pizza crust

[blumooned]

Anyone make a really great, soft pizza crust?  Not super chewy, a little more on the softer/fluffier side?  If that makes sense!

I recently made some homemade pita bread (which was so much easier than I thought it would be!) and I used one of them to make a mini pizza.  I realized that I liked the pita as a crust better than the usual pizza crust I make.  It was softer & I liked that with the pizza!  The pita dough had flour, yeast, salt, sugar, butter, & water.  My pizza dough has flour, yeast, salt, sugar, olive oil, & water.  So, very similar.  But, the pizza crust comes out chewy & the pita came out softer, more bready.  What's the difference!?!

Tell me about your favorite pizza crusts.

[pear-shaped]

Maybe the butter makes the difference, though I imagine it also has something to do with how you worked the dough.  My pizza crust is pretty soft. I kind of wish it were chewier! For one pizza, I use 400g of flour, 1 tsp. of salt, 1 tbsp. of olive oil, and 25g of fresh yeast dissolved in a cup of warm water. I never use sugar, I don't know anyone who does. (I live in Italy.) I make the dough in my stand mixer, but before I had that, I kneaded it by hand. Anyway, I add enough water that the dough is very soft...softer than a baby's behind is how I would explain it. I let it rise for an hour. If it's cold in the house, I put it to rise near a heater. When the dough is ready, I put a tablespoon or two of oil in the center of the pan, and I try to stretch the dough as much as possible before putting it in the pan. Then, rather than pushing the dough down to get it to fill the pan, I stretch it very gently. After it's stretched, I poke it with a fork and brush it with some more olive oil. I bake it in a very hot oven for about twenty minutes. I don't know if any of that is what makes my pizza soft, but that's what I do.

[sour]

This is by far the best recipe for pizza crust I have ever found. It is chewy and crispy and works for both a pan pizza or on a pizza stone. 

1 ⅓ cups water

1 ¾ teaspoons yeast

2 teaspoons sugar

3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 ¼ teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
 

Mix warm water, yeast, and sugar together and let sit for 10 minutes. 

Combine all other ingredients together and add water/yeast mixture.

Knead for about 10 minutes to form a soft dough.
Rest, covered, for 45 minutes.
Deflate the dough and let it rest for another 15 minutes before using.

[blumooned]

So I made pizza the other night & decided to try using the pita bread recipe to make the pizza dough.  I did use olive oil instead of butter, though.  I think there is more water in the pita recipe.  The dough was VERY soft.  The crust turned out well.  It was nice and soft, not really chewy.  But, it dried out quickly - the leftover pizza wasn't great b/c the crust seemed dry & crumbly.  So, I guess you can't have it both ways!

Thank you both for the recipes - I will try them soon! 

pear-shaped - I thought the sugar was to feed the yeast.  I guess it can't be that important, though, if no one in Italy is using it & Italy is known for their pizza!!

[BeautyforAshes]

I LOVE my recipe for homemade pizza dough!  I think the refrigeration of the dough ahead of time does something magical to it.

1 pkg reg active dry yeast

1/2 cup warm water (105-115 degr F)

1-1/4 to 1-1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1 teasp olive oil

1/2 teasp salt

1/2 teasp sugar

Dissolve yeast in warm walker in large bowl.  Stir in half of the flour, the oil, salt, and sugar.  Stir in enough of the remaining flour to make dough easy to handle.  Place dough on lightly floured surface.  Knead about 10 min or until smooth and springy.  Place dough in a greased bowl, turning dough to grease all sides.  Cover at let rise in warm place 20 min.  Gently push fist into dough to deflate.  Cover and refrigerate AT LEAST 2 hrs but no longer than 48 hrs.  If dough should double in size during refrigeration, gently push fist into dough to deflate.  Preheat oven to 425 degr. F, press dough into 12 inch circle on ungreased cookie sheet, add toppings, and bake 15-20 min.

[jend1078]

Sour - What temp do you cook your crust at and how long?  Do you bake it with toppings? Or bake crust first, add toppings, and bake again?  Thanks!

[sour]

Ooops! Sorry!! You don't need to pre-bake the dough before putting everything on. I just shape the dough, put sauce, cheese, and toppings on, and then bake at 450* for about 20 to 25 minutes or until brown.