Classic Pepperoni Pizza

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Makes 2 12 inch pizzas

Equipment:

stand mixer
pizza peel
baking steel
blender

Tips:

  • Use lots of dusting flour when shaping.

  • Sauce and cheese will add flavor but too much of either will end in a soggy pizza.

  • Watch it closely when baking. There is a small window between well done and burnt.

Poolish Ingredients:

100g all purpose flour
100g water (room temperature)
1/4 tsp instant dry yeast

Dough Ingredients

330 pizza flour (or bread flour)
200g water (room temperature)
12g white sugar
10g sea salt
1/2 tsp instant dry yeast

Sauce Ingredients:

28 oz can of San Marzano tomatoes (strained from sauce in can)
6g fresh basil
3g fresh oregano
1 tsp sea salt
3 tbsp olive oil
1/4 sweet onion
4 small sweet peppers

Additional Ingredients:

fresh mozzarella cheese
pepperoni stick in natural casing (sliced)
2 small sweet peppers (sliced)
optional toppings
fine cornmeal

Process:

  1. Mix poolish ingredients in a tall jar. Proof for four hours. The poolish will be very bubbly.

  2. Combine all dough ingredients including all of the poolish in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix with a rubber spatula until there is no dry flour.

  3. Mix on medium speed with the dough hook for 4-6 minutes until smooth.

  4. Lightly oil a medium bowl.

  5. Ball up the dough and transfer to the oiled bowl. Proof for 1-2 hours until doubled.

  6. Deflate the dough and divide into two pieces, about 370g each.

  7. Roll each piece into a tight ball and lightly dust with flour.

  8. Place each ball on a plate and cover completely with plastic wrap. Let rest in fridge for 4 hours until they are well puffed but still give some push back on a poke.

  9. Remove dough from fridge and preheat oven to max temperature with the pizza steel on the highest rack. Let the dough rest and the oven heat for two hours.

  10. Meanwhile, blend all of the sauce ingredients and prepare any wanted toppings. If you prefer a chunkier sauce, use a sturdy whisk to mash the tomatoes separately and blend the remaining ingredients.

  11. Just before building the pizzas, switch oven to broil (max setting if applicable).

  12. One at a time, shape and top pizzas on a pizza peel dusted with cornmeal. Bake for 5-6 minutes, rotating halfway through.