No-Knead Pizza

I was incredibly excited when I got an email from Tasting Table with a recipe for No-Knead Pizza Dough by Jim Lahey (of Sullivan Street Bakery and the new Co. Pizzeria). Jim is the mastermind behind the cult favorite no-knead bread recipe that was printed in the New York Times. It was the first loaf of bread that I ever made, and it was a great introduction for me into the genre. So clearly I was more than enthused to have a new no-knead recipe, this time for pizza dough.

Jim Lahey doesn’t seem to disappoint. This was a very easy dough to make and work with. Today I made a simple Prosciutto, Zuchinni, and Cheese Pizza that was very nice and much better than I had expected my first pie be. Tomorrow I plan to make a different one.

Give this dough a try. It makes enough for four pizzas. Refrigerate some dough for up to five days or freeze it for future use. All in all, I am very excited to have a recipe for a home-made pizza dough that is refreshingly easy to make.

Recipe: No-Knead Pizza

No-Knead Pizza Dough adapted from Jim Lahey of Co. published by Tasting Table

 

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting

¼ teaspoon instant yeast (such as SAF )

1½ teaspoons salt

1½ cups water
1. In a large bowl, mix the flour with the yeast and salt. Add the water and stir until blended (the dough will be very sticky). Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rest for 12 to 24 hours in a warm spot, about 70°.
2. Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and lightly sprinkle the top with flour. Fold the dough over on itself once or twice, cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest for 15 minutes.
3. Divide the dough into 4 pieces and shape each piece into a ball. Generously sprinkle a clean cotton towel with flour and cover the dough balls with it. Let the dough rise for 2 hours.
4. Stretch or toss the dough into the desired shape, cover with toppings and bake on top of a very hot pizza stone.

Co., 230 Ninth Ave. (at 24th St.); 212-243-1105 or co-pane.com

Tomato Sauce adapted from a recipe by Chef Theo Bandall published in Delicious Magazine

1 tbls olive oil

1 small to medium white onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

400g cn Italian plum tomatoes, roughly chopped

2 tbls tomato puree

1 bay leaf, crushed

2 tsp chopped fresh oregano

1.Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over a low heat and cook the onion and garlic for about 10 minutes – just let the onion and garlic soften, not brown or fry. Add the tomatoes and tomato puree. Season to taste, then add the bay leaf and chopped fresh oregano.

2. Stir well to dissolve and disperse the paste, then leave to simmer and reduce for 10-15 minutes, until you have a thickened sauce. Leave to cool.

Prosciutto and Zucchini Pizza: by Natalie of the BITES site

Pizza Dough (above)

Pizza Sauce (above)

1 zucchini

1/3 lb fresh mozzarella

1/5 lb prosciutto di parma

6-8 basil leaves

1 tbls olive oil

Seasoning: optional

 

Preheat oven and pizza stone to 465°.  Take Zucchini and peel strands lengthwise. Strands will be part flesh, part skin. Peel enough so that all of the skin is used. Conserve remainder of zucchini for other use. Then take the prosciutto and cut thin slices lengthwise. Set both aside. Cut mozzarella into thin circular slices.

When stone is hot, spread pizza dough into circle on the stone.  Take a pastry brush and brush olive oil on the edge of the pie (crust). Add tomato sauce, leaving ½ - 1inch space for crust.  Add thin slices of mozzarella and disperse around pie. Place in oven.

After 6 minutes, take pie out, add basil and zucchini dispersing it evenly on the pie, and then quickly put back in oven. Cook for 2-4 more minutes (pie will need to cook a total of 8-10 minutes). When pie is done cooking, take out and sprinkle the top with prosciutto slices. (I don’t cook the prosciutto but rather let it slightly warm on top of the hot pizza. I am not fond of the texture that prosciutto takes on when cooked). Season to taste if desired. Serve hot.