Pizza Night - Gino's Updated - NY Style Updated

Last night we had a friend of mine over for pizza. I made 2 thin crusts and a Gino's. I got a lot of good info on processing etc. from pizzamaking.com and I have decided to update my Gino's recipe a bit. I am just going to post the baker's formula I use for now, and I'll post the ingredient amounts later. The important thing here is how the dough is made and how it is put into the pan etc.

Gino's East Baker's Formula

100% flour
50% water
15% oil (I like corn, but some prefer canola)
3% olive oil
2% sugar
1% cream of tartar
1% salt
0.75% IDY
Yellow food coloring - about 1% but be careful. 1/2 t per pound flour gets the right color.

Mixing the Dough

1) Dissolve salt and yellow food coloring in water.
2) Add half of the flour and the yeast.
3) Stir until mixed.
4) Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let sit for 20 minutes.
5) Add the rest of the ingredients and stir until combined.
6) Hand kneed for 2 minutes.
7) Place dough ball in a gallon ziplock bag and let proof in the fridge for 24 hours.

Shaping the Pizza

1) Remove dough from fridge and allow to warm up on counter for 2 hours.
2) About an hour into the warming up, prepare the oven. (see below)
3) When ready to bake, pour 1/4 cup olive oil into the bottom of a 12 inch deep dish pan.
4) Dust counter with flour and flatten dough ball with hand to make a round circle. Let sit for a few minutes.
5) Using your fingertips, press the dough outward to form a round dough piece. Let rest a few minutes.
6) Using your palms, stretch the dough out further to a diameter of almost 12 inches. Let rest a few minutes.
7) Lift dough from counter and stretch on your knuckles until it is about the right size for the deep dish pan.
8) Place dough in pan and press the edges 1 1/2 inches up the sides of the pan.
9) Top pizza.

For cheese I used Stella (purchased at Sam's Club.)
For flour I used King Arthur All Purpose flour.
For yeast I used Red Star instant yeast.
For sauce I used a can of 6 in 1 tomatoes that I drained a little bit. I added 1 tablespoon of sea salt, about a teaspoon of oregano and 1 teaspoon of basil. I also added about 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes.
The other toppings on my pizza were pepperoni and sausage. Just before putting the pizza in the oven I sprinkled the top with parmesan and some dried parsley.

Here is a photo of the pie just as it came out of the oven.



Here is a photo of the cut pie.



And here is a closeup of the crust.



One of the thin crusts was a 66% dough. Here is a closeup of a slice.



I have made one variation of the 66% recipe. I decided to make a version that included a pre-ferment. I have a lot of experience working with wild yeast sourdough breads, but I am currently banned from keeping a culture in the house for various reasons. The most I could get away with was doing a pre-ferment with instant dry yeast. I decided that I would use the same hydration percent, but use 20% of the dough weight to make a pre-ferment. For two 14 inch pizzas the dough weight needs to be 878 grams. 20% of 878 grams is 176 grams. The preferment needs to weigh 176 grams. When I make preferments, I make them from 50% water and 50% flour by weight. So for the preferment I use 88 grams of flour and 88 grams of water. I mix that up in a bowl and add half of the yeast. I reserve the other half to add later. I let the preferment sit on the counter in a covered bowl for 48 hours. After the 48 hour preferment, I add the rest of the ingredients, staying true to the original bakers formula. For two 14 inch preferment pizzas:
Combine 88 grams Gold Medal Better for Bread flour and 88 grams of tap water in a bowl along with 2 grams of Red Star Quick Rise yeast. Stir until well combined. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow to sit on the counter for 48 hours.

After 48 hours, place 255 grams water in a Kitchenaid mixer bowl. Dissolve 13 grams of salt. Weight out 432 grams of Gold Medal Better for Bread flour and add half of it to the mixer, along with 2 grams Red Star Quick Rise Yeast. Mix 60 seconds on stir to incorporate yeast. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit 20 minutes. Mix on stir speed for 5 minutes, adding in remaining flour gradually over the 5 minute mix. Mix on 2/3 for 5 minutes. Check dough temperature with digital thermometer; it should be 80 degrees at the hook. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit 15 more minutes. Remove dough from bowl and hand knead for 2 minutes on lightly floured prep area. Divide into 2 equal balls. Place dough balls into separate gallon ziplock bags. Put in fridge for 24 hours. After 24 hours, remove dough bags from fridge and allow to warm for ~2 hours.

Here is a slice of the variation.



And here is a closeup of the rim of the crust.



Both of the thin crusts got gobbled immediately, but everyone seemed to prefer the variation. I suppose that is what I will make from now on. I'm done fixating about pizza for a while.

PS - the cheese on the cheese pizza was: 140G mozzarella, 70 G meunster, 20 G parmesan, 20 grams romano