This pizza dough is easy and fun to make and bakes into a thin and crunchy crust. I like to shape the dough and season it with sesame seeds, then top with fresh mozarella cheese and pepperoni.
1clovegarlicpressed into a paste or rubbed on a microplane
114-ozcan tomato puree
salt
8ozmozarella ball
1tbspsesame seedsblack or white
16pepperoni slices
Instructions
Make the Sponge:
In a medium bowl, mix the water, yeast, honey, and 1/4 cup flour. Stir and cover with a clean towel for 20 minutes to allow the yeast to bloom and form an active sponge. Hold in a warm place.
Add to Sponge:
Add salt, oil, water, and flours to the bubbly sponge. Knead for 10 minutes. The dough will be very sticky, and it will feel like you are flinging and stretching mud. Tightly stretch plastic wrap over the bowl to cover completely. Allow to rise for 40 minutes in a warm place.
Shaping, Topping and Baking:
Preheat the oven with a pizza stone on the middle rack for 30 minutes at 500°F.
Cut out 4-5 pieces of parchment paper squares. Portion dough over the parchment and wash your hands. Place the garlic paste into a small bowl with the olive oil. Dip your fingers into the oil and press into the dough. Form into thin, round pizzas.
Strain the tomato puree over a bowl. Sprinkle with salt. Allow the pizza dough to rest (to form bubbles) about 10 minutes. Season the outside crust with sesame seeds. Then add a very thin layer of sauce. Top with mozzarella and pepperoni.
Use a pizza peel to place the pizza directly on a pizza stone. Bake for 8-9 minutes.
Notes
Dough: The dough can be kneaded by hand directly over the large bowl used to make the sponge. It will be very sticky, so I don't recommend using the counter. Also, if you have a stand mixer - you can knead the dough on medium speed with a dough hook.Pizza Baking: You really need a pizza stone and an abnormally hot oven to produce the best pizza. Many ovens only go up to 500°F - but preheating for 30 minutes with a stone can help achieve a crispy crust.I've found that the easiest way to slide the crust onto the stone is with a long handled "peel," where the dough bakes on top of parchment paper. Many people prefer to sprinkle the peel with cornmeal or rice flour, but I think you might struggle with the technique. Feel free to try it. My best tip is to practice with a mini pizza to really get the motion down.Finally, if you want to bake the pizza directly on a sheet pan, that works too. In this case, go light on the toppings so you don't end up with an overly wet mess.