Rachael Ray: Rachael's Daytime Talkshow

Pizza Crust

Aired on: May 17, 2012

This is our adaptation of a Mario Batali recipe – I use 1/2 cup less flour (I omit all-purpose flour altogether from the original) and I go a bit heavier on all of the flavor elements, honey, wine, EVOO and salt. For every 4 12-inch thin crust pizzas we use the following recipe. Feel free to Goldilocks around with the measurements of we use as much as you like. The recipe is pretty forgiving of small adjustments. - Rachael

Ingredients

About 1/4 to 1/3 cup dry white wine, a 3-count in slow stream
About 3 teaspoons dry active yeast – we use Fleischmann’s Pizza Crust Yeast, 1 1/2 envelopes for each batch of dough
3/4 cup very warm tap water
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
1 round teaspoon fine sea salt or kosher salt
1 1/2 tablespoons EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil, a turn and a half of the mixing bowl
2 1/2 cups double zero flour (our favorite pizza flour is Molino Spadoni brand Gran Mugnaio Farina Tipo OO)

Yields: 4 12-inch thin crust pizzas

Preparation

Combine the wine, yeast and water, and stir to dissolve the yeast. Add the honey, salt and olive oil to the bowl then stir in a cup of flour at a time to incorporate – stir to combine as much flour as possible then turn out onto floured pastry board or marble counter and combine by hand then knead for 6-7 minutes. Rinse bowl then dry and lightly oil, return dough to it and cover with clean towel, rise in warm corner of the kitchen about 45 minutes or so.

Cut dough into 4 pieces, knead each and cover again. Let stand 15 minutes more or until ready to make pizzas.

Lightly flour work surface and rollout each dough to 12-inch 1/8 inch thick discs. Top and bake pizza.

Depending on toppings, pizzas cook in 2-4 minutes in very hot pizza oven or heat a baking sheet or pizza crust pan or stone in oven on hottest setting, 550ºF. Preheat 10-15 minutes. Form dough then transfer to cornmeal or flour dusted rimless baking sheet, top as you like then slide into oven on to hot sheet pan and bake 5 minutes, switch broiler on and brown top 3-5 minutes more. When you remove pizza switch oven back to bake setting while you prepare the next pizza. We place the rack one notch higher than center oven for this method.