Thin-Crust Pizza

If you think about it, pizza seems so simple. Cover some dough with a tomato sauce, add some mozzarella cheese and a few toppings. How could you go wrong? It is hard to imagine how there can be so much variation from one pizza to the next.

When I am rating pizza, I first consider the crust. I like it thin, crisp on the outside, slight chew on the inside and it needs to support the toppings when held by the crust's edge.) After the crust I consider the sauce. I am a traditionalist and like a tomato sauce. If its too watery, it ruins the crust. Too thick, it is all a person tastes.

That said, this recipe from America's Test Kitchen hit the mark. (Go ahead and check out the 14-day trial--you will want to get the membership once the trial period is up.) The only downside to this crust recipe is the dough needs to proof in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours. The purpose of the long proofing time will be apparent when you first shape the dough. The dough will be flexible and will hold its shape.   Proofing in the refrigerator leads to a more flavorful thinner crust too. The sauce meets all of the requirements I mentioned above. There will be leftover sauce which can be refrigerated for a week or frozen for up to a month.

INGREDIENTS:
Dough



3 cups (16 1/2 ounces) bread flour, plus more for work surface (see note)
2 tsp sugar
½ tsp instant or rapid-rise yeast
1⅓ cups ice water (about 10 1/2 ounces)
1 Tbsp vegetable oil, plus more for work surface
1½ tsp table salt

Sauce
1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, drained and liquid discarded
1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp red wine vinegar
2 med garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 tsp)
1 tsp table salat
1 tsp dried oregano
¼ tsp ground black pepper

Cheese
1 oz. finely grated Parmesan cheese (about ½ cup)
8 ozs. whole milk mozzarella, shredded (about 2 cups)

INSTRUCTIONS:
The Dough:

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

The Sauce:

1. Process all ingredients in food processor until smooth, about 30 seconds.
2. Transfer to medium bowl or container and refrigerate until ready to use.

Baking the Pizza:

1. One hour before baking the pizza, adjust oven rack to second highest position (rack should be about 4 to 5 inches below broiler).
2. Set pizza stone on rack
3. heat oven to 500 degrees.
4. Remove dough from refrigerator and divide in half.
5. Shape each half into smooth, tight ball. Place on lightly oiled baking sheet, spacing them at least 3 inches apart; cover loosely with plastic wrap coated with nonstick cooking spray; 
6. Let stand for 1 hour.
   
7. Coat 1 ball of dough generously with flour and place on well-floured countertop.
8. Using fingertips, gently flatten into 8-inch disk, leaving 1 inch of outer edge slightly thicker than center.
9. Using hands, gently stretch disk into 12-inch round, working along the edges and giving disk quarter turns as you stretch.
10. Transfer dough to well-floured peel and stretch into 13-inch round.
11. Using back of spoon or ladle, spread ½ cup tomato sauce in thin layer over surface of dough, leaving ¼-inch border around edge.
12. Sprinkle ¼ cup Parmesan evenly over sauce, followed by 1 cup mozzarella.
13. Top with your favorite pizza toppings, (see note below).
14. Slide pizza carefully onto stone and bake until crust is well browned and cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating pizza halfway through. 
15. Remove pizza and place on wire rack for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
16. Repeat step 7 to shape, top, and bake second pizza.

Topping Tips:

Use additional toppings judiciously. An overloaded pizza 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 pizza, spread out in a single layer. Vegetables such as onions, peppers, and mushrooms should be thinly sliced and lightly sauteed 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 pizza) should be pre-cooked and drained to remove excess fat. Poaching 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.