Pizza Dough (Italian-American, New York)

If you've ever been to New York City, you surely found the time to grab a slice of pizza. NYC is home to hundreds of slice joints, pizzerias, and pizza restaurants serving the city's iconic and unique pizza. The New York-style slice grew out of Neapolitan-style pizza when Italian immigrants brought pizza to NYC - and America - in the early 1900s. New York-style pizza has slices that are large and wide with a thin crust that is foldable yet crispy. It is traditionally topped with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese, with any extra toppings placed on top of the cheese. Pizza without additional toppings is called "plain," "regular," or "cheese." The pizza is usually sold by the slice or as a whole pie, which is quite large - typically 18" - and is cut into eight slices. Customers often purchase a slice to eat on the go by folding it in half vertically. New York-style pizza was traditionally cooked in a coal-fired oven, and while a few places still use that method, most places nowadays use a regular gas oven.

New York-style pizza began with the opening of America's first pizzeria, Lombardi's, by Gennaro Lombardi in the Little Italy neighborhood of Manhattan in 1905, which served large, wide pies. An employee, Antonio Totonno Pero, cooked the pizzas and slices were sold for 5¢. In 1924, he left the shop to open his own pizzeria, Totonno's, in Coney Island. Both Lombardi's and Totonno's used coal-fired ovens, as did Patsy's in Harlem, which opened in 1933, and all three restaurants are still open today. Di Fara Pizza, which opened in 1964 and has been run by Domenico DeMarco since then, serves what many believe to be the best pizza in New York City, a combination of New York and Neapolitan styles.

Dozens of pizzerias in NYC go by the name Ray's Pizza or its many iterations ("Famous Ray's Pizza," "Ray's Original Pizza," and "World-Famous Original Ray's Pizza") and are generally all independently owned, although a few have multiple locations. In 1959, Ralph Cuomo opened the first Ray's Pizza, in Little Italy, which closed in October 2011.

New York-style pizza has more ingredients than a traditional Neapolitan pizza. Sugar and olive oil are usually added to high-gluten bread flour, yeast, and water to create the dough, which is hand-tossed. Some people say the unique flavour and texture of the crust occurs because of the minerals that are only found in NYC's tap water.

1 cup warm water (about 105-115°F)
2¼ tsp. (¼ oz) pkg instant active dry yeast
1½ tsp. granulated sugar
3 cups bread flour (or as needed)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1½ tsp. kosher or sea salt

Combine the water, yeast, sugar, and a ½ cup of the flour in a medium bowl. Stir well and let sit for 20 minutes. It will get bubbly.

Add the olive oil, salt, and 2 cups of the flour, and mix with a wooden spoon until it forms a loose dough.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface.

Knead the dough for about 10 minutes, while adding more flour a little at a time, to produce a soft, elastic, and slightly sticky dough. Do not add too much flour, just enough to keep it from sticking to the work surface as you knead.

Form the dough into a ball and place in a large oiled bowl. Drizzle a few drops of oil and coat the top of dough to prevent the surface from becoming dry.

Cover with a kitchen towel and place in a warm spot for 2 hours, or until the dough doubles in size.

Punch down the dough and divide into 2 balls and place in large zip lock plastic bags and refrigerate overnight.

When ready to use, remove from fridge, and let the dough come up to room temperature before using.

Use with your favourite sauce and toppings and enjoy.

Cook's Notes:

• To make the pizza dough ahead, wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place in a zip-lock storage bag and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Use the dough directly from the refrigerator. To freeze, wrap the ball of dough in plastic wrap, then put it into a zip-lock freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw the dough at room temperature for 1 ½ hours or until pliable.
• To make whole wheat pizza dough, substitute 2 cups of whole wheat flour for 2 cups of the bread flour and proceed as directed.
  To make the pizzas you will need a 12" round pizza pan or a large baking sheet. Dark, heavy metal pans are the best to use because they absorb heat quickly and evenly and will produce a crisp, golden browned crust.
• For each pizza, brush the pizza pan with a little olive oil. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface. With floured hands, pat the dough into a 6" round. Stretch or roll the dough with a rolling pin into an 11" round. Lift the dough onto the prepared pan and press the dough to the edge of the pan.