Homemade Pizza - "Neopolitan Style"

I grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia, home of South Philly, where you could get some of the best Italian food I've ever had. A few years back when my husband and I moved our family from South Jersey to Rural Idaho, I must confess my biggest complaint is I MISS PIZZA.

No one seems to understand what a true pizza is out here. Did I mention that we live in a town that only has 2 pizza places, and neither is anything close to what I consider "real" pizza. Don't get me wrong they are not the worst pizza in the world, just renditioned a great deal different then what I've grown accustomed to since I was a kid.

So in lieu of my "quest" for the perfect pizza that I once knew, I have developed a recipe that is close to what I've been seeking, and it fits the bill when we want our beloved pizza. Plan ahead when using this recipe, as it has to be kept in the fridge for a minimum of 12 hours, preferably 16 to 18 is best. Don't skimp out with the slow rise in the fridge it does something to the dough that makes the crust perfect. Here's the recipe.

Homemade Pizza Dough Recipe

Makes 1- 16 inch pizza

Serves 4-6
1 teaspoon of active dry yeast
1/4 cup very warm water
1 cup cool water
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 cups bread flour
Olive oil

Pizza Sauce and Topping
1 8 ounce can tomato sauce
1 cup whole tomatoes, chopped ( be sure they well drained and squeezed by hand)
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste
Handful of fresh basil leaves
4 cups of part skim mozzarella cheese

Toppings of your choice: (optional)

Black olives

Sliced fully cooked italian sausage

Pepperoni

In a large bowl, gently combine warm water with yeast. Let sit for about five minutes. With a wooden spoon, stir in salt and cold water then add flour 1 cup at a time until the dough is stiff enough to knead. Knead dough until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Form into a ball. Using olive oil to lightly grease, have a resealable storage bag or bowl with tight fitting lid ready and place dough ball in the greased bowl or storage bag. Turn dough ball to lightly coat with oil and then cover with lid to keep air out, or seal bag tightly. Let rise in the refrigerator for a minimum of 12 hours and a maximum of 18 hours.

This dough will be delicate and stretch very easily. About 1/2 hour before making your pizzas, take dough out of the fridge and preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. If using pizza stone, place it in the oven now, it needs to heat up for at least 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, hand stretch or pat the dough with floured hands forming a circle (you can decide if you want your crust thick or thin at this time) and place in a lightly greased 14 - 16 inch pizza pan, or if using a pizza stone, stretch dough into circle onto piece of parchment paper. Let round dough set out for about 10 10 15 minutes and prepare pizza sauce.

Now, get your pizza sauce ready by adding sauce, tomatoes, olive oil, seasonings and basil together, stir well. Place sauce on pizza crust, then add cheese over top. Top with toppings of your choice.

Bake for 8 to 15 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and crust is golden, and bottom of crust when lifted, is deep golden brown. (You should be able to lift up the crust with your hand when checking it in the oven, be careful not to burn yourself, though. The crust should lift up easily when it is ready, but the color is the best indicator of when it is done, you don't want a mushy pizza).

If using a pizza stone, carefully lift parchment with dough circle on it and transfer the entire sheet with pizza on it to the pizza stone and bake for 10-15 minutes until done using above indicators. ENJOY!!!