This is our go-to pizza recipe. The pizza dough rises overnight.
Jim Lahey's No Knead Pizza Dough
from Serious Eats
Mix the dough, wait a day and start stretching pies.
3 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon yeast
1teaspoon sea salt
1 1/2 cups warm water
In a medium bowl, thoroughly blend flour, yeast and salt. Add water and stir with a wooden spoon or your hands. Mix thoroughly.
Cover bowl with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and allow it ot rise at room temperature until it has more than doubled, up to 18 hours. It will take longer in a chilly room and less time in a very warm room. Flour a work surface and scrape out the dough onto the flour. Divide into 4 parts and shape each part by folding each side into the center (4 folds into the center). Shape into a round and turn seam side down. Then shape into a neat circular mound.
At this point you can wrap each of the 4 parts in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Return to room temperature by leaving them out on the counter, covered in a damp cloth, for 2-3 hours before needed.
(This is the recipe shared on Serious Eats. The rest of this recipe is my own addition....It is a mixture of another recipe from Serious Eats, mixed with my own process.)
Sometimes there is too much dough for what we need so I freeze it. Place in a sealed plastic bag and freeze. When ready to eat pizza, return to room temperature by leaving out on the kitchen counter, covered in a damp cloth, and allow to thaw and rise, 8 hours, maybe overnight, depending on your kitchen temperature.
To make the pizza...
from Serious Eats
Deep Dish Cast Iron Skillet Pizza
I make this pizza dough recipe and then divide the dough into 2 parts (not 4, as the recipe says). I take one part and shape it into a round, as the recipe says. I spray a 10" cast iron skillet with olive oil and place the pizza dough round into the cast iron skillet, turning it over to coat the dough with oil. Cover the pan with plastic wrap or a towl and let sit for 2-3 hours. This allows the dough to relax and stretch out and almost fill the pan. Using the tips for your fingers, work the dough to the edge of the cast iron skillet, popping any large air bubbles.
When ready to make the pizza, I finish stretching the dough out to the edges and a little up the sides of the skillet. I like to spread melted butter on the edges of the crust, then sprinkle with garlic salt or parmesan cheese to create a delicious crust. Next comes the pizza sauce, I spread it almost to the pizza dough edge, leaving a small crust. Next comes the mozzerella cheese that I sprinkle over the entire pizza crust, out to the very edge of the crust and just a little up the side of the skillet, to create a crisp cheesy crust. Next comes the toppings of your choice... pepperoni, greek pizza toppings, veggie pizza.... I always end with another light topping of mozzerella.
Bake in a 450 degree oven for 12-15 minutes, turning the skillet at the halfway point. The bottom crust should be golden. Leave in the oven until your desired shade of brown. Remove from the oven and take out of the skillet and place onto a cutting board. Sprinkle with a little parmesan. Cut into desired pieces. We cut it into 8 slices. We eat half of the pizza and refrigerate the remaining pizza to have later for a midnight snack.
(The other half of the pizza dough I leave in the bowl and cover again and let it rise overnight (even 2 days) to have pizza again another day. I love pizza!)
