Pizza - White w/Thin Crust

By mariannefeldman

THIN-CRUST WHITE PIZZA

Published January 1, 2011. From Cook's Illustrated.
Makes two 13-inch pizzas.
Our preferred brand of whole-milk mozzarella is Dragone. You can shape the second dough ball while the first pizza bakes, but don’t add the topping until right before you bake it. It’s important to use ice water in the dough to prevent overheating it while it’s in the food processor.

Ingredients

• INGREDIENTS
• Dough
• 3 cups (16 1/2 ounces) bread flour , plus more for work surface
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast
• 1 1/3 cups ice water (about 10 1/2 ounces) (see note)
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons table salt
• White Sauce
• 1 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 large egg yolk
• 4 medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 4 teaspoons)
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh oregano leaves
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
• 2 medium scallions , sliced thin, dark green tops reserved for garnish
• Pizza
• 1/2 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
• 8 ounces whole-milk mozzarella cheese , shredded (about 2 cups) (see note)
• 1 ounce finely grated Pecorino cheese (about 1/2 cup)

Preparation

Step 1

INSTRUCTIONS
1. FOR THE DOUGH: In food processor fitted with metal blade, process flour, sugar, and yeast until combined, about 2 seconds. With machine running, slowly add water through feed tube; process until dough is just combined and no dry flour remains, about 10 seconds. Let dough stand 10 minutes.

2. Add oil and salt to dough and process until dough forms satiny, sticky ball that clears sides of workbowl, 30 to 60 seconds. Remove dough from bowl and knead briefly on lightly oiled countertop until smooth, about 1 minute. Shape dough into tight ball and place in large, lightly oiled bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 24 hours and up to 3 days.

3. FOR THE SAUCE: Whisk all ingredients except scallion greens together in medium bowl; refrigerate until ready to use.

4. TO BAKE THE PIZZA: One hour before baking pizza, adjust oven rack to second highest position (rack should be about 4 to 5 inches below broiler), set pizza stone on rack, and heat oven to 500 degrees. Remove dough from refrigerator and divide in half. Shape each half into smooth, tight ball. Place on lightly oiled baking sheet, spacing them at least 3 inches apart; cover loosely with plastic wrap coated with nonstick cooking spray; let stand for 1 hour.

5. Coat one ball of dough generously with flour and place on well-floured countertop. Using fingertips, gently flatten into 8-inch disk, leaving 1 inch of outer edge slightly thicker than center. Lift edge of dough and, using back of hands and knuckles, gently stretch disk into 12-inch round, working along edges and giving disk quarter turns as you stretch. Transfer dough to well-floured peel, and stretch into 13-inch round. Using rubber spatula, spread ½ of ricotta mixture in thin layer over surface of dough, leaving ¼-inch border around edge. Sprinkle ¼ cup Pecorino Romano evenly over sauce, followed by 1 cup mozzarella. Dollop ¼ cup ricotta in teaspoon amounts evenly over pizza. Slide pizza carefully onto stone and bake until crust is well browned and cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown, about 10 to 12 minutes, rotating halfway through. Remove pizza and place on wire rack 5 minutes before slicing and serving. Repeat step 5 to shape, top, and bake second pizza.

TECHNIQUE
Keeping Inflation Down

The biggest factor contributing to a crust that turns out thick versus thin is the size of the air bubbles in the dough before it goes into the oven. The more the bubbles expand with carbon dioxide as the dough ferments (or “proofs”), the thicker the final crust. Could a longer rise in the refrigerator fix the problem?

EXPERIMENT

We made two batches of dough, leaving one to rise at room temperature for four hours and placing the other in the refrigerator for 24 hours, then baked them both according to our recipe.

RESULTS

The dough left to rise at room temperature produced a crust that puffed up like focaccia, while the dough that rose in the fridge baked up with smaller bubbles and boasted far more flavor.

EXPLANATION

Fermentation is a two-phase process: First, the carbohydrates in the dough are converted by the yeast to sugars, alcohol, and acids. Next, these convert to carbon dioxide, expanding the bubbles created in the dough when it was first mixed. At room temperature, the process moves rapidly to the production of carbon dioxide. But in the fridge, the process is slowed way down. With enough time, the complex-tasting sugars, alcohol, and acids form, but very little carbon dioxide gets converted, so the bubbles in the dough stay small and the crust bakes up both thin and more flavorful.


PUFFY AND BLAND


THIN AND FLAVORFUL

STEP-BY-STEP
No More Snap Back

Dough that shrinks back when you roll it out is one of the pesky factors that keep a crust from ever baking up truly thin.


1. ADD JUST ENOUGH WATER Create a relatively wet—but not too wet—dough, which stretches without tearing and stays tender once baked.


2. PROOF IN FRIDGE Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours. This leads to less rise, a more flexible dough that holds its shape, and a thinner (and more flavorful) final crust.


3. DIVIDE Halve dough and shape into balls. Place on lightly oiled baking sheet and cover with oiled plastic wrap. Let rest 1 hour to allow dough to return to room temperature.


4. FLATTEN On well-floured surface and using fingertips, gently flatten dough into 8-inch disk, leaving outer edge slightly thicker than center to create a fatter "handle."


5. STRETCH With hands, stretch dough into 12-inch round, working along edges and giving dough quarter turns. Transfer to well-floured peel and stretch to 13-inch round.

TECHNIQUE
Shrink Your Headroom


Baking the pizza on the top rack—rather than the usual approach of placing it near the bottom of a home oven—means heat will hit the top of the pie, browning the toppings before the crust overcooks.