Recipe for the Perfect Pizza Dough

I made a Pizza Margherita last night for dinner.  I pre-baked a pizza crust with olive oil infused with garlic (simmer several bulbs of garlic in the oil until they are soft, then pulverize them with a hand blender.... excellent for anything calling for garlic and oil), then topped it with Mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, fresh basil, and red thin sliced tomatoes.  It was a thin crisp crust, and it turned out so good.  Gary ate seconds, then Angie came over and ate several pieces.  I got the dough from the Food Network web site.  It is the only pizza crust recipe I'll use in the future.  45 mins and one rising is all it takes.  I wanted to share it with you.  I know you'll love it.  If you only want to make one large pizza like I did, just cut the scraps into bread sticks and baste them in garlic oil, or make cinnamon roll type bread sticks and frost with cream cheese frosting. 

Pizza Dough


This is the perfect dough. . I also used a pizza store (preheated in 500 degree over), precooked the crust in the first step for 8 mins (prick it with a fork to prevent bubbles) then topped it and cooked it again until the cheese had melted. This makes enough for 2 large thin crust pizzas.

Recipe copyright 2000, Mario Batali. All Rights Reserved.

Prep Time:

20 min

Inactive Prep Time:

45 min



Ingredients

• 1/4 cup light red or white wine,
• 3/4 cup warm water

• 1 1/2 ounces fresh yeast ( This refers to cake yeast, found in the refrigerated section of most stores. You can substitute one pkg of dry rapid rise yeast… just proof it in the warm water before adding the wine and continuing with the recipe)

• 1 tablespoon honey

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 tablespoon plus 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 3 1/2 cups flour

Directions

Place wine, water and yeast in a large bowl and stir until dissolved. Add the honey, salt and 1 tablespoon olive oil and mix well to combine. Add 1 cup of the flour and mix with a wooden spoon until it becomes a loose batter. Add 2 more cups of the flour and stir for 2 to 3 minutes, incorporating as much flour as you can with the wooden spoon.

Bring the dough together by hand and turn out onto a floured board or marble surface. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes, until dough is smooth and firm. Place in a clean, lightly-oiled bowl, using remaining tablespoon of oil and cover with a towel. Let rise in the warmest part of the kitchen for 45 minutes.

For individual pizzas or calzones, cut the dough into 4 equal pieces and knead into rounds. For one large pizza, knead into 1 large round. For either, let rest for 15 minutes.