NY Pizza dough recipe

[adirondacker]

http://www.nytimes.com/recipes/1016230/robertas-pizza-dough.html

Looks promising.

[Lucinda]

1. Looks good! I usually make a large batch of dough, but i'm in-between food processors

so this might be a good recipe to try for something new, with much less storage needed!

[grasswire]

2. so what would happen if I use all AP flour?

Instead of the Italian flour?

I'm going to make it this afternoon. With good AP flour from Bob's Red Mill.

[adirondacker]

3. It will probably come out a bit chewier because of the gluten content.

I've used the King Arthur recipe with all purpose and bread flour with decent results, just not the same as a "NY Style" crispy and flaky crust.
https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/pizza-crust-recipe

I also add a 1/8 cup of oregano and chopped garlic to the dough to add a bit of flavor.
The trick in pizza dough is to not overwork it. I usually press the dough with fingertips to stretch it. (a trick I learned from a Fine Cooking mag article).

Perhaps a pizza chef can chime in with some advise.

Yea, the price of the flour is pretty spendy...
https://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/king-arthur-italian-style-flour-3-lb

[Laura PourMeADrink]

4. no sugar? most recipes I try say the yeast has to have sugar -

of some sort to grow...like honey.

I will try this though....last three times I made pizza dough it never rose much. even after buying brand new yeast packets

[grasswire]

5. keeping in mind that I didn't use the Italian fine flour...

....here's my report. The dough was very, very sticky. It was very hard to handle without using about half another cup for flouring hands, etc. It would be impossible to roll -- I stretched it out by hand. It raised quite a bit in the oven -- I would call it chewy. Good yeasty flavor, though!

[MrMickeysMom]

6. Yeah… What's "00" flour?

… and, what might I find it?

[adirondacker]

7. From the King Arthur link above...

"American flour is all about its gluten: it's ready for action, headed for the highest rise. This version of Italian 00 flour, on the other hand, mirrors the warm, laid-back climate of its native land. Its protein is not only lower, but much more mellow. Make pizza or flatbread with this flour; you’ve never worked with such friendly dough! It’s incredibly extensible, practically flowing under your hands as you pat it into shape. And the resulting bread or crust? Light as air, tender, snapping crisp or soft as a cloud.

Italian-Style flour makes an extremely supple dough, smooth as silk and a joy to work with. The "00" refers to the grind of the flour, and how much of the wheat's bran and germ have been removed, not to its protein level. There are low-, high- and in-between 00 flours. Our version is one of the lower protein ones.
Try it for crackers or pasta, too!"

I think you would need to mail order it and it ain't cheap. I'm going to try our health food store to see if they can obtain it in bulk.
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/king-arthur-italian-style-flour-3-lb

[MrMickeysMom]

9. Thanks, adirondacker!

I'm gonna look for it in same place soon! Makes perfect sense, especially after seeing how easy it was in that video to work the dough.

[adirondacker]

10. Yes it does. I may try and substitute cake flour and see what happens.

Your recipe looks tempting as well. I like to experiment with doughs and enjoy many varieties. It doesn't "have" to be NY all the time
Your welcome btw.

[bif]

11. I found some locally at an Italian grocery store

I'm excited to try it!

[MrMickeysMom]

12. I think I'll hit up the local store here for it...

Meanwhile, I did up a couple of Trader Joe's already made doughs for my lazy ways.

[bif]

15. TJ's dough is pretty darn good

I must say.

[MrMickeysMom]

8. Not to knock this, but I'm gonna also mention a good dough method using bread machine...

… I have a Westbend about 14 years old that I've resorted to using just for making dough. I've also been experimenting with using the whey from my yogurt as the liquid element.

Into the bread maker (using a little oil by my fingers to oil up the paddles at base) I put in this order:

1 and 1/3 cups of whey, warmed to 80 degrees f
2 Tbsp of canola oil
4 cups of All purpose (King Arthur's) flour
Tsp each of salt and sugar that I mix into the flour after the flour's added
Then I make a well in middle and put about 2 tsp of bread yeast in middle

The dough cycle is 1 hr and 40 min's, and I take it out after and knead it about a minute, not too much, then let it rise in warm place about 15 min's or so, then form my rectangular patter on a large cookie sheet.

It's really closest to NY pizza I've made.

[adirondacker]

13. OK. I actually found the 00 flour and gave it a whirl. The results...

Probably the closest I have come to an authentic excellent tasting NY pizza dough!

What I didn't do according to the recipe;
I placed the dough on a cold sheet pan, since I don't have a stone or peel. This probably resulted in a longer bake time (7 minutes instead of 5) and also the crust wasn't as crisp as it should have been, but still very edible and fairly tender. The outer crust was Perfect.

What I would do the next time around;
Place the dough onto a preheated HOT surface in the oven. I would also consider using corn meal for coating the peel.

Some tips for those that commented;

A; The 00 flour DOES make the difference in the workability, texture and taste.

B; You do not need sugar for the yeast to work. Sugar accelerates the activation in some recipes, but since this sets for 3-4 hours, there is plenty of time for the yeast to react and develop.

C; When mixing/kneading you need to have flour on the surface to keep it from sticking. You can use a sieve to disperse it or sprinkle it between your thumb and index finger. The dough will absorb some of the surface flour. I would estimate it at a couple of tbl spoons. Do not over flour! If the dough begins to stick, just add a sprinkle more to the surface.

D; I had an extremely warm kitchen (80 F), since I heat by wood and it was a fair day of 50 degrees outside. I left the doors closed and the dough developed on time sitting on the counter.

E; I'll add some of the article you should pay attention to as well.

"“It’s a living thing,” he said of the dough. “It’s your baby. You don’t want to beat it up.” He pushed down gently around the pie’s perimeter, creating the edge. He picked up the dough and lightly passed it back and forth between his palms, rotating it each time, using gravity to help it stretch. The top remained the top. The bottom remained the bottom. At approximately 12 inches in diameter, Mr. Falco called it ready to go. He slid the round back and forth on the floured surface to make sure it didn’t stick. “That is certified for topping,” he said.


Topping a pizza is tender work as well. You do not want to overload the pie. Doing so leaves it soggy, no matter the heat of the oven.


Overall, I'm quite content with the recipe. The 00 flour cost $5.50 for a 2.2 lb bag, but you only use a cup of it at a time. Well worth it IMHO.

Ciao!

[SheilaT]

14. I have already been making my own pizza from scratch,

meaning I make the dough, and I have not been completely happy with the results. I wonder how hard it will be to find the 00 flour in Santa Fe.

Also, living in Santa Fe means I live at 7,000 feet, and altitude is an issue in baking. I have perfected various recipes for cookies, cakes, and brownies -- if you live at high altitude PM me and I'll happily share all my secrets. But I have not been able to come up with a variation on pizza dough that I like. It tends to come out dry. Maybe I should increase the olive oil. Anyone else live at high altitude who's figured this out?

I have at various times tried the in the air stretching, and it's not easy. At least it hasn't been for me.

What is hugely different about this recipe is that there's no kneading of the dough. I'm going to have to try that. Let's see, I make my high altitude adjustments: cut the leavening in half, reduce the flour, leave the sugar alone -- wait! There's no sugar in this recipe! Hmmm, this is going to take some figuring out. Luckily, I adore pizza, and I make it with shredded mozzarella and lots of pepperoni, so I can experiment for the next few weeks.