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New York-Style Thin-Crust Pizza

With ovens that reach only 500 degrees and dough that springs back when stretched, it's a challenge to produce parlor-quality pies at home. This recipe changes that. Kneading our thin-crust pizza dough’s ingredients in the food processor was quicker and just as efficient as using a stand mixer. To keep our Thin-Crust Pizza recipe from puffing as it cooked and to infuse it with flavor, we let it proof in the refrigerator for up to three days. Finally, placing our pizza stone as close to the upper heating element as possible crisped our thin-crust pizza and browned it.
Servings: 2 13-inch pizzas
Author: America's Test Kitchen

Ingredients

Dough:

  • 3 cups bread flour (16½ ounces/468 grams), plus more for work surface, see note
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • ½ teaspoon instant yeast or rapid-rise yeast
  • 1⅓ cups ice water (about 10½ ounces/298 grams), see note
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil plus more for work surface
  • 1½ teaspoons table salt

Sauce:

  • 1 28-ounce/794-gram can whole peeled tomatoes drained and liquid discarded
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
  • 2 medium cloves garlic minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
  • 1 teaspoon table salt
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Cheese:

  • 1 ounce finely grated Parmesan cheese (28 grams, about ½ cup)
  • 8 ounces whole milk mozzarella shredded (227 grams, about 2 cups), see note

Instructions

FOR THE DOUGH:

  • In a food processor fitted with the metal blade, process the flour, sugar, and yeast until combined, about 2 seconds.
  • With the machine running, slowly add the water through the feed tube; process until the dough is just combined and no dry flour remains, about 10 seconds.
  • Let the dough stand for 10 minutes.
  • Add the oil and salt to the dough and process until the dough forms a satiny, sticky ball that clears the sides of the workbowl, 30 to 60 seconds.
  • Remove the dough from the bowl and knead it briefly on a lightly oiled countertop until smooth, about 1 minute.
  • Shape the dough into a tight ball and place it in a large, lightly oiled bowl.
  • Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 24 hours and up to 3 days.

FOR THE SAUCE:

  • Process all of the ingredients in a food processor until smooth, about 30 seconds.
  • Transfer to a medium bowl or container and refrigerate until ready to use.

TO BAKE THE PIZZA:

    Prepare the dough:

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

    Shape the dough:

    • Coat 1 ball of dough generously with flour and place it on a well-floured countertop.
    • Using your fingertips, gently flatten the dough into an 8-inch disk, leaving 1 inch of the outer edge slightly thicker than center.
    • Using your hands, gently stretch the disk into a 12-inch round, working along edges and giving the disk quarter turns as you stretch.
    • Transfer the dough to a well-floured peel and stretch into 13-inch round.

    Top the pizza:

    • Using the back of a spoon or ladle, spread 1/2 cup of tomato sauce in a thin layer over the surface of the dough, leaving a 1/4-inch border around the edge.
    • Sprinkle 1/4 cup of Parmesan evenly over the sauce, followed by 1 cup of mozzarella.

    Bake the pizza:

    • Slide the pizza carefully onto the stone and bake until the crust is well browned and the cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the pizza halfway through.
    • Remove the pizza and place it on a wire rack for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
    • Repeat the steps to shape, top, and bake the second pizza.

    Notes

    • Our preferred brand of whole-milk mozzarella is Sorrento Galbani.
    • You can shape the second dough ball while the first thin-crust pizza bakes, but don't top the pizza until right before you bake it.
    • If you don't have a baking stone, bake the pizzas on an overturned and preheated rimmed baking sheet.
    • It is important to use ice water in the dough to prevent overheating the dough while in the food processor.
    • Semolina flour is ideal for dusting the peel; use it in place of bread flour if you have it.
    • The sauce will yield more than needed in the recipe; extra sauce can be refrigerated for up to a week or frozen for up to a month.

    TOPPING TIPS:

    We like our Thin-Crust Pizza simply dressed with tomato sauce and handfuls of shredded mozzarella and Parmesan, but additional toppings are always an option--provided they're prepared correctly and added judiciously. (An overloaded pie will bake up soggy.) Here are a few guidelines for how to handle different types of toppings:
    HEARTY VEGETABLES: Aim for a maximum of 6 ounces per pie, spread out in a single layer. Vegetables such as onions, peppers, and mushrooms should be thinly sliced and lightly sautéed (or microwaved for a minute or two along with a little olive oil) before using.
    DELICATE VEGETABLES AND HERBS: Leafy greens and herbs like spinach and basil are best placed beneath the cheese to protect them or added raw to the fully cooked pizza.
    MEATS: Proteins (no more than 4 ounces per pie) should be precooked and drained to remove excess fat. We like to poach meats like sausage (broken up into 1/2-inch chunks), pepperoni, or ground beef for 4 to 5 minutes in a wide skillet along with 1/4 cup of water, which helps to render the fat while keeping the meat moist.