It wouldn’t be the dailywaffle if we didn’t try the pizza dough in Alton Brown’s EveryDayCook.
Is it weird to have a house pizza dough? Well, we eat make and eat enough pizza around here that Kenji Lopez-Alt’s NY-Style dough turned into the go-to recipe. But last week, as I was cooking my way through Alton Brown’s latest, EveryDayCook (more on that here), I tried the pizza dough. It’s a 24-hour affair, make the dough, drop it into a bowl and refrigerate overnight. Press it into a rectangle, cut it into thirds and form into balls. Pretty straightforward stuff. The yeast makes it bubbly as all get out. And while the recipe calls for really pressing out the air bubbles as you hand shape it, I’m convinced you could use a rolling pin without any trouble. Just don’t go crazy on it.
I’m still getting the hang of working with it, getting the center thin, but still strong enough to hold the toppings, with a nice lip around the edge. After two batches, I think I’m getting there. It’s a great alternative to have in your back pocket. Good flavor and it’ll definitely give you a poofy crust edge. This beaut was from the first batch and as I talked about in another recent post, my pizza toppings lately have all been variations on a theme — pepperoni, mushroom, olive and whatever peppers I have in the fridge. This one included red jalapeños and purple peppers from Tonnemakers, and I love that they keep their purple ring on the outside.
As usual, we use the Baking Steel instead of a stone. I can’t say enough good things about it. If you love pizza, it’s worth the investment.
RECIPE: ALTON BROWN’S LAST PIZZA DOUGH I’LL EVER NEED
The POMP Pizza (Pepperoni, Olive, Mushroom and Peppers)
Pepperoni, olive and mushroom are our usual pizza toppings. In summer, when peppers and chiles are plentiful, they go on, too.
Ingredients
- 1 ball of Alton Brown's Last Pizza Dough You'll Ever Need (link in post)
- 1/4 to 1/3 c. Lucini Spicy Tuscan tomato sauce
- 1 c. grated dry mozzarella cheese
- 8-12 slices pepperoni
- 6-8 crimini mushrooms, thinly sliced
- a scant 1/4 c. sliced black olives
- 3-4 slices red jalapeno
- 3-4 slices red bell pepper
- 6 slices purple bell pepper
Instructions
Make dough according to Alton's recipe directions. Allow to sit on the counter for 1 hour before shaping.
At the same time, preheat Baking Steel at 500F. When ready to bake, turn the heat up to broil.
Dust your pizza peel with cornmeal and flour. Stretch the dough into ~10-inch circle on the peel. Spread the sauce evenly on the dough, leaving a 1/4 to 1/2 inch border.
Cover the sauce with grated cheese and arrange the pepperoni, mushroom, olives, peppers and jalapeños on top.
Bake for ~5 minutes until the crust is well-browned and charred in spots, and cheese is starting to turn golden.
