This is what I’d call the quintessential American pizza dough, inspired by New York–style pizza: medium thin, satisfyingly chewy, and the ideal companion to mozzarella, tomato sauce, and the pizza toppings Americans love best, from pepperoni and sausage to olives, mushrooms, and other vegetables. It’s the dough I teach first to new students, and the one I recommend experimenting with because it’s so versatile and user-friendly.
Notes
- Preferred flours for this dough with 13 to 14 percent protein include: All Trumps, Pendleton Flour Mills Power, Giusto’s High Performer, King Arthur Sir Lancelot Unbleached Hi-Gluten, or Tony’s California Artisan Flour
- It is recommended to measure out each of the ingredients ahead of time and to place each one of them separately in its own bowl.
- Click through to recipes for Tony's Poolish and Tiga
- Yields enough dough for two 13-inch pies.
Ingredients
- 2.2 grams active dry yeast - ¾ teaspoon
- 70 grams warm water - 80°F to 85°F, ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon
- 453 grams flour - 3½ cups
- 10 grams diastatic malt - 1 tablespoon plus ¼ teaspoon
- 210 grams ice water - plus more as needed, ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons
- 90 grams Poolish - or Tiga
- 10 grams fine sea salt - 2 teaspoons
- 5 grams extra virgin olive oil - 1 teaspoon
Instructions
Make the dough:
- Put the yeast in a small bowl, add the warm water, and whisk vigorously for 30 seconds. The yeast should dissolve in the water and the mixture should foam. If it doesn’t and the yeast granules float, the yeast is “dead” and should be discarded. Begin again with a fresh amount of yeast and water.
- Combine the flour and malt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.
- With the mixer running on the lowest speed, pour in most of the ice water, reserving about 2 tablespoons, followed by the yeast-water mixture.
- Pour the reserved water into the yeast bowl, swirl it around to dislodge any bits of yeast stuck to the bowl, and add to the mixer.
- Mix for about 15 seconds, stop the mixer, and add the poolish or tiga.
- Continue to mix the dough at the lowest speed for about 1 minute, until most of the dough comes together around the hook.
- Stop the mixer. Use your fingers to pull away any dough clinging to the hook, and scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a bowl scraper or rubber spatula. Check the bottom of the bowl for any unincorporated flour. Turn the dough over and press it into the bottom of the bowl to pick up any stray pieces.
- If the dough isn’t holding together, add small amounts of water (about ½ teaspoon to start) and mix until the dough is no longer dry and holds together.
- Add the salt and mix on the lowest speed for 1 minute to combine.
- Stop the mixer, pull the dough off the hook, and add the oil.
- Mix the dough for 1 to 2 minutes, stopping the mixer from time to time to pull the dough off the hook and scrape down the sides of the bowl, until all of the oil is absorbed. The dough won’t look completely smooth.
Knead the dough:
- Use a bowl scraper to transfer the dough to an unfloured work surface.
- Knead the dough for 2 to 3 minutes, until smooth (see Kneading the Dough).
- Cover the dough with a damp dish towel and let rest at room temperature for 20 minutes.
Portion and ball the dough:
- Use the dough cutter to loosen the dough and to cut it into halves or thirds (depending on the weight called for in each recipe).
- Weigh each piece, adjusting the quantity of dough as necessary. You may have a little extra dough.
- Form the dough into balls (see Balling the Dough).
- Set the balls on a half sheet pan, spacing them about 3 inches apart. Or, if you will be baking the balls on different days, place each ball on a quarter sheet pan.
- Wrap the pan(s) airtight with a double layer of plastic wrap, sealing the wrap well under the pan(s).
- Put the pan(s) in a level spot in the refrigerator and refrigerate for 24 to 48 hours.