Monday, December 8, 2008

No-Knead Mania Makes Previously Posted Pizza Dough a Dinosaur

My love for the no-knead method has now been extended to my pizza dough recipe. You know the saying, "if it's not broken, don't fix it?" Well, when it comes to my pizza dough I'm glad I ignored that chestnut.

My pizza dough recipe wasn't broken, but I fixed it anyway
, and am very glad I did. As I expected, the magic that is no-knead bread, adapted beautifully to this purpose.

After one day, and almost no effort, I had enough soft, and supple dough for 2 regular, or 4 small pizzas. As you see in the video recipe, I ended up making a "white" garlic pizza, which was one of my childhood favorites as prepared by my grandmother.

This pizza, made from not much more than garlic, olive oil, and cheese, really shows off the character of the dough. Give this dough a try, and maybe even give white pizza a spin. Enjoy!





Dough Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup water

1/4 tsp dry active yeast
1 1/4 tsp sa
lt
1/4 tsp sugar
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup wheat flour
2 1/2 cups AP flour
cornmeal as needed

81 comments:

Jairus said...

bravo!

Anonymous said...

Looks great!
I think you forgot to put the sugar in the list of ingredients in the recipe.

Anonymous said...

How about using my pizza stone?

Chef John said...

Thanks, what would I do without you guys?

Anonymous said...

That's so wierd... I always thought all purpose Flour was made from wheat.

Anonymous said...

Will this work as well with the pan with the holes?

Chef John said...

Yes, but make sure you cornmeal very well, since this dough is so much stickier.

Connie T. said...

That looks much better than my frozen $1 pizza I made today. I will try that.

Anonymous said...

Out of curiosity, what makes the difference between whether you cover rising dough with hole-y saran wrap or a moist towel?

Chef John said...

as long as the dough doesnt dry out youre ok. i usually do a towel, but probably out of tradition more than anything.

texichan said...

I somehow managed to read the title as "No-Knead Mafia Makes Previously Posted Pizza Dough a Dinosaur" - I was thinking - the no-knead people have a mafia?! They killed the other dough, thereby making it extinct like the dinosaurs??

That being said - so excited about this. On so many levels. I've made the other dough, and while SO good, a bit time consuming in comparison. I can't wait to give this a shot!

Dillon said...

You just made my week exciting. I suck at kneading, but this I will try!

Chargeorge said...

Chef John, you should also try "Artisan Bread in 5 minutes a day." I don't think the results are QUITE as spectacular, but they are really close, and far more convenient.

Basically the book uses a similar recipe to make about 4-5 pounds of dough at a time. The dough is then wet enough to be refrigerated with no ill effects. Actually, it gets more flavorful over the next few days. It's very similar to this recipe but a bit more flexible.

You can get the whole thing on google books too! I like the olive oil dough for pizza :)

http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&id=LzdH7DmRQTsC&dq=Artisan+Bread+in+5+minutes+a+day&printsec=frontcover&source=web&ots=zMf7aZcUos&sig=76x7ev_IFc3NcmeLgTEeU2l1SWk&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result#PPA146-IA8,M1

Char

Chef John said...

yes, pizza stone works great.

Grams Pam said...

Stumbled onto your site tonight while aimlessly linking from blog to blog because insomnia kicked the sleep monster's butt tonight.

I adore super thin pizza crust, so I was captivated by your No-knead crust with tempting photo.

Which, of course, prompted me to explore your blog looking for further evidence of this "no-knead mania" (or mafia - wink)

Spent several hours lingering and loving this site. The no-knead recipes and knife steel video were valuable enough that this unemployed person coughed up a tiny bit of support for you via PayPal.

Thanks for the service you're providing to us non-professional foodies.

Chef John said...

Thanks! No donation is too small, and I really appreciate the support. I'm glad you found us.

Anonymous said...

hey chef john.
this looks like a great easy recipe.
on the other hand, i'd really like to know how the dough in restaurants is made...could you maybe someday show us how to make the no-shortcuts-allowed-real-deal-pizza dough? have you ever worked in an italian restaurant?

i've checked the previous recipe you mentionned, is that how the pros do it?

great website btw and funny too, thank you.
Chris.

Anonymous said...

Question: Do you have a gas oven? I noticed you cook several things on the floor of your oven. What do you recommend instead for us who have electric ovens and thus an element on the floor?
Luisa Vacaville

Anonymous said...

I made a pizza tonight using this recipe - suffice to say, it's a big hit at my house! Everyone absolutely loved it. Thanks Chef John!

Chef John said...

Just use the lowest rack you can, or you can get a pizza stone which are fine in electric.

Anonymous said...

Made it tonight, it was excellent! Although it didn't stick on my non-stick cookie sheet. Btw, how long can you keep the unused portion for? will it keep rising in the plastic bag? does it spoil quickly?

thanks!

Chef John said...

You can keep it for 2 or 3 days no problem in the fridge. It may grow a little, but will be fine after you shape the pizza. Be sure to take it out and let it warm to room temp before working

Anonymous said...

I do have a pizza "stone" clay flat given to me by a potter friend. I also have some unglazed tiles that I used to use in a roll pan. I'll put either of these on the lowest rack. Thanks!
Luisa Vacaville

Anonymous said...

Hey? Chef John? Why don't you have a pizza only section? I was looking for ideas on pizza, and I have to go through large parts of your archive just to find a couple. Can you do something for a dedicated fan? Thanks.

Chef John said...

Yes I should have a pizza category. Or, you can always type "pizza" in the search bar at the top and see all the pizza posts also.

Chef John said...

OK, pizza category added... consider this your christmas present!

Anonymous said...

Thanks! I using your no-knead recipe for a dinner for some of my friends.

Now I have many options for pizza in one convenient place.

You wouldn't happen to have a hot-wing recipe, would you? :)

Chef John said...

Use this one and add lots of hot sauce! http://foodwishes.blogspot.com/2008/05/clifton-springs-chicken-wings-oven.html

Anonymous said...

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!

This was the best pizza dough I've made in over 30 years of pizza making. My family raved and I'm never going back to kneading dough again.
I posted some pics of my efforts here: http://fishesandloaves.wordpress.com/2008/12/23/about-that-no-knead-pizza-dough/

Also see the original post (before the pizza was finished.) here: http://fishesandloaves.wordpress.com/2008/12/12/the-12-hour-pizza-or-chef-johns-no-knead-pizza-dough/

You have made my Top Favorite Chef's List for sure!

Merry Christmas to all.

Chef John said...

Wow, thanks! The pizzas look great!

SM said...

Chef John! You made it on Serious Eats! Congrats! http://slice.seriouseats.com/archives/2008/12/in-videos-no-knead-pizza-dough-recipe.html

Anonymous said...

Hi Chef John,
Could I freeze this dough? if so how long would it last frozen?
Thank you
Liat

Chef John said...

yes it will freeze, but not sure how long. I would use within a month.

blk4004 said...

i noticed the recipe posted today on your site now says 3 tbsps oil vs 2 here, and 1/2 tsp sugar vs 1/4 here. still tweaking?

Chef John said...

actually that would be trying to type from memory on the AF site! I changed them, although to be honest I usually just pour in some oil so it could be 3. The American Food version only has AP flour to make it a little easier for folks - not as many hardcore foodies as there are here. ;)

Unknown said...

Chef John, how would the crust differ if one were to use Bread Flour or "OO" flour? I have both in my cupboard, and am interested in trying them to see if I get a crust that is less bread-like.

Chef John said...

ive used both and they work fine. I use AP so people dont have to go out for special flour.

Unknown said...

How would those flours (OO or Bread) effect the end result? More doughy? Crispier? I'm trying to get a really crispy crust.

Chef John said...

since i usually make very thin crust I don't notice much difference if any. If you want crispy it the cooking not the flour. Thin dough and hot oven.

Unknown said...

I got the dough even crispier by rolling out, then poking a bunch of holes in it with a fork. I then threw it into the oven for 3 min, flipped it, let it go another 3 min, then took it out, topped it with regular stuff, and threw it back in for another 6 to 7 min. came out noticeably crispier.

Stranger said...

you can probably tell by the question i'm going to ask that i have zero experience in baking/cooking...although your website is really encouraging me to start adventuring...

i don't swift the flour ingredients ?

:)

Chef John said...

no need to.

Anonymous said...

what a pizza crust recipe. I have tried about 10 so far and none of them have given me what I wanted until this one. Also, I made a deli pizza a few times, used mayo for sauce and mustard then added deli meats and when it came out topped with small slices of cold kosher dills and everyone loves it!

Clararar said...

I've been wanting to try this out for ages, and finally did it today with spectacular results! I was serving this for dinner but didn't want to wake up at 6am to make the dough, so made it the night before. Also, I used wholemeal instead of wheat flour and probably didn't use enough flour when rolling these out because they were incredibly sticky and difficult to handle without tearing... But no worries, I used cornmeal, put the toppings on, followed your instructions for putting the sheet at the bottom of the oven first before moving it to the middle, and bingo, perfect results every time!

The toppings I had were 1) tomato, garlic, basil, mozzarela & parmesan, 2) grilled courgettes, mushrooms, caramelised onion, mozzarela & parmesan, 3) smoked salmon, parsley & brie, and 4) smoked chicken, bacon, mozzarela & parmesan with barbeque sauce drizzled on at the end. All yum and very well received by my husband and parents!

I'll definitely make these again thanks so much for all your videos, please keep 'em coming! =)

Anonymous said...

Hi Chef John,

This is a bit off topic. Cornmeal is hard to find where I am from. I read that cornmeal is just dried ground corn. Is it possible to just grind popcorn and produce a cornmeal myself?

Chef John said...

not sure if it would be the same. i'd just order online.

Anonymous said...

Hi Chef John,
I've followed your instructions, but the dough after rising was too sticky, even after sprinkling heavily. The problem was how to transfer it to the pizza tray. It was a bit too messy.

Can I skip the board part and just spoon out the dough from the rising pan right into the pizza tray, then sprinkle flour and shape it there? (I'm making a large ractangle 42cmX40cm pizza).

Chef John said...

yes, you can do it that way. Or just knead more flour into it until you can work it.

Anonymous said...

AP flour = all-purpose flour?
- what is characteristic for this flour?

Chef John said...

yes, AP is all-purpose. Not sure about what characteristics you mean, it's literally made for all kinds of baking, but if you google you can get specifics.

Anonymous said...

Terrible dough. Followed recipe exactly and dough was super sticky. Stuck to everything: Silpat, glass, hands etc. Adding more flour made the dough too dense.

Chef John said...

Sorry, but I've had so many people say this worked great (as it always has for me). It's supposed to be really sticky, that's why the finished pizza is so good! I think it must have been you.

Anonymous said...

Chef: love your stuff and voice over delivery!

Question: I am curious why does no knead bread have a second rise as does Wolfgang Puck's basic pizza recipe but this no knead pizza goes straight from the first rise to forming?

Thanks so much!

Chef John said...

good question. not sure, but it is a very wet dough, so maybe thats it

JFK said...

Great video chef!

I have become used to weighing my flour using a small kitchen scale instead of measuring it. Does it really matter for this type of recipe? How many grams or ounces would you consider a cup of flour in this recipe?

Chef John said...

I think a cup is around 4oz but you can find that info online.

Nicole said...

This dough makes fantastic pizza. But the best thing is you can make it in the morning before you leave for work or school and come back and it ready. I really appreciate this recipe as a busy student that loves great food!

Miss M said...

How about using beer instead of water?!?! I use a nice flavourful ale. You can really taste it in the finished product!

Unknown said...

CHEF JOHN! YR THE MAN! THE NO-KNEAD RECIPE WORKED GREAT. IF I EVER SEE YOU IN OAKLAND, I WANNA BUY YOU A 40oz!

Chef John said...

ok, youre on!

Amanda~ ^^ said...

Hi Chef John!
Thanks for posting tis amazing recipe! I have a problem here, can i use baking soda instead of yeast and if i did that do i follow the same steps?

Chef John said...

no, sorry, there are no baking powder pizza dough recipes ;-)

fillyv said...

Hello Chef John.

Dude your pizza recipe rules! I havn't tried the no Knead Dough, but I plan on making it tonight. Then making pizza tomarrow. I do have a question. One thing that I loved about your original recipe was that i didn't need to over flour the dough before I baked it. I really don't like haveing a mouth full of loose flour after each bit. Since I'll have to use a flour before baking will this be an issue? And if so is there a way to slove this? Thanks man!

Chef John said...

the flour will cook in the oven, so im not sure what you mean exactly. Once the dough is made, the two recipes are the same for making the pizza. The no- knead is much stickier and softer of a dough, so you need flour to help form the pizza.

fillyv said...

Thanks, that's what I thought would happen. Just had a wierd experiance with someone elses recipe in my early experiments. Really excited to try this out!

JD Houk said...

I just tried this and it is awesome!! I cooked it on a pizza stone at 450 degrees. Crispy, chewy and thin just the way that I like it. Many thanks for this awesome blog Chef.

Jonathan in FL said...

Hey Chef John-
If I were to use a much higher wheat flour : AP flour ratio (or 100% wheat flour) do you think it would radically change the flavor and texture profiles of this dough to the point that it wouldn't be good? I'm trying to adjust to a diabetes-friendly eating style... Thanks!

I'm thinking about trying this dough to make strombolis/calzones...

Chef John said...

sorry, but I'm not much of a baking expert, so you better post that question to a bread site for better info. I've only made it as shown. Good luck!

newmoon said...

I made the no knead pizza two days ago, with some roasted then smashed plum tomatoes and Provalone cheese. It was very nice, my first successful at home pizza!
But I only used half the dough. Last night I took one of the remaining quarters of dough from the fridge, let it come up to room temp then rolled it out in to a square about 8 x 10, then cut it into 8 strips, brushed with egg wash and sprinkled either sesame seeds or poppy seeds on the strips placed on a baking pan about 2" apart, then baked using the pizza instructions though keeping a careful watch time wise. I ended up with some very tasty, nicely chewy breadsticks for dinner that night to go with a garden grown salad.
Thanks for this recipe!

LaBellaFifi said...

So, I tried this recipe last night and it didn't come out at all this morning (didn't rise and the dough stayed incredibly sticky no matter how much extra flour I added) :( Not happy. But I want to try again - - is it ok to let the dough rise/sit for 6 hours instead of 12? I want to make pizza tonight with the family and we have limited time . . . suggestions?

Unknown said...

Once again, another great recipe technique.

As the previous poster said, if you are ever in Boise, I'll buy you a 40!

s

www.abergiecreation.etsy.com said...

A New Born Bread maker!

Wow, Chef John....thanks so much for your incredible teaching videos. I have always wanted to make home made bread but have a neuromuscular disorder called Spinal Muscular Atrophy type 3. Well, it means that I was born with it and my muscles have slowly weakened throughout my 44 years and I can't lift my arms at all or walk. No big deal because knew what was coming and my hands work enough so I can do what I love, to draw and make jewelry. It used to be baking and cooking too but my husband who also uses a wheelchair full time who has "normal" muscles has taken on the cooking duties under my direction (mostly).

We just had a blast trying your no- knead bread and now pizza and bread dough and setting off our screeching smoke detector because there was too much cornmeal in our 550 degree oven for the pizza dough!! I was happy to know the alarm works!
Can't hear anything right now, but it works!!

Anyhoo, even when I was stronger, I was never ever able to make bread due to the strength needed for kneading! I was a home- Ec major in high school, loved sewing and cooking.

...so to discover a no knead possibility was a blessing you can't imagine. Last week when I first saw your no knead recipe and discovered your blog (I am addicted to your cooking videos by the way) was so excited I told my husband to by giant jrs of yeast, bags of flour and last Friday, I made the Ciabatta bread recipe, BY MYSELF!!!

it was so easy I could even stir the dough batter myself! No husbandry assistance except to get it on the pan and put it in the oven and such! I even played with the recipe by throwing in ground and whole flax and this week I added more flax and some olive oil and more whole wheat. It has to rise for one more hour, but if I remember, and it works, I will photograph it and send you my flax whole wheat version!!

Thank you again, I love the way you talk and explain things and for introducing me to the most rewarding cooking experience I have ever had. Me, able to make bread and pizza dough!! ..watch of kneadless world, here I come.

Keep posting your wonderful videos with informative but not dry commentary!!!

We love you Chef John!
Anita and Craig Berglund in Thunder Bay, Ontario Canada

Chef John said...

thanks!! you made my day!!

Vito Ceric said...

would it be alright if we use Aioli insted of garlic plaine

Chef John said...

sure!

Anonymous said...

hello, can i also use this no knead dough pizza recipe for my calzone? thank you very much, you're such a BIG help. good day

Chef John said...

Yes!

Anonymous said...

thank you for replying.
pett

Valerie said...

You said to leave it in the oven for the 12 hrs. Is this because you have a gas oven and its always warm? - and if I have an electric oven, could I just leave the light on to get the same "warming" effect?

Chef John said...

Yes! They are the same. The gas isn't on.

Gretchen said...

Have done this on the grill with mixed results, mostly good out weighing bad. The plan now is to try it on the sidewalk as it's about a zillion degrees in New Orleans right now.