The Best Pizza Dough EVER!

Friends, family, and anyone else out there, may I present to you...Frank Stitt.

For those of you who have never heard of him or been to any of his restaurants, let me enlighten you.  He is my most favorite chef of all time. He is the chef and owner of Highlands Bar and Grill, Bottega Restaurant and Cafe' (my personal favorite), and Chez Fonfon.  All of these restaurants are located in one of my most beloved towns, Birmingham, AL.  

He has won all kinds of awards and recognition for his flawless technique and innovative style, but one thing is for sure...that man can cook!  When Phillip and I lived in Birmingham, we frequented his restaurants more than we would like to admit.  As I mentioned, Bottega Cafe' is my all-time favorite.  It encompasses all things a wonderful restaurant should - the perfect atmosphere, a wonderful wait staff, a classy crowd, and an unbeatable selection of wine and food.  To me, Frank Stitt is the epitome of a perfect chef.  His food is gourmet, but by no means fussy, and he creates an atmosphere that is refined, yet casual.  The subtitle of his cookbook is "A Southern Chef's Love Affair with Italian Food."  I don't think you can do any better than when you mix Southern and Italian :-)

Anyway, the whole reason of this post is to teach you how to make Frank Stitt's "Basic Pizza Dough" recipe from his Bottega Favorita cookbook.  Every dish I have ever made from this cookbook has worked out perfectly the first time, and this was no exception.  Go get a copy!!

Here's how you do it:

Here's what you'll need:  active dry yeast, honey, olive oil, whole wheat flour, white flour, salt, and cornmeal (for dusting).

 First, pour 1 Tablespoon honey into measuring cup.

 Then fill your measuring cup with 1 1/4 cups warm water (105-115 degrees).

Sprinkle 1 Tablespoon active dry yeast over the top.

Set aside to proof until foamy (about 10 minutes).

Measure out 1/4 cup olive oil.

(You should always use a liquid measuring cup to measure your liquids.  Do as I say, not as I do)

 When measuring flour, always make sure to "fluff" the flour with your measuring cup (this is so you won't pack the flour down), then scrape the excess flour off with a knife.  Both of these steps will help ensure you will get the right texture and consistency when you are baking.

 Measure out 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup whole wheat flour, and 2 teaspoons kosher salt.  Combine in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.

 Add the yeast mixture and olive oil.

 Mix on low speed until the dough forms a mass on the paddle and pulls away from the sides of the bowl (4-5 minutes)*.

*Note:  My dough has yet to form a perfect mass on my paddle.  I think it's because it's humid in Houston.  Nonetheless, it always rises and bakes as it should.  You can add a little more flour to help you handle it, but don't worry too much if it doesn't look perfect.  That's part of the fun of making your own, right?!

 Remove the dough and divide into 3 equal portions.  Put on a flour-dusted baking sheet (I used a Silpat), cover with plastic wrap, and set aside in a warm place to rise for 30 minutes, or until almost doubled.

(You can make the dough ahead and refrigerate it overnight if necessary; allow it to come to room temperature before continuing.)

 This is after 30 minutes.  I place mine next to my pre-heating oven.

 Next, roll out your dough until it reaches the desired thickness.  I like mine "not too thick, but not too thin."  :-)

 Picture courtesy of Emily.  :-)

 Here's how I like it.  Don't stress out over the shape of your dough!!  Sometimes I do rectangular, sometimes circular, and (in this case) "abstract."  One of them looked like a heart, and that was totally unintentional.  My favorite color is green...not pink.  :-)

This is Emily trying to get a picture of our preheating stone.  I have one of those Pampered Chef baking stones (thanks to my wonderful mother in law).  If you have one too, Frank Stitt recommends to attempt to recreate their wood-fired oven by preheating your stone for 30 minutes at 500 degrees!!  It works, but makes putting the pre-made pizzas on the scorching hot stone somewhat impossible.  We resorted to putting the Silpat* liner (on which we built our pizzas) directly on the hot stone.  It worked beautifully (minus a few "flaws") :-)  They still tasted just as good!!

*Note:  Silpat is a silicone-lined baking sheet.  Nothing sticks to it and it can handle these extreme temperatures.  I recommend you go out and buy a few!  You'll never have to wash a baking sheet again...and you'll have pretty pizzas.  You can buy them anywhere kitchen supplies are sold!

Invite your friends over or make these with your kids (but be sure to keep everyone away from the HOT baking stone)!!!  Emily and I had so much fun making these, and the end result was way worth the extra time!  I've made many other pizza dough recipes, but this is by far my favorite.  The others call for at least 2 (sometimes 3) rounds of rising/falling.  With this one, you mix everything together, let it rise for 30 minutes while you prep the rest of your ingredients, then roll them out and stick them in the oven!  

I hope you enjoy these as much as we did!  The next post includes some of my favorite ways to enjoy them, but have fun creating your own! I'll give you a few ideas for inspiration!  :-)

Let me know how it turns out!!!

Basic Pizza Dough

Makes three 7-ounce portions of dough, for three 10-inch pizzas

1 1/4 cups warm water (105-115 degrees F)

1 Tablespoon honey

1 Tablespoon active dry yeast

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/4 cup olive oil

Cornmeal for dusting (optional)

Pour the warm water into a small bowl, stir in the honey, and sprinkle the yeast over the top.  Set aside to proof until foamy, about 10 minutes.

Combine the flours and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or use a large bowl and a sturdy hand mixer). Add the yeast mixture and olive oil and mix on low speed until the dough forms a mass on the paddle and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, 4 to 5 minutes.

Remove the dough and divide it into 3 equal portions.  Put on a flour-dusted baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside in a warm place to rise for 30 minutes, or until almost doubled.  (You can make the dough ahead and refrigerate it overnight if necessary;  allow it to come to room temperature before continuing.)

The dough is ready to be rolled out and baked.  You can hand roll the dough at room temperature for a short while on a sheet of parchment paper that has been dusted with a little cornmeal.

Recipe rights:  Frank Stitt, Bottega Favorita