We left off with the dough split into four and resting. Resting is the key to good bread! Work your dough, and it will resist you. Let it rest, and it will do your bidding.
Now take one piece and gently flatten it on your floured board. Use a rolling pin at first so that the unevenness distributes.
The dough is quite soft, although it has come together in a good shape. If it's resisting you by seeming to spring back rather than spreading out under your fingers in a relaxed way, let it rest again…
I pressed the dough so you could get an idea…
Note that there's a little give where you can see my fingerprints:
… while it's resting, prepare your toppings: Crushed tomato (a 28 oz can will cover 4 16″ pizzas) with a little pepper ground into it (hilariously, my mom accidentally opened the wrong side of the can)…
Where we used to live, I did all my grocery shopping at my little Trader Joe's, where they didn't sell crushed tomatoes. I would just buy the equivalently-sized diced tomatoes and use my immersion blender to break down the consistency till it was more of a sauce. You can also thin out cooked sauce with some crushed tomato if that's what you have.
Shredded mozzarella — For normal quick pizza night that doesn't get overcomplicated, just buy the pre-shredded plain mozzarella from the grocery store. You will need a scant 2 cups per pizza. Yes, you can get artisanal about this, but you probably don't have time, not every Friday night!
Extra flour in a jar for flouring your work space. Auntie Leila always keeps a wide-mouth jar of flour handy this way, separate from her main flour bin. That way, if she needs a tablespoon for a sauce or a dusting for the board, she doesn't have to a) haul out the bin or b) contaminate the main supply with almost certainly somewhat grubby fingers. She can easily wash the jar off and it sits in her cupboard in a handy spot.
A bit of grated Parmesan — just a couple of tablespoons per pizza — and a pizza pan with a dollop of olive oil. Put the rack at its lowest level in your oven, and crank the temp up to 500*. In Auntie Leila's previous range, there was a rack built into the floor of the oven! Perfect for pizza!
Now go back and roll out your dough. Roll and stretch, roll and stretch.
She says: “Awkwardly, I sort of hang the dough off the edge of the counter as I roll — I've tried to analyze why I do this, and I think it prevents the dough from sticking, as the bulk of it is just hanging, rather than coming into contact with the wood. Remember, this dough is quite soft! If you want to keep the flouring to a minimum (and you do, to avoid the flat taste the new flour will introduce), you need to keep the dough in the air as much as possible.”
We enjoy tossing our pizza dough, although I'm still working on technique and sometimes it can result in uneven dough.
Gravity helps stretch the dough out, so while you are rolling one end, the other is gently pulling downwards. Turn it and roll the other side, ditto.
Use the backs of your hands to stretch the dough out, and your fingers to roll the bulk of the dough out from the edges, because the middle will thin out but the edges will be thick.
Holes happen, because the dough is quite thin. Here we have photographic evidence for you that this is not a big deal. Check out how Auntie Leila just pinches the hole together (you can grab a bit of dough from a fat edge if you need a patch). Just try not to get the place oily, or the patching will be harder.
All better!
Gently push the edges of the dough towards the edges of the pan. Remember, if it starts to resist you, let it rest!
Spread a thin layer of sauce. She happens to have the world's most conveniently-sized little ladle (a serving piece she got at her wedding which is truly perfect for spreading the sauce… as well ladling pancake batter!).
Use the back of your spoon to spread the sauce from the inside to the outside of the dough.
Note that the other pieces remain covered by the damp cloth…
Can you tell it's a hot night?
Sprinkle your mozzarella…
Spread it towards the edges with your fingers. Don't make the layer of cheese too comprehensive, or the moisture from the sauce can't escape, and that will make your crust heavy and soggy. (I think I made that mistake on my last batch.)
Add your Parmesan… (I also sometimes shake on a parmesean/romano mix from a container.)
Some oregano… (this is nice, fresh oregano from the herb garden – not something I usually have access to.)
Bake at 500* for 6 minutes (well, that's my oven — you need to keep an eye on yours and see what gives you a nice crispy bottom crust and a well browned top!)…
The cutter is from Homegoods, long ago. It cost about $4 and works much better than a wheel.
Sometimes we serve with salad, sometimes we just leave it at the pizza. A perfect Friday night meal! Enjoy!
Erica Jean says
Thank you for letting us learn from your best making wisdom… I will definitely need to give my dough some more resting! Also, what do you do with the other loaves?
Erica Jean says
Oops, that was supposed to say bread making wisdom 🙂
Jenny says
I need an honest answer here. How difficult is this with very little countertop space and no standing mixer? I am always just daunted by the notion of making food that takes space to prepare.
Leila says
Honest — I have done this with even less space than I have now. I had a kitchen without the island — so, making 4 big pizzas on basically an 18″ square counter. The trick is to be organized beforehand, put your things on cutting boards over the sink or stovetop if necessary, and to practice.
The upside is that you can serve up enough pizza for supper and lunch the next day (a must in my opinion since I hate lunch on Saturday!) at a fraction of the cost of takeout.
Let’s face it, pizza is expensive when bought out, and usually is greasy and/or dry. This pizza is delicious and heats up well later.
Without the mixer, it’s more work, and I would suggest making the dough the day before and keeping it in the fridge. That would be the only way I could handle the sheer tiringness of it!
It all depends on how much your family really wants that weekly pizza. Ours just really wanted it! But it was too expensive (and not tasty enough) to get away from home.
So, this is what we do!
Jenny says
Hurray! Practice is really what I need, but my largest countertop is 18in across so I am usually discouraged before I begin. I wonder if it is worth it to buy some plywood to fit over the stove and sink to make a little more space?
Mrs. B. says
Jenny, I once had to live with a tiny kitchen like yours – I ended up using the dining table for my more elaborate dishes: pizza, lasagne, pretty much all the baking preparations… It is annoying to prepare dinner on the dining table, but there weren’t many alternatives 🙂
Tia says
so I can’t speak to this recipe, but I just tried a super easy pizza crust recipe that turned out beautifully, and I have zero counter space and no stand mixer. I did all the mixing and the brief bit of kneading by hand. I did let it rise a bit, though the recipe claims you don’t have to. It turned out wonderfully, like those expensive “neapolitan pizzas” that they sell for $16 for a 10″ pie.
Now I am inspired to try the next level, which is to grill pizzas or alternately, cook them in a cast-iron to avoid heating up our kitchen on a hot summer day.
Leila’s recipe is very intriguing, though it looks a bit more work intensive.
Mrs. B. says
Thank you thank you thank you to all the hands involved!! I thought I make decent pizza, but now I can see where my problems come from, and I’ll try these steps. Aren’t you going to give us even a rough idea of how much flour you end up using in the mixer? 4 cups of water should call for a lot, it seems to me, though you’re saying to keep the dough quite loose… Very interesting! I wish Deirdre had made short movies for some of the steps (like the kneading into little pillows of each piece of dough, or some of the mixing stages), but I’m grateful no matter what. Now, please, follow her photographically for the next bread batch, too!!
A suggestion: try fresh basil instead or added to the fresh oregano! Pizza is our Friday night staple too – I must say it doesn’t feel very penitential, even when it’s just a simple cheese pizza! When I have the time to add caramelized onions, mushrooms, or leftover grilled zucchini….mmmm, hello meatless Friday! 😉
Leila says
I think it ends up being 8 cups of flour.
I want to do a video as well! Wouldn’t that be fun!
And yes, we do basil — so yummy. We left out the toppings. Usually we do anchovy, onion, peppers, olives, or some combo for Friday, and sausage, bacon, hamburger, pepperoni, or ham and pineapple for other days.
So good!
Mrs. B. says
Thank you! That means there is a 1:2 ratio water/flour, more or less – it’s good to know if one needs to make less dough. This is the same ratio I am using right now, so I think I’ll try to add to my routine all your resting times.
Your round pizza is so beautiful… I cheat and make it rectangular: I use my biggest cookie sheets, covered with foil and then oiled (I like to wash them as rarely as I can)
Leila says
I sometimes make rectangular pizzas too. Why not?
Elizabeth says
I wanted to make bread today, so I took the info from the previous tutorial and “wung it”. I looked at the wet, lumpy early stage dough and was sure that I was going to have the stupidest bread ever, but it came together in the end just like you said, and crackled nicely when I took it out of the oven. Here’s hoping for a good crumb! I love the practical tips in lieu of exact measurements, as I too hate measuring. Plus humans have had good bread way longer than they’ve had gram scales–no need to overthink it as far as I can tell!
Betsy M says
My goodness it is days like this that I miss gluten and dairy! Non the less we have been attempting gf, df pizza with some success albeit a slightly different end product. I do have a question – are those spiced tomatoes or just plain? I have always made my spaghetti sauce with our home canned tomatoes plus spices, etc. and you have me curious if I could eliminate a step. Pizza is my families favourite meal and I am determined to get faster at making it and thus having it more frequently.
Patty says
I need to be GF too, but my family does not. I’d love to hear how you make your own GF pizza dough. I’d love to have family pizza night, but I haven’t tried to make GF dough yet. And it’s a drag to watch everyone else eat pizza. Thanks!
Betsy M says
Patty, I feel for you. It is just no fun to watch everyone else eat something – good thing my whole family is intolerant ;). We are currently using this recipe, http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/gluten-free-pizza-crust. We leave out the powdered milk, Italian seasonings and substitute 2 eggs for the gelatine. It turns out rather chewy yet soft which is how we prefer our crusts. My in-laws say that it tastes just like regular crust so I bet you could feed this to your whole family.
briana says
I feel your pain. It’s not so hard until someone breaks out homemade pizza.
Katie says
Have you always used the oiled pizza pan? Your dough-making steps are close to what I do (or aspire to), but the processes diverge at the pizza prep stage. We received a pizza stone as a wedding gift, so for seven years I’ve been teaching myself to build the pizza while the stone heats in the 500°F oven– which means preparing the pizza on a peel (cutting board) and then sliding it into the oven onto the stone. THAT is the real trick for me, and while I’ve invented some good strategies along the way, it’s the most aggravating part of the pizza process. When I’ve managed a nice stretchy dough, and then it’s one of those times when the pizza scrunches and folds, amoeba-like, during transfer into the oven, and the tastiest (heaviest) toppings tumble off to char on the oven floor or on the underside of the dough– argh. My husband is convinced that the stone/peel method is the one true way to make pizza. I agree that when successful, it makes a wonderful crust. But I’m tempted to ask for a pizza pan for Christmas to compare results. The photos make me suspect I could manage a larger pizza too– 16″ is too big for my cutting board peel, so I usually end up making two smaller ones.
Leila says
Katie, I have a peel and stone too. For years I tried to work with them. I can do it, but the frustrations are as you describe.
I do like the oil, I must say. I like my crust really crispy! But when I had the oven described with the rack on the floor, I could go with just a tiny bit of oil.
Do you use nice cornmeal on your peel that isn’t too fine? Try that — it provides a medium for sliding 🙂
Katie says
Yes, in a way it’s funny to think that merely swapping pans/methods would simplify an hours-long endeavor. But for those last five minutes of pizza prep to be about baking a nicely topped pizza, and not wrangling the peel– that would be something. =)
I do agree about the cornmeal. We’re in the South and often have some good grits from the grandparents-in-law in the country. I’ve started adding a shake of garlic powder and a sprinkle of kosher salt– as long as I’m going for cornmeal ball bearings, why not kick it up a little! I also have one of those same pizza cutters, and being long and thin it’s good for inching along under sticky spots in stubborn dough.
Melissa Diskin says
I do garlic and/or parmesan on the outer crust as well — it gets my kids eating a whole slice, not just the interior of the triangle.
Our favorite combo is homemade pesto with a little diced chicken, diced red onion, and kalamata olive. (Bonus additions: chopped artichoke hearts and feta!) — really it’s the perfect way to use up those little bits of chicken and/or onion after a company meal the night before. And if you slice up a ball of fresh mozzarella it drapes over and hides any veggies your kids think they don’t like!
Katie says
Dropping back by to say that I received a pizza pan for my birthday, and I used it for the first time this weekend. Oh, what a big, round, pretty pizza, with toppings delightfully even and un-schlumped! I was a happy pizza chef. I still set the pan on top of the stone; not sure if that made any difference.
We also have a new favorite pizza topping, copied after a local pizzeria and aided by Trader Joe’s: sweet and hot cherry peppers, also branded as Peppadew but not readily available as such in our area. They’re not TOO hot or I wouldn’t go for them, and they’re so tender out of the jar I can just tear them into tiny pieces with my fingers as I add them to the pizza. Paired with pepperoni this time– I want to try them with goat cheese and basil next!
TessaDiane says
I had this problem as well and my solution is to make the pizza on top of a cutting board covered with a sheet of parchment paper. Then when I slide it onto the stone I just pull the parchment paper and the pizza slides right onto the stone.
briana says
I make sicilian pies, and the more wet you leave your dough and the longer it sits for the first rise, the larger the bubbles and the better the crust.
Not that’s what I wanted to comment about! I am utterly impressed at your ability to not have to wear your apron fully! I *destroy* my shirts and clothes and have to wear my apron all the way on, for most of the day. If flour and liquids are around me? Fugheddaboutit. They are on me.
Rosie says
I was thinking the same thing about the apron! My entire torso would be covered in flour.
Leila says
It was just so hot. Our one heat wave was when Deirdre decided this process had to be photo’d 🙂
Jamie says
Great info! I make pizza a lot for my family..and I feel that perhaps you just shaved 15 years off the learning curve for me. I am at the point with 4 kids plus one on the way that with 2 pizzas we have not really enough and definitely no leftovers (which is always a sad thing), so managing making 4 has also been a new challenge that I just started trying recently. I will try your method this Friday! I have to admit, last week I tried making 4 in my food processor and I had a disaster..liquid spewing out the sides. I managed to save it, but it was a pain to clean up. I don’t own a kitchen aid yet..but would love it! Maybe a birthday and Christmas gift combined this year!
Mrs. B. says
Ah, this is how I acquired a KitchenAid too: Christmas + birthday 🙂 We saved a lot by buying from KitchenAid on ebay: they sell refurbished ones deeply discounted. There are other options on ebay, and there is always Craigslist – but for us it was a huge expense and I didn’t feel like taking the risk of buying from anyone… The price of this thing keeps me in awe, though – I’m still almost afraid to use it! I know that’s so silly of me! That’s why I found these photos and such a detailed description so helpful: I’m still making my pizza dough by hand, and these posts helped demystify the stand mixer…
Jamie says
ps. Do you really only cook them on the bottom shelf of the oven? I always try to stick as many as I can in at once.
Leila says
Jamie, yes — one at a time! You could switch them, I suppose, but it only takes 6 minutes at that temp, so it’s okay. Try it– the texture and crispiness are so much better.
Jamie says
I’ll give it a go that way!
Jamie says
ps. Do you really only cook them on the bottom shelf of the oven? I always try to stick as many as I can in at once.
Valerie says
Oh I wish I could make pizza again. I am not sure if I could adapt this to be gluten free. Our 8 year old son ‘hates pizza’, his words. He used to hate cake too because it made him sick. We did not know he had Celiac disease until recently. Now I have a couple good recipes under my belt, including cakes and he loves them now. We still have to work on pizza. Yours look so yummy delicious!!
BridgetAnn says
Aunt Leila, do you ever use whole wheat flour? I usually do half white & half wheat for my dough… do you think that would work with your recipe?
melissa says
This is great! How would you adapt it to be done in a bread machine. (gave away my stand mixer.)
Lorie says
Thank you so much for sharing this information with us. I make my pizza dough in the bread machine on the dough cycle. I used your tips for oiling the pizza pan and stretching out the crust with my hands. Baking it at 500 degrees on the bottom rack has made the best pizza we have ever had. I made it last week for the first time this way. My daughter has been so excited for Friday pizza day to have this again. She said it was the best pizza. As a mother that makes me feel so good. A friend of mine has a recipe where she put garlic olive oil in the dough. I just decided to add Italian seasoning in when I add the olive oil. Makes the crust taste great. Thanks again 🙂
Ashley says
Your pizza looks amazing – just like something you’d get at a restaurant! I’m going to have to try using a pizza pan, part of our problem might be that we try using a pizza stone. Thank you for sharing your process!
Ana says
Thank you so much (for both parts)!! I was so despondent, having tried for years to make tolerable bread and ending up disappointed. Why is it that bread making techniques are so hard to explain? You did a beautiful job of it! In the last weeks, I have tried this recipe four times, all successful–the later ones more successful than the earlier ones. So, so pleased! THANKS!
Clara says
Hi! I’m coming in rather late… but I am excited to learn how to make homemade pizza! 🙂 One problem… most of the pictures are not loading. I’m not sure if this is just my computer or a problem on the website. I have tried on two devices now and both do not show most of the pictures. Help?!?