WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
New York pizza parlor–style pizza is truly a thing of beauty: marinara-style tomato sauce and a mozz-Parm topping blanketing a thin, crisp crust that’s spottily charred on the exterior and tender and chewy within. But with ovens that reach only 500 degrees and dough that’s impossible to stretch thin, even the savviest home cooks can struggle to produce parlor-quality pizza. We were determined to make it happen. High-protein bread flour gave us a chewy crust, and the right ratio of flour to water to yeast gave us dough that was easy to stretch. We kneaded the dough quickly in a food processor and let it proof for a few hours. After we shaped and topped the pizza, it went onto a blazing-hot baking stone. Placing the stone near the top of the oven was a revelation, allowing the top of the pizza to brown as well as the bottom. In minutes we had a pizza with everything in sync: a crisp, browned crust with a slightly chewy texture, just like a good parlor slice. Our favorite bread flour is from King Arthur. Some baking stones can crack under the intense heat of the broiler; be sure to check the manufacturer’s website. It is important to use ice water in the dough to prevent it from overheating in the food processor. Don’t top the second pizza until right before you bake it. If you add more toppings, keep them light or they may weigh down the thin crust. This recipe yields extra sauce; the remaining sauce can be refrigerated for up to one week or frozen for up to one month.
MAKES: two 13-inch pizzas
TOTAL TIME: 1 hour 15 minutes (plus 24 hours refrigeration time and 1 hour
resting time)
INGREDIENTS:
DOUGH:
- 3 cups (16½ ounces) bread flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast
- 1⅓ cups ice water
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1½ teaspoons salt
SAUCE:
- 1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, drained
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated fine (½ cup)
- 8 ounces whole-milk mozzarella, shredded (2 cups)
INSTRUCTIONS:
- FOR THE DOUGH:
- Pulse flour, sugar, and yeast in food processor until combined, about 5 pulses.
- With processor running, slowly add ice water and process until dough is just combined and no dry flour remains, about 10 seconds.
- Let dough rest for 10 minutes.
- Add oil and salt to dough and process until dough forms satiny, sticky ball that clears sides of bowl, 30 to 60 seconds.
- Transfer dough to lightly oiled counter and knead by hand to form smooth, round ball, about 30 seconds.
- Place dough seam side down in lightly greased large bowl or container, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 24 hours or up to 3 days.
- FOR THE SAUCE:
- Process all ingredients in food processor until smooth, about 30 seconds.
- Transfer to bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.
- TO BAKE THE PIZZA:
- Press down on dough to deflate.
- Transfer dough to clean counter, divide in half, and cover loosely with greased plastic.
- Pat 1 piece of dough into 4-inch round (keep remaining piece covered).
- Working around circumference of dough, fold edges toward center until ball forms.
- Flip ball seam side down and, using your cupped hands, drag in small circles on counter until dough feels taut and round and all seams are secured on underside. (If dough sticks to your hands, lightly dust top of dough with flour.)
- Repeat with remaining piece of dough.
- Space dough balls 3 inches apart, cover loosely with greased plastic, and let rest for 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, adjust oven rack 4 inches from broiler element, set baking stone on rack, and heat oven to 500 degrees for 1 hour.
- When ready to bake, heat broiler for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, coat 1 dough ball generously with flour and place on well-floured counter.
- Using your fingertips, gently flatten into 8-inch round, leaving 1 inch of outer edge slightly thicker than center.
- Using your hands, gently stretch dough into 12-inch round, working along edge and giving disk quarter turns.
- Transfer dough to well-floured pizza peel and stretch into 13-inch round.
- Using back of spoon or ladle, spread ½ cup tomato sauce in even layer over surface of dough, leaving ¼-inch border around edge.
- Sprinkle ¼ cup Parmesan evenly over sauce, followed by 1 cup mozzarella.
- Slide pizza carefully onto baking stone and return oven to 500 degrees.
- Bake until crust is well browned and cheese is bubbly and partially browned, 8 to 10 minutes, rotating pizza halfway through baking.
- Transfer pizza to wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
- Heat.
