Earlier, I posted some ideas on how to load, or top, your pizza. Sometimes the toppings, well executed can save a crust that is too doughy, dry, or even somewhat flavorless. And thank God for that. However, the whole idea of pizza, in my baker's head, is the bread.
Here we go: No matter what kind of flat bread I make, the ratio between wet and dry is roughly 1.333 x 3. You can wing if after you've made it a while and go mainly by touch--how the dough feels. Otherwise, in a bowl, wisk together:
a package of yeast (I prefer dry grains and often use quick rise)
about 1 cup water (warm to touch--about 110 degrees F)
about 1 T salt (I like kosher salt)
(you can add herbs and chilies into your dough, too!!)
Let it sit for a little while to "proof," until you are assured the yeast is active. It will start to look slightly thick and foamy or bubbly.
Add
about 1 T extra virgin olive oil
about 3C flour (all kinds available--but you can find some really tasty whole wheat these days.)
For hands on: (one hand holds bowl, the other works dough) use your fingers like claws and "wisk" the dry into the wet, working the sides of the bowl, to incorporate all the flour. Work it quickly here so you don't end up with all the dough on your fingers. As it comes together, form it to a ball and push, or knead, with the heel of your hand. Push away from you, and then use your fingers to fold this toward you, flattening the ball onto itself, and then knead. This constant kneading with heel of hand, then folding over with fingers continues till it is smooth, elastic, and slightly sticky. This can take as little as 3-5 minutes, but sometimes longer, depending upon how spot on your ratio was. Push the ball with your finger. If it is hard to push, add a few drops of water and knead it in. Don't over do the water, though. Its easy to go from too hard to too soft. However, that can be corrected by--yup--adding a sprankling of flour. Bottom line, smooth, elastic, and slightly sticky.
Place your little dough ball into a slightly oiled bowl and turn the dough, so it is all covered with oil. Cover the bowl lightly with a large plastic bag or a clean dish towel. Instead of hands, you can use your kitchenaide with a dough hook, and it's done in very short order.
This can be refrigerated overnight or even frozen (use plastic, then, and then when ready, contiue with these instructions). Otherwise, let it rise 2-3 hours (depending on what you can afford timewise--I find it can be very forgiving but the best dough takes its time).
Once risen, remove from bowl and roll and stretch on a floured surface. Don't over do it. The mass should look still be thick enough to handle because it will need to be transferred to an oiled baking sheet where you can further stretch. You're looking for something really thin, like 1/4". Certainly you can toss it, use a peel with corn meal, top, and put directly onto an oven tile, but I make pizza bigger than the surface of my tile, so I use a pan.
Then I brush the dough lightly with olive oil (unless this is your only topping besides, say rosemary, for example, in which case, use more liberally) If I want a sauce or multiple sauces, I use them sparingly, letting the olive oil and toppings get their share of glory. If you add sauces, toppings, cheese, etc., then drizzle that with olive oil, too. I put my pan atop my oven tile, but a plain old oven rack will suffice. Bake in hot oven (and if you have a spray bottle, hit the oven burner with several squirts of water for a little steam). Hot is 450 degrees or more. Time for 450 is about 11-13 minutes till it looks really yummy.
For more in-depth information on how to layer more and more flavor into your topped pizza, see my earlier post regarding a southwestern style pizza.
