Restaurant Style Pizza

Preparation

1) In the bowl of a standing mixer, add the flour, yeast and sugar, give it a quick mix then add the water, begin to knead and sprinkle in the salt.

2) Knead the dough for about 3 minutes on medium speed, at the end, sprinkle in the remaining tablespoon of flour around the edges of the bowl, once incorporated, increase the speed to high for a minute then place the tacky dough onto a lightly floured work surface.

3) Roll the dough into a ball and dust just enough flour to pull it together so its no longer sticky and place it in an oiled bowl, cover and allow it to rise until a bit more than doubled in size.

4) Meanwhile, make the sauce. In a saucepan add the oil and garlic, let that sizzle then add the tomatoes and basil along with a good pinch of salt and simmer on medium low for 20 minutes, remove from the heat and allow to cool completely.

5) Once risen, punch the dough down to deflate it, cut the dough into 2 equal pieces, form each one into a ball (watch video to see how to do this correctly) then place on an oiled baking sheet, cover and allow to rise at room temperature for 30 minutes then pop them in the fridge for another 30. Quick note, if the dough is rising too fast, pop them in the fridge faster than 30 minutes.

6) Preheat the oven to 500 degrees (or 550 if your oven goes up that high) place a pizza steel or pizza stone on the bottom rack and let that preheat for 30 minutes along with the oven. It’s crucial that your oven is extremely hot when the pizza goes in.

7) Roll the dough out into a 12” circle using your hands (please watch the video to see how I do this) then top with a tad bit of the sauce and toppings of choice. Bake for 8-10 minutes directly on the pizza stone, rotating half way through for even cooking.

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