix the all-purpose flour and salt in a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Set the mixer to medium-low speed and slowly add the yeast mixture until entirely incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl to get everything homogenous. Knead on medium low until the dough is glossy and forms a rough ball, about 5 minutes. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set it in a warm part of the kitchen until doubled in size, about 2 hours.
• Place a pizza stone on the bottom rack of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees F.
• Split the dough into 2 balls. On a lightly floured surface, roll one of the balls of dough as THIN as possible with a rolling pin. To get an even "trimmed" circle, use a large round lid to trim a rim around the dough. Sprinkle some semolina flour on a pizza peel. Carefully transfer the round of dough to the peel. Dock the crust with a fork or docker, poking holes all over the surface to keep it thin and crispy.
• Working quickly, add half of the pizza sauce almost all of the way to the edge of the crust, leaving about a 1-inch border. For the pepperoni side, place an even layer of pepperoni directly on top of the sauce on half of the pizza. Combine the skim- and whole-milk mozzarella in a large bowl and top the entire pizza with half of the cheese. Top the pepperoni side with some more scattered rounds of pepperoni. For the sausage side, spread half of the giardiniera on top of the cheese, then dollop with hunks of the Italian sausage on top. Transfer to the pizza stone in the oven and bake until golden and bubbly, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer the pizza to a cutting board with the pizza peel. Make another pizza with the remaining ingredients.
• Let the pizza rest for 4 or 5 minutes, then cut into small squares--never triangles. This is called the party cut. Why? Because no matter what's going on, when you're eating Chicago thin crust, it's always a big ol' party.