Lunch Lady Pizza
A soft, yeasty slab pizza with the perfect amount of crisp on the crust holding up a bright tomato sauce and loads of cheese. A crowd-pleaser.
DOUGH:
- 1 envelope active dry yeast 2¼ tsp.
- 1½ cups filtered warm water 105–110°
- 2 tbsp olive oil plus 2 tsp for the bowl
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 4 to 4- 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
SAUCE AND TOPPING:
- 1 28-32 oz can whole tomatoes preferably San Marzano
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp plus 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tsp tsp dried oregano or more to taste
- 1 tsp dried basil or more to taste
- 12-16 oz Italian cheese of which at least ¾ is mozzarella
Combine yeast and the water in a large mixer bowl with dough hook attachment; let stand until yeast starts to foam, about 10 minutes.
Add in 2 Tbsp. olive oil, the salt and 4 cups flour. This is a loose dough. If it looks more like brownie batter than dough, add the other ½ cup of flour, one tablespoon at a time. Knead at low speed for 8 minutes. It's a relatively soft dough that won't form into a tight ball around the dough hook.
Remove the bowl from the mixer and add 2 tsp of olive oil to coat the dough and inside of the bowl. Use your hand to scoop the dough into a ball and roll around to get oil on the entire dough surface. You can also transfer the dough into another bowl if you need the mixer bowl.In either case, cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator at least overnight, 24 hours is ideal. When you are ready to bake, coat a rimmed half-sheet baking pan with remaining 1/4 cup oil. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and put onto the sheet pan, pressing the dough as much as it will give to fit the pan. This won’t spread all the way the first time. It will start to shrink back. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 10-15 minutes longer. After that time, press to fit the pan again. It may take another try or two depending on the temperature of your kitchen. Be patient, it will eventually work. Once it fills the pan, cover with plastic wrap and let the dough sit for 40 minutes. While the dough rises, move a rack to the lower third of the oven and preheat to 425. When the rise time is up (and oven is preheated), cover the surface of the dough with a thin layer of the tomato sauce (you will use half of the recipe – I keep the other half in the freezer for next time). Evenly distribute the cheese(s) and put into the oven to bake for 20-30 minutes. Check for bubbly cheese on top and a nice light brown crust. Let cool least 10 minutes before cutting.