Pete's Za Party!

When it comes to pizza, NY and Italy just do it better. I always push for my family to grab a pie when we're home on Long Island but my dad really loves honing his craft of making the perfect homemade pie. He's found Alton Brown's recipe to be his go to for inspiration, and with a few steps, it can be yours too! The crust is crispy but still soft and by using a really high quality mozzarella this pie is as good as a pizzeria!

**Note- this dough needs to rest for a day so plan ahead!!**

INGREDIENTS:

• 690 grams bread flour, plus extra for shaping (I prefer to use "Tipo 00" flour which is the BEST flour for fresh pasta or pizza)

• 9 grams active dry yeast

• 15 grams sugar

• 20 grams kosher salt

• 455 grams bottled water

• 15 grams olive oil (plus a little extra for the bowl & crust)

Specialty Items Needed:

• Digital Scale (I prefer ones that comes with a bowl for easy measuring. If you are baking you really should be weighing your dry goods rather than using measuring cups!)

• Pizza Stone

• Wooden Pizza Peel (Amazon has a great combo pack of stone & peel with a 10% off coupon!)

• Stand Mixer & Dough Hook Attachment

RECIPE:

1. Using your stand mixer, add all ingredients to the mixer in the order listed and mix together on low using dough hook attachment. The dough will be ready once it has come together and formed a ball and pulls away from the side of the bowl.

2. Increase the mixer speed to medium and let it knead for 5 minutes.

3. Lightly flour the countertops and then round the dough into a smooth ball. You should fold the edges of the round in to the center and roll between your hands and the counter several times while doing this.

4. Lightly oil a bowl and place the dough in the bowl to rest. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 18-24 hours.

5. After resting for a day, punch down the dough by turning it out onto a clean countertop and shaping it into a rectangle. Use your hands and knuckles to work out the large gas bubbles that form.

6. Tightly roll the dough into a 12"-15" log shape. Cut this log into 3 even portions.

7. Shape each third into a pizza shaped disk, then roll into a smooth ball. You may want to add a bit of water to the counter to prevent surface tension. You want the dough ball to tighten up rather than slide across the counter.

8. Cover the three dough balls with a clean kitchen towel and let rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.

9. You can either cook the dough immediately, or keep in refrigerator for up to 8 hours. Just remember to let the dough come to room temperature for 30 minutes prior to cooking if you do refrigerate!

10. On the lower rack of your oven place the pizza stone. If you have a gas oven you can even put the stone on the floor of the oven. Turn the oven to the hottest temperature it will go (at least 550' F). Let this heat up while your dough is resting at room temperature.

11. When the stone is nice and hot press your dough into a 12" pizza round. You can do this on top of your pizza peel but make sure to lightly flour the bottom so it does not stick to the wood.

12. Spread your favorite sauce and top with a good quality whole milk mozzarella cheese (or your choice of cheese.)

13. Transfer to pizza stone and bake for approx. 10 minutes (or until golden brown and melted.)

14. Slice and Enjoy :)

**If you don't have a pizza stone or peel, just use a baking sheet!

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