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New York Style Pizza - Dough Guy

Original recipe

This is a cold-ferment dough, so it needs to sit in the fridge for at least 1 day, but ideally 3 before it’s used. Plan ahead!

Make the Dough

Section titled: Make the Dough

Dough Ingredients

  • Bread Flour 
  • Water 
  • Active dry yeast 
  • Salt 
  • Sugar 
  • Olive Oil 

Dough Instructions

  1. Cool water to 60°F. Put more water than you need in a bowl and add ice cubes, stir with a thermometer until you get down to 60. Then pour into your mixing bowl on a scale.

  2. Mix the water and the active dry yeast. The yeast should dissolve into the liquid. If it stays on top your yeast is dead.

  3. Add flour and Olive Oil and mix for 2 minutes.

  4. Keep mixing on low, then add Sugar and Salt.

  5. Mix for 10 more minutes.

  6. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and rest for 1-3 hours.

  7. Divide the dough into portions.

  8. Shape into balls, sealing the seam.

  9. Put the dough in a lightly oiled container.

  10. Cover tightly and refrigerate for 2-4 days. 3 days is ideal.

  11. Let the dough come to room temperature before using.

Make the Sauce

Section titled: Make the Sauce

Sauce Ingredients

  • Canned, crushed tomatoes (San Marzano or other high-quality variety)   (1 large can)
  • Salt   (2 tsp)
  • Oregano   (2 tsp)
  • Dried Basil   (3 tsp)
  • Sugar to balance the acidity   (1 tsp)

Sauce Instructions

  1. Combine all ingredients. One can of tomatoes is enough for about 6 pizzas.

Stretch & Bake

Section titled: Stretch & Bake

Toppings

  • Cut your own pepperoni off of a pepperoni log The casing on the pepperoni log is what causes the pieces to create that nice cup shape when baked   (half log per pizza)
  • Low moisture mozzarella cheese Shred your own mozzarella cheese. Make sure you use low moisture mozzarella (it's a hard block, not a soft ball). Ideally half whole milk and half skim 
  • Pecorino romano For shredding into the sauce 
  • Hot honey (optional) adds a delightful sweetness 
  • Ricotta cheese (optional) great combo with the hot honey 

Baking Instructions

  1. Preheat your pizza steel at your oven’s maximum temperature for at least an hour.

  2. Stretch the dough
    1. Let the dough sit out for 3-4 hours to come to room temperature before stretching

    2. Create a pile of Semolina flour about 6 inches across and place your dough disk on it. Rub flour into the entire top of the dough.

    3. Use the tips of your fingers to form a crust along the outside of the dough, pushing air out of the center but not disturbing the crust edge.

    4. Once it’s about the size of your hand, flip the dough over and repeat on the other side.

    5. Continue stretching the dough on the counter top at the edge of the crust; put the fingers of both hands together and then pull them an inch or two apart, then move both hands to the right slightly and repeat.

    6. If necessary, continue stretching your dough by picking it up; place it on your knuckles and let gravity to the stretching as the pizza hangs off of your hands in the air. Try to avoid any thin spots.

  3. Add toppings
    1. Spread about a half cup of sauce onto the pizza
    2. Shred some Pecorino romano on top of the sauce
    3. Top with mozzarella cheese and pepperoni

  4. Bake for about 6 minutes. The bottom of the crust should have some black scorch marks.

  5. Take out of the oven and onto a cooling rack for two minutes to crisp the bottom and enhance the flavor.

  6. Brush the crust with olive oil

  7. (optional) Drizzle with hot honey and add a couple doze drops of Ricotta.

  8. Cut into 8 pieces and serve. Don’t cut on your pizza peel; the marks will cause dough to stick to it more easily.