TWO PIZZA DOUGH RECIPES

Im feeling nice, I'd even give you a kiss right now

So I have been playing around with my pizza dough formula for years now. The recipe changes every time I decide to make pizza; an ongoing experiment. I really like these two doughs and I think they’re relatively easy- the hardest part here is waiting for the dough to be ready.

If you’re new to making pizza or don’t feel as comfortable please start with 78% hydration dough- it’s more forgiving. Keep in mind the higher the hydration, the more difficult it can be working with the dough. Lower hydration doughs are more comparable to Roman or NY style pizza- however they bake their pizza at much lower temp : 550F-650F. I suggest just starting with this recipe and play around with it. The worst that can happen is you have some ugly pizza- but it’s still pizza. I still eat and enjoy ugly pizza.

83% Hydration Pizza Dough

Chris Bianco says “you have to burn to learn brother”

So don’t be afraid here, every mistake I make in the kitchen is a lesson I learn. Generally you won’t make the same mistake twice.

I always ask myself these questions when I eat anything I’m making…

What can I do differently? Does it need more of this or less of that? Is the oven hot enough? Did I like this?

For real ask yourself questions, it’s beyond helpful.

What is the difference between low hydration and high hydration?

Hydration just refers to how much water is in the dough. When you see those black leopard spots on the crust of pizza… that is water trying to escape the dough. If you want no flop pizza lower your hydration, it’d hard to get the higher hydration dough crispy- not impossible but it will take a lot of trial an error, understanding your oven and dough. Obviously more hydration will make the dough stickier and less pliable to move around. It takes a lot of technique. There are some really fascinating Italian pizza makers who don’t care about Dave Portnoy's pizza rules. These bakers use 90%-100& hydration- their pizza looks so good but working with it takes a ton of skill. Practice makes perfect !!!

Low hydration like I mentioned earlier is the blueprint for the crunchy Roman and NY style pizza. No flop, nice bite, less pillow like softness. I think both are good but it’s all preference.

RECIPE CARDS BELOW