Pizza Dough

You are what you eat – that’s how the saying goes. If it is true, then for the past month I have been a big, greasy and delicious pizza. I don’t recall how or when my love affair with pizza started, but it has been a constant in my life. However, I don’t like all pizzas. I prefer those with a thin and crispy crust. With a few exceptions, I am not a big fan of deep-dish pizza – it’s too doughy for my taste. I also don’t dare to try pizzas that have as toppings chicken, shrimp, beans or sardines. I am easy to please, a thin-crust pepperoni pizza and a mug of beer makes me really happy. Especially on a Friday afternoon.

For the past few years I have been on the hunt for the perfect recipe to make a good pizza crust. I tried several but I wasn’t very happy with the results: some tasted too yeasty and others were too doughy. Someone recommended I try Jamie Oliver’s pizza dough recipe. I didn’t know much about him but I liked his accent, so I decided to give it a try. Using Jamie’s recipe, I made a simple pepperoni pizza for dinner. Let me tell you my friend, the crust was perfect! It was thin and crispy and it did not have a yeasty flavor. The dough was bubbly and flavorful however, it did not overpower the taste of the fresh mozzarella and pepperoni.

This recipe was very easy to make. When I made it, I divided the dough in three parts/balls. Using one of the balls, I made one medium/large pizza. I saved the other two balls in the fridge and made more pizza two days later. The ingredients to make the dough were the staple ingredients to make pizza dough. So what made this recipe so much better than the rest? I think it is the fact that the recipe directs people to cook the pizza at 500 F. I say so because one time – using the same recipe – I cooked the pizza at 400 F and it wasn’t as good. It was a bit doughy for my taste.

If you are a pizza lover like I am – and you like your pizza thin and crusty – try this recipe. You are going to enjoy it!

Pizza Dough
Recipe Excerpted from JAMIE AT HOME by Jamie Oliver
Serves: 3 medium pizzas
Note: I added a two tablespoons of bran to the dough to make it "healthier."

3 1/2 cups (1 lb) all-purpose flour (if you can find it, use Italian "00" flour)
1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
1 packet (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/4 cups lukewarm water

1. Sift the flour and salt into a clean work surface and make a well in the middle. In a large measuring cup, mix the yeast, sugar and olive oil into the water and leave for a few minutes, then pour into the well. Using a fork, bring the flour in gradually from the sides and swirl it into the liquid. Sprinkle in the salt. Keep mixing, drawing larger amounts of flour in, and when it all starts to come together, work the rest of the flour in with your clean, flour-dusted hands. Knead until you have a smooth, springy dough.

2. Place the ball of dough in the bowl and turn to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and place in a warm room or for about an hour. The dough will have doubled in size.

3. Put the dough on a flour-dusted surface and knead it around a bit to push the air out. You can either use it immediately, or keep it, wrapped in plastic wrap, in the fridge (or freezer) until required. If using right away, simply pat out to the size of your half-sheet pan or divide in half and roll out to cover two pans. You can also divide the dough into little balls for individual pizzas - this amount of dough is enough to make about three to four medium pizzas.

4. Timing-wise, it's a good idea to roll the pizzas out about 15 to 20 minutes before you want to cook them. Turn on the oven as high as it will go – in my case 500F – and cook approximately 10 min.