Secrets for the Perfect Pizza Crust Recipe, Two Ways

While not always the most convenient thing to do, we all know that making pizza at home can be extremely rewarding, especially when even the dough is made from scratch. Still, it can be a challenge for many to get right, and often, the crust can make or break a pizza. We turned to a few Italians to ask what their secrets to a perfect pizza crust recipe are -- here’s what we found out.

Put simply, Paul Giannone, owner of Paulie Gee’s Restaurant in Brooklyn, NY, was willing to share with us the most basic of tips for the perfect pizza crust: “Water, yeast, flour, salt and lots of tender loving fermentation,” he tells DinnerTool, adding that his recipe is one of his secrets. We pried a little further and got some tips from some other Italians on both Neapolitan-style crust (of Naples) and Sicilian-Style crust.

More amazing pizza crust recipes:
Homemade Pizza Crust Recipe
Easy Pizza Dough Recipe
Homemade Pizza Dough Recipe
Homemade Pizza: Best Freezer Recipes

That oh-so-important fermentation happens when the dough is left to sit and is said to make the difference between a good crust and a great crust. “Mix 1 yeast packet into 1 cup of warm water with a fork, stir in ½ cup of flour and cover with a clean dish towel for 30 minutes,” Jim Andrisani, a passionate Italian home-cook and author of the new blog Cucina Povera, says. “This is the starter. Most recipes don't include this.”

Besides getting the yeast started, the most important elements to achieving a great Neapolitan-style pizza crust at home also include kneading the dough by hand for at least 10-15 minutes, a pizza stone and a pizza peel (a wood paddle), according to Andrisani. “It’s almost impossible to get a pie into and out of the oven without one,” he says.

Here’s a recipe Andrisani provided on how to make the perfect Neapolitan-style crust, which is traditionally made in a wood-fired brick oven and typically features a thin crust and very ripe, barely cooked tomatoes, plenty of olive oil, buffalo mozzarella, a leaf or two of basil and prosciutto. Arugula is usually sprinkled on after it comes out of the oven.

Neapolitan-Style Pizza Dough (makes ~4 pizzas)
1 packet active dry yeast
1½ cup warm water, divided
4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, divided
1 teaspoon salt

1. In a 2-cup glass bowl or measuring cup, briskly mix one yeast packet and 1 cup of warm water with a fork. Stir in ½ cup of flour and cover with a clean dish towel for 30 minutes.

2. In a large bowl, combine 3½ cups flour with salt.

3. Combine the yeast mixture with the flour and salt; add in remaining 1/2 cup warm water; work together until a ball is formed and transfer to a floured work surface.  

4. Knead the dough for at least 10 minutes, preferably by hand. The dough is ready when it’s smooth, elastic and still slightly damp. Place dough in a large bowl, dust with flour, cover with a clean dish towel and let it rest for an hour. It should double in size.

5. Pre-heat oven to 500 degrees Farenheit at least 30 minutes before the pizza is ready to go in. “The best thing to cook a pizza on at home is a terracotta tile, like you'd have on your floor,” Andrisani says. “Nobody has this, so the second best option is to use a pizza stone.” Place pizza stone in oven as well.

6. Punch the dough down, and cut into 4 pieces. Extra pieces can be frozen in plastic bags at this point. This dough can also be used for calzones.  

7. Work the dough into a thick disc with your fingertips, rotating it as you go around. Once you get it into a nice circle, you can pick it up and hold it on the knuckles of both hands and let gravity stretch it out. Toss it up in the air or, if you'd rather not do this, flatten it a rolling pin or wine bottle. The center should be thinner than the edges, which should be about ½-inch thick.

8. Place the crust on a flour-dusted pizza peel. Top as desired and slide it around to make sure its moveable.

9. Cook in oven on pizza stone for about 6-8 minutes.

5 Tips for the Perfect Sicilian-Style Pizza Crust
Pizza from the Sicilian region of Italy is called "sfincione" and is known to come from the city of Palermo. It is very particular compared to all of the other regions in Italy, says Sicilian-born Vincenza Riina. Made with a thick dough/crust that incorporates olive oil, the traditional pizza is topped with anchovies, oregano, and primo sale, a fresh hard cheese. Here are her tips for a perfect Sicilian-style crust:

1. Using a high-quality olive oil, spread some onto pizza pan with fingers--this will make for a nice crunchy crust.

2. Knead the dough well and let it rest for at least 1 hour.

3. After resting the dough, spread out into the pizza pan, add toppings and let rest again.

4. Make sure oven is pre-heated and at a high temperature (425 degrees Fahrenheit, if possible put on convection oven).

5. Before putting into oven drizzle with a bit of olive oil.