Simplified instructions for making pizza

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These recipes make the "Margherita" style pizza. Each dough recipe makes four pizzas that are at least 10 to 12 inches in diameter. If using a rectangle baking stone instead of the more square-ish pizza stone, the pizza dough will be stretched into an oval shape.

A baking stone is typically 12 in by 14 in and a half-inch thick. A quality pizza stone is 16 in by 18 in and 3/4 inch thick.

It's best to stretch the dough by hand when making a pizza. A rolling pin "blisters" the dough, causing the dough not to bubble up as much when baking. A rolling pin can make the final crust tougher. When stretching by hand, the dough should be thicker along the edges.

Ingredients are weighed with a digital scale.


h2. 100% All-purpose Flour

This dough will be very easy to stretch by hand, and the thickness of the dough in the middle of the pizza can be made as thin as paper or a credit card. 

* all-purpose flour - 550 grams
* water - 360 grams
* fine grain sea salt - 11 grams
* dry active instant yeast - 4 grams

I use King Arthur all-purpose flour. Bread flour is recommended often, but I've not tried it.


h2. White Whole Wheat Flour

If wanting a little more flavor in the crust, incorporate some whole grain flour. Too much whole grain flour, however, will make the dough difficult to stretch when shaping the pizzas. 

Since whole grain flour has less gluten and less stretching ability, this recipe uses more total flour, so that the same size pizza can be made. The crust will be a little thicker and chewier, but the flavor is much better. This dough can still be stretched by hand.

Whole wheat is more absorbent, so a greater percentage of water is used in this recipe.

* all-purpose flour - 500 g
* white whole wheat flour - 150 g
* water - 455 g
* fine grain sea salt - 13 g
* dry active instant yeast - 5 g

Most of the time, whole wheat flour is made from red wheat. But white whole flour is made from a type of wheat that lacks the red pigment, which gives red whole wheat its grainy, "healthy" taste. Some people dislike the grainy taste of red whole wheat.

White whole wheat less known. Its taste is much milder than red whole wheat. But white whole wheat contains the same nutritional value as red whole wheat. Because of its milder flavor, white whole wheat is a good way to sneak whole grain healthiness into baking foods that use flour.

I use King Arthur white whole wheat flour.