This is my first month as a Daring Baker, and the challenge was hand-tossed pizza. I have made pizza dough many times, but never hand-tossed. And to top it off, we were required to take photos of us during the tossing process!

I made three pizzas. I made a big batch of sauce made from red peppers (from the garden) and white beans. The first pizza had the sauce, fresh mozzarella, fontina and pancetta. The second was a dessert pizza I’m calling Thin Crust Apple Pie. It had granny smith apples, butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and honey bunches of oats, just the bunches, seriously. 

For more photos and the recipe, click the link below.

Thin crust pizza with red pepper sauce, fontina, mozzarella and pancetta.

Thin crust apple pie!

BASIC PIZZA DOUGH

Original recipe adapted from “The Bread Baker’s Apprentice” by Peter Reinhart.

Makes 6 pizza crusts (about 9-12 inches/23-30 cm in diameter)

Ingredients:

4 1/2 c unbleached bread flour, chilled

1 3/4 t salt

1 t Instant yeast  

1/4 c olive oil

1 3/4 Cups water, ice cold

1 T sugar

Cornmeal for dusting

DAY ONE

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine flour, salt and instant yeast. Mix on low speed for one minute to aerate.

2. Add the oil, sugar and cold water and mix well with the paddle attachment in order to form a sticky ball of dough.

3. Switch to the dough hook and knead in the machine for 5-7 minutes, until the dough is smooth and the ingredients are homogeneously distributed. If it is too wet, add a little flour and if it is too dry add 1 or 2 teaspoons extra water.

NOTE: The finished dough should be springy, elastic, and sticky, not just tacky, and register 50°-55° F.

 4. Flour a work surface or counter.  Line a jelly pan with baking paper/parchment. Lightly oil the paper.

5. With the help of a metal or plastic dough scraper, cut the dough into 6 equal pieces (or larger if you want to make larger pizzas).

6. Sprinkle some flour over the dough. Make sure your hands are dry and then flour them.  Gently round each piece into a ball. I have found this is easiest on a stainless steel surface. Take each piece and cup it on the sides with your hands. While putting a little pressure on the surface of the counter, move your hands around in a small circle. This will make the dough curl under itself, and make a perfect ball.

8. Transfer the dough balls to the lined jelly pan and mist them generously with spray oil. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap.

9. Put the pan into the refrigerator and let the dough rest overnight or for up to three days.  NOTE: You can store the dough balls in a zippered freezer bag if you want to save some of the dough for any future baking. In that case, lightly spray each dough ball all over with vegetable oil spray. Then put each ball into a separate bag. Store the bags in the freezer for no longer than 3 months. The day before you plan to make pizza, remember to transfer the dough balls from the freezer to the refrigerator.

DAY TWO

10. On the day you plan to eat pizza, exactly 2 hours before you make it, remove the desired number of dough balls from the refrigerator. Dust the counter with flour and spray lightly with oil. Place the dough balls on a floured surface and sprinkle them with flour. Dust your hands with flour and delicately press the dough into disks about 1/2 inch thick and 5 inches in diameter. Sprinkle with flour and mist with oil. Loosely cover the dough rounds with plastic wrap and then allow to rest for 2 hours.

11. At least 45 minutes before making the pizza, preheat the oven as hot as possible (500° F).

12. Generously sprinkle the back of a jelly pan with semolina/durum flour or cornmeal. Flour your hands (palms, backs and knuckles). Take 1 piece of dough by lifting it with a pastry scraper (or knife). Lay the dough across your fists in a very delicate way and carefully stretch it by bouncing it in a circular motion on your hands, and by giving it a little stretch with each bounce. Once the dough has expanded outward, move to a full toss.

13. When the dough has the shape you want (about 9-12 inches in diameter – for a 6 ounce piece of dough), place it on the back of the jelly pan, making sure there is enough semolina/durum flour or cornmeal to allow it to slide and not stick to the pan.

12. Lightly top it with sweet or savory toppings of your choice. Don’t forget to roll the edges up a little so your toppings don’t ooze out all over the inside of your oven. Trust me.

13. Bake directly on the back of the jelly pan. Close the door and bake for about 5-8 minutes.

Thanks to the Daring Bakers and to Rosa’s Yummy Yums for hosting this month!