Best Homemade Pizza of Your Life
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Serves: 5 10" pizzas
Ingredients
Dough
  • 350 grams/ 1½ cups water at 90°-95°F (32°-35°C)
  • 13 grams/ 2½ teaspoons salt
  • 1.5 grams/ ¾ of ½ teaspoon instant dried yeast
  • 500 grams/ scant 4 cups 00 flour (or all-purpose)
Sauce
  • 1 28oz can, whole peeled tomatoes
  • 8 grams/ 1½ teaspoons salt
Toppings
  • olive oil
  • 1 large ball of mozzarella cheese, cut into thin slices
  • shredded mozzarella (optional)
  • shredded Parmesan (optional)
  • 3-4 basil leaves per pizza (optional)
  • other cheese and toppings of your choice (optional)
Instructions
  1. Measure the water and put it in a large bowl or tub. Notes: I use a tub that would usually store cereal. Also, if your tap gets pretty hot you should be able to get this temperature water without use of the stove or microwave.
  2. Add the salt to the water. Swish it around until it is dissolved.
  3. Add the yeast and let it sit there for a minute to moisten. Then swish it around until it's dissolved.
  4. Now add the flour. Mix it in by hand until it starts to come together. Then alternate folding the dough over on itself and pinching the dough apart by squeezing it between your index and middle finger. Do this for 30 seconds to 1 minute or until it is a unified mass of dough. Check the temperature, it should be about 80°F (27°C).
  5. Let the dough rest for 20 minutes in the bowl or tub.
  6. Flour your counter and knead the dough for 1 minute until the dough has a smooth skin. Note: Need help kneading? Check this tutorial out.
  7. Lightly oil your bowl or tub, then place the dough ball seam side down. Cover tightly. Then let it rest for 2 hours at room temperature.
  8. Flour your counter again. Gently ease the dough out of the tub and onto the work surface. Use your scale to help you cut the dough into 5 equal pieces.
  9. Shape each dough ball into a tight round. To do this, take a piece of dough and stretch ⅓ of it sideways until starts to resits, then fold it back on itself into the middle. Continue doing this around the whole piece of dough until it forms a round shape. Then, flip the ball over seam side down. Cup your hands over the dough to create a dome, with your pinkie fingers pressed against the counter pull the dough 4-5 inches across the counter (unfloured) toward you. Do this 1-2 more times until the dough feels round and tight. Repeat with all five pieces of dough.
  10. Flour a baking sheet and place your shaped dough onto it. Leave space between for the dough to expand. Flour the tops of the dough then tightly cover with plastic wrap.
  11. Put the baking sheet into the fridge and let it sit there for 24 hours.
  12. Remove the pizza dough 1 hour before making the pizza
  13. After the dough has been out of the refrigerator for 30 minutes place the pizza steel in the oven and preheat it to 550°F (290°C). Let it heat up for 30 minutes.
  14. Now make the sauce! It's the easiest part. Pour the tomatoes and salt into a blender (or use an immersion blender). Pulse on low until the tomatoes are just blended (there will be a few small chunks). You're done.
  15. Time to shape the dough! Cut a piece of parchment paper about the size of your peel.
  16. Flour your counter. Take a dough ball and use your finger tips to punch down the middle and then slowly push the dough towards the outside. Continue this motion, of using your fingertips to press the dough outward. Do it all around the dough leaving about ½ inch of the edge untouched. Then, hold the dough off of the counter with your hands at 10:00 and 2:00. The rest of the dough will hang down vertically, and the weight of it will help stretch the dough. Slide your hands all the way around the edge of the dough until it's reached your desired size, which is about 10".
  17. Place the stretched dough onto the parchment paper and onto your pizza peel.
  18. Spoon tomato sauce onto the dough until it's about ½ inch from the edge.
  19. Use the peel to slide the pizza and parchment into the oven onto the steel. Bake for 4 minutes.
  20. Remove the pizza from the oven. You should also be able to remove it from the parchment paper if you wish.
  21. Drizzle the pizza lightly with olive oil. Top with your slices of mozzarella and any other cheeses of your liking (I like Parmesan and Burrata). Add a few slices of basil too. I've also used peppers, pepperoni and other dried meats.
  22. Use the peel to place the pizza back on the steel. Bake for 2 minutes.
  23. Switch the oven setting to broil and cook for 1-2 minutes, or until you see a few spots of charring.
  24. Remove from the oven and let sit for 1 minute.
  25. Use your pizza cutter to slice the pizza. Serve! We like to eat it sitting around the kitchen island and as we prepare the next pizza.
  26. Repeat from step 16 until you've made all of your pizzas. Note: parchment paper can usually be used for at least 2 pizzas before it needs replacing.
Recipe by Cooking is Messy at https://www.cookingismessy.com/2017/03/25/best-homemade-pizza-of-your-life/