The Perfect Pizza Pie

The dough is what makes a pizza good. It needs to have flavor, the perfect chew, and be crispy too..The main problem I used to have with making  pizza dough is keeping it thin. I'd roll out the dough and it would spring back on me. You need to use a high protein flour (bread flour rather than all purpose) to get a good chewiness to the crust, but too much gluten development and the crust will be tough and the dough will be too springy to roll out properly even after letting the dough relax.

I've got 2 secrets. First, use "00" flour. You can find this at specialty stores (I found it at a local Italian grocer) or buy it on the Internet. This flour has a lot of protein, but is highly refined and powdery. It really is worth the effort of getting the special flour. The second secret is letting the dough ferment in the refrigerator overnight rather than on the counter for a few hours. The cold slows fermentation so it has to be allowed a full day in the fridge (but don't let it go longer than 72 hours). The cold prohibits gluten development though. The benefits of this is full flavor will less stretch. The dough actually rolls out easily and doesn't spring back at all. The final result is a crispy, thin, and slightly chewy crust.

Top your pizza with whatever your heart desires. I like to keep mine simple with a little bit of tomato sauce, basil, vegan mozzarella, and a sprinkle of nutritional yeast. Sometimes I really like a pesto sauce with a ton of vegetables too. Cooking on a pizza stone is ideal, but if you don't have one, bake it on a cookie sheet until it's firm and then transfer directly to the oven rack so the bottom can crisp up.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups "00" flour (16 1/2 oz)
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast
• 1 1/3 cups cold water
• 1 tablespoon light olive oil
• 1 1/2 table salt

1. In standing mixer with paddle attachment, combine flour, sugar, and yeast. Over low speed, slowly add in water- you may not need all of it- until dough forms into a ball and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Switch to a dough hook attachment and mix for a couple of minutes, until dough is smooth. Allow to sit for 10 minutes (this allows the flour to hydrate).
2. With the dough hook still attached, turn mixer onto low speed. drizzle in olive oil and add salt. Knead dough by letting mixer run at medium-low speed for 5 minutes. 
3. Form dough into tight ball, place in lightly oiled bowl, and tightly cover with plastic wrap. Place in refrigerator for at least 24 hours, but no more than 72 hours. 
4. Remove dough from fridge and, using a knife, cut into 2 even pieces to make 2 large pizzas or 4 even pieces to make 4 smaller (individual size) pizzas. Note that the dough is pretty tough and this is okay. As it warms to room temp, it will soften and relax. On lightly floured surface, form pieces into round smooth balls and allow to sit, covered, for 1 hour. 
5. Preheat oven (and a pizza stone if you have one) to 500F with rack placed at the top of oven. 
6. On lightly floured surface, squash a ball of dough into a flat disk and roll out thin. Place on pizza stone or baking sheet, and add pizza toppings. 
7. Bake for 8-12 minutes, depending on size of pizza, or until crust is nicely browned. Place pizza on wire rack to cool for 5 minutes before serving.