Best. Pizza Crust. Ever
I picked up this base recipe from Ken Forkish’s Flour Water Salt Yeast cookbook, and now I’m bringing it to you with some recipe ideas and tiny tweaks I’ve added to make the recipe my own.
This pizza crust recipe is so shockingly simple — not to mention so incredibly tasty — I hope it inspires you to never use store-bought again. The only thing you truly need to invest is a little time and a slight learning curve. I promise it’s well worth the payoff.
To get this recipe just right, you’ll need a scale that measures grams and a digital thermometer. Measurements are done by volume for accuracy (I’ve included their equivalents) and water temperatures need to be precise.
This dough is also started the night before you plan on baking it, so it makes a for a spectacular Saturday night meal that’s more like dinner and a show. Even better, if you tackle this recipe 2-3 nights in advance the dough gets the added bonus of resting in the refrigerator and building flavours that culminate in a crust worthy of any Italian wood-fired stove.
You might be thinking these extra tools and steps seem like, well, extra tools and steps, but when all is said and done you’ll be rewarded with the most spectacular flavours and ultimately pure pizza joy.
Once you’ve made your dough, be sure to check my next post for making your best pizza. —CFG
Dough Ingredients
500g white flour (3 3/4 cups plus 2 tbsp)
250g water, 105F (1 1/8 cups)
20g ground sea salt (1tbp plus 3/4 tsp)
Prepared poolish
Poolish Ingredients
500g white flour (3 3/4 cups plus 2tbsp)
500g water, 80F (2 1/4 cups)
1/8 tsp dried yeast
Directions
The night before you make the final pizza dough, mix together 500g of flour and 1/8 tsp of yeast in a large mixing bowl. Add in 500g of water at 80F and mix by hand until until the ingredients are fully incorporated.
Cover with plastic wrap and leave on your counter overnight to rest.
The next morning mix together your dough ingredients. In a large mixing bowl add 500g white flour (3 3/4 cups plus 2 tbsp) and 20g of ground sea salt (1tbp plus 3/4 tsp).
Pour 250g water at 105F (1 1/8 cups) around the edges of the poolish mixture to loosen it from the edges, then pour the poolish/water mixture into the flour mixture.
Mix the ingredients together by hand by alternating the following movements: 1) pinch your thumb and index/forefinger through the dough to bring the ingredients together (usually 5-6 pinches will do it); 2) fold the dough by reaching to the bottom of the mixture, pulling a section up and stretching it across the top of the mixture directly opposite where you started.
Take turns with these actions until you have completed a full clockwise rotation and have fully integrated all the ingredients. ( I use a 12-, 3-, 6- and 9- clockwise movement.) Cover with wrap and allow dough to rest.
Over the next hour, complete two more folds of the dough. (I follow a 30- and 60- minute schedule.)
After the second fold is complete, allow the dough to rest covered for about 6 hours.
Lightly flour your work surface and gently ease the dough out of the bowl. Flour your hands and lightly flour the top of the dough, then cut into 5 equal-sized pieces (about 350 g).
Gently shape the dough into balls. Similar to the folding method, bring the right side of the dough up and fold it on the center of the ball. Repeat this action with the left side, the bottom, then the top. Flip the ball over and gently form into its final shape.
Transfer the balls to a lightly floured baking sheet and lightly flour or oil the tops and cover with plastic wrap. Allow the balls to rest at room temperature for 30-60 min.
Unused dough can be wrapped and stored in the fridge for a 2-3 days. (Dough may also be frozen for ~1month. Simply thaw completely before using.)
