New York Style Pizza Dough

I LOVE pizza, but I can’t eat pizza dough anymore because I have gluten and yeast sensitivities. This means that I must get creative now when I want pizza – I’ve made crusts out of both ground chicken and cauliflower – but nothing can compare to this amazing dough. My parents gave me this recipe from a cooking class they took years ago, and we’ve all made it a lot over the years. I don’t make this dough very often anymore, but my husband’s birthday is tomorrow, so I decided to make him a personal barbecue chicken pizza for dinner.

This pizza dough is simple and has very few ingredients. It’s best if you prepare it the day before (or have dough in the freezer that you can thaw out the night before). I began by measuring out my ingredients and putting them all in the mixer. I stirred them on the lowest setting until they were just combined. Then I turned the speed up one notch (still low) for four minutes. I let it rest for five minutes, and then turned the speed up to a level 4 (medium) for two minutes.

I placed several sheets of saran wrap down on the counter. Then I divided the dough into four balls and brushed them with olive oil. I wrapped them up and let them sit out on the counter for fifteen minutes, before placing them in the fridge.

Tomorrow I will add my toppings – bbq sauce, chicken, red onion, cheddar cheese, and cilantro! It will bake at 475 degrees for 12 minutes. 😊

Recipe for Pizza Dough
From Central Market Cooking School
(Makes 3-4 dough balls)

Ingredients:
5 c bread flour
1 ½ Tbsp sugar
2 tsp salt
1 ½ tsp instant yeast
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 ¾ c room-temperature water

Directions:
Put dough hook on mixer. Stir all ingredients together. Mix on low for 4 minutes, rest for 5 minutes, and then mix on medium speed for 2 minutes. (If the dough seems too sticky, add more flour; if it’s too dry, add more water.)

Divide into equal-sized pieces. Roll each one into a ball and brush with olive oil. Loosely wrap each one in saran wrap and then let them sit out at room temperature for 15 minutes. Then place in the fridge overnight! (For extra dough balls that you won’t be using, they freeze great! Put them in Ziploc baggies and move them to the fridge the day before you want to use them.)

Note: When time to make the pizza, remove a dough ball from the fridge 2 hours prior to cooking. Place a pizza stone in the oven and preheat it to 475 degrees Fahrenheit. Work the dough out on a lightly floured surface. Use your knuckles to stretch the dough out and work your way around the circle, to stretch it evenly. If you have a pizza peel, place some corn meal down and then lay the dough out on top of it. Spread sauce over the dough and add on your toppings. Use the peel to transfer the pizza to the stone and cook for 12 minutes. When finished, use the peel to pull the pizza out of the oven. Enjoy!