Thin Crust | TheGrubDaily

On my 15th birthday I remember looking over my cake and saying “just one more year till I start driving dad!!” Without flinching my dad responded, “Ohh yeah? In what car sweetie? You’re mother and I certainly aren’t buying you one!”

And that’s how I got my start in the restaurant business.

I needed a car and so I needed a job. Within the week I started working at a little gourmet pizza shop near my house called Jules Thin Crust. I was one of the first employees when it opened, and watched it grow into a local favorite hotspot over the four years that I worked there. Their pizza is truly delicious and very unique in topping and presentation. Unfortunately, I have been unable to find any other pizza that even resembles the flavors of Jules Thin Crust and so out of necessity I decided to start making my own imitation pizza. I experimented with several different types of dough over the past year, and think that I have finally found the ultimate thin crust pizza dough recipe. It crisps up beautifully on the bottom (even on a plain baking sheet), yet stays soft on the side under the sauce. And best yet, it is super easy to make….just takes some pre-planning because it needs to proof over night!

As far as the toppings go, I like to get creative and make the pizza look pretty (I stole a lot of my presentation ideas from the pizza place I worked at!). But definitely use a variety of cheeses, the more the better. I like to combine fresh mozzarella, aged mozzarella, provolone, and parmesan. The Two pizzas that I have photographed are my Margarita Pizza (fresh mozzarella and provolone white base with sliced tomato, minced garlic, and basil garnish) and Eggplant Pizza (homemade tomato sauce, aged mozzarella, thin sliced eggplant, cubes of fresh mozzarella, and arugala). I also love to make a Honey Garlic Pizza, which is a thin layer of honey for the base, topped with minced garlic and then a generous layer of fresh mozzarella cheese. This pizza may seem strange, but it is so surprisingly good. The sweetness of the honey balances out with the saltiness of the cheese in a great way. It is just a little messy on your baking pans if you use too much honey because it will overflow when it heats up, so don’t put too much on!

{ Ingredients }

4 ½ cups unbleached high-gluten, or all-purpose flour, chilled
1 ¾ teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon instant yeast (rapid rise)
¼ cup olive oil
1 ¾ cup ice cold water
Semolina flour or cornmeal

{ To Make Pizza Dough }

Put the flour into the bowl of an electric mixer and allow to chill in fridge for 10-15 min. Then stir in the salt and instant yeast. With the mixer on low speed (fitted with paddle attachment) stir in the olive oil and the cold water until the flour is all absorbed. Then switch to the dough hook and mix on medium speed for 5-7 minutes, or as long as it takes to create a smooth, sticky dough. It is very important that the dough not stick to the sides of the bowl, but stick to the bottom. In order to create this consistency, you make need to add more ice water (tablespoon or two) to make the dough tackier or add more flour to make it firmer. The finished dough should be springy, elastic, and sticky, not just tacky.

Sprinkle flour on the counter and transfer dough to counter. Using a metal dough scraper, cut the dough into 6 equal pieces, dipping the scraper into water between cuts to keep the dough from sticking. Sprinkle flour over the dough and then list each piece and round into a ball (make sure that your hands are dry and flour them). Transfer the dough balls to a plate or baking sheet that has been sprayed with oil. Then mist the dough balls with oil and cover with plastic wrap.

Put the pan into the refrigerator overnight to rest the dough (you must do this), or keep for up to three days.

On the day you plan to make the pizza, remove the dough from the refrigerator and place on well-floured counter surface. Dust your hands with flour and gently press (or roll) the dough into a flattened disk about ¼-½ inch think. Then put pizza dough onto a baking sheet that has been generously dusted with cornmeal or semolina flour and allow to rest at room temperature for at least 1 hour before cooking.

When ready to cook, preheat the oven as hot as possible (mine only goes to 400 and that worked just fine), and put your topped pizza into the oven, cooking for about 8-10 minutes. Since the cook time depends on the amount of toppings that you have chosen and the temperature that your oven will reach, check on it very frequently to see when it appears done.

When cooked to your satisfaction, remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow to sit for 3-5 minutes. You want the cheese to rest before you cut the pizza, or it will just slide off.

**Remember when topping your pizza that basil turns black in the oven, so put the basil on after the pizza has cooked and cooled slightly**