In Search of the Perfect Pie

Now that I’ve been diving into pizza again I’ve realize that it’s time to get out of my comfort zone. It’s hard to do when the task at hand is dinner and NO ONE wants to go hungry on a Friday night! I’ve been using the same dough recipe for a couple of years now and I know it by heart. I know what it’s supposed to feel like and how many ounces one batch yields. It’s like that old friend whose sentence you can finish and whose quirks you love .  So now, fellow pizza followers, it’s time.  I came across a Mario Batali recipe that uses wine in the dough recipe. I have never tried it and I am not sure that I will. I think I like the idea of beer or maybe garlic and fresh basil better. That is my task this week, to come up with a flavorful dough that will give pizazz to pizza Friday! Can I get some jazz hands to go with that?

PIZZA DOUGH

Mario Batali

• 3 1/4 cups all purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
• 2 tsp instant or rapid-rise yeast
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 cup warm water
• 1/4 cup dry white wine, at room temperature
• 2 tbsp plus 1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil

In a large bowl, combine the flour, yeast, salt and sugar and mix well.  Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the warm water, wine and olive oil.  Using a wooden spoon, stir the wet ingredients into the dry until the mixture is too stiff to stir, then mix with your hands inthe bowl until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

Lightly dust a work surface with flour and turn the dough out.  Knead gently, dusting the work surface lightly with more flour as necessary, for 5 minutes, or until the dough is smooth, elastic and only slightly sticky.

Oil a large clean bowl, add the dough, and turn to coat.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel, set in a warm part of the kitchen, and let the dough rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Punch dough down, and it is ready to use.

Gary L. Howe for The New York Times