Since moving away from New York, it has been harder and harder to find good pizza! This desperate search has forced us to make our own, since buying store bought dough isn’t even an option. My husband, Mike came across this Peter Reinhart’s dough recipe, and we have been using it ever since. We find that this recipe will make enough dough for two (2) 16″ round pizza’s or two (2) 9″x13″ deep dish pies.
Mike started off making the dough by hand, but since we moved to North Dakota, I have been left with the dough making task. Instead of using our handy Kitchenaid mixer, I simply use my bread machine. I LOVE MY BREAD MACHINE! More of my favorite bread machine recipes to come.
Start off adding all of the ingredients except the yeast into the bread machine pan, in the order according to the manufacters instructions. I add the bread flour, salt, olive oil then water. For the water I tried purified, filtered, distilled, but I found the best is just using tap water. That is a theory on why New York pizza is so good, it’s all in the water. I will actually use warm tap water, if we make the dough from hand, we normally use water that is 110 degrees Fahrenheit. After adding the ingredients to the pan, I add the bread machine yeast to the yeast dispenser on the top of the machine. Then you are ready to go; just plug the machine in, turn on and select dough setting which is around 2 hours and 20 minutes. My machine does have a pizza dough setting, but the process time is only 45 minutes. I guess if you are in a rush you can try that setting, but I like my dough to take its time resting, kneading and rising, but that might just be a personal preference.
During the last 10 minutes of rising in the machine, you can start to prepare your bowls for where the dough will continue to rest and rise again. All I do is take 2 large metal bowls, whatever ones I have on hand, I will usually use one of my stand mixing bowls and spray them lightly with some cooking spray. After the dough is done in the machine, you want to divide into 2 round dough balls, you can weigh them if you want to be exact or just eyeball it. After you place the dough balls into the bowls, just spray the top of the dough again with some cooking spray, this will prevent it from drying. Now just cover with a dish towel and let them take a nap.
The longer you let the dough nap the, bigger they will rise! Once they have risen, I will take each dough ball and wrap it in some plastic wrap then put them in a freezer container or bag, they can hang out in the freezer until I am ready to use. If I am using the dough within a few days of making, I will just leave it in the refrigerator. But to defrost the frozen dough, either place it in the fridge the day before you are going to bake or leave it on the counter the morning of, so it will rise again. No need to put the dough into another bowl, you can just leave it in the freezer container/bag and plastic wrap.
Peter Reinhart’s Pizza Dough Recipe
adapted for your bread machine
4 1/2 cups bread flour
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1 3/4 cups tap water, warm
1 teaspoon bread machine yeast
Removed the loaf pan from the unplugged bread machine. Add all the ingredients except the yeast to the bread machine pan, in the order as directed by the manufacturer. Place the pan back into the machine and close the cover. Add the yeast to the yeast dispenser if applicable. Plug the machine in, set the machine to the dough setting then press start/on.
During the last 10 minutes of the machines rising time, lightly spray two large metal bowls with cooking spray. After the machine beeps, indicating that dough is done, divide into two dough balls and place one in each prepared metal bowl. Mist the dough lightly with the cooking spray and cover with a kitchen towel. Allow the dough to triple in size, then wrap in plastic wrap and place in a freezer container/bag. Store in the freezer, or if you are using within a few days, store in the refrigerator. When you are ready to use the dough allow to sit at room temperature in the bag/container for a few hours. If taking the dough from the freezer, transfer the day before to the refrigerator, then to the counter for a few hours before rolling. This recipe will make two (2) 16″ pan pizzas or two (2) 9″x13″ casserole deep dish pizzas.
Next up, let’s make some pizza! How about a Deep-Dish Pizza with Sausage and Brussels Sprouts?
If you do not have a bread machine and wish to make the dough by hand, please check out 101 Cookbooks for that recipe.
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