Sicilian Pizza

Dough:

3 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. active dry yeast
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/3 c. tepid water

Whole wheat alternative:

1 3/4 c. white whole wheat flour
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. active dry yeast
1 1/2 tsp. + a pinch salt
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 c. tepid water

Sauce:

Use our "Ridiculously Easy Marinara Sauce" recipe!
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Mix 2 3/4 c. of the flour and the remaining ingredients together in a mixer using a paddle attachment on low speed for just a minute or two until all of the flour is incorporated. Scrape down the bowl and mix for another 30 seconds on low. Remove the paddle and scrape off any clinging dough, cover with a clean towel and let rest for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, mix the dough with a dough hook and add the remaining flour for 2 to 3 minutes until the flour is incorporated and the dough forms a ball on the dough hook. Generously oil a glass bowl with olive oil and transfer the dough to the bowl, turning once so that the ball is well oiled. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and poke a small hole in the tap to let gas escape and let the dough proof for two hours. It will rise significantly (tripling in volume).

After the proofing, transfer the dough to a quarter sheet jelly roll pan that has been generously oiled with olive oil. Press the gas out of the dough and form it to the pan, pressing dough high on all four sides. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for an hour.

Place a pizza stone in the lower 1/3 of your oven and preheat to 500 degrees. Press the dough into the sides so that there's a 1/4 inch layer in the bottom of the pan, with the bulk of the dough on the sides. Brush the dough with a bit of olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch or two of a good Italian herb mixture. Bake the dough for 7 minutes.

After 7 minutes, take the pizza out of the oven, brush with more olive oil. Put a layer of thinly sliced provolone cheese on the bottom, cover with hand-crushed whole peeled tomatoes and a bit of the juice, and cover with a generous amount of fresh mozzarella cheese. Bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes at 500 degrees or until the crust is nicely browned and the cheese lightly caramelized.

Take out of the oven and immediately remove the pizza from the pan and onto a cutting board. After 5 minutes. cut into pieces and enjoy.

On flour: we use King Arthur flours. We especially like their all-purpose (blue bag) and white whole-wheat (light brown bag).

For regular pizzas, use 1/3 of the dough for each pizza. That's enough dough to fit most home baking stones and peels. We use a 14.5" round stone from Oneida. Also, get your oven as hot it will possibly go and bake your pizza at the top of the oven.