John Arena’s Sicilian-Style Pizza Dough

Instructions

• 1

  Place water in stand mixer bowl. Dissolve yeast in the bowl. Add flour and mix for 3 minutes on low speed. Cover and let dough rest for 20 minutes.

• 2

  Add salt and resume mixing on low speed for 3 minutes. With mixer running, slowly add oil and continue mixing for an additional 3 to 4 minutes until oil is fully incorporated and dough is smooth and supple. Transfer to a large bowl, cover and let rest for 30 minutes.

• 3

  Divide dough into appropriate sizes. For a Sicilian-style pizza, the dough yields 2 balls per batch (about 14oz). The same dough can be used for a New York thin style pizza and yields 3 per batch (about 9½ oz).

• 4

  Shape dough into smooth balls. Brush with olive oil and place on a floured tray. Cover with plastic wrap.

• 5

  Let dough rise for 30 minutes at room temperature.

• 6

  Place dough in refrigerator for 48 to 72 hours (dough will be useable in 24 hours but will be best at 72 to 120 hours).

• 7

  Remove dough from the refrigerator 2 hours before use. Alternatively, continue to the next step for par bake instructions (Sicilian-style). The initial bake of the untopped pizza can be completed up to 3 days in advance and refrigerated or can be completed and frozen for up to 1 month.

• 8

  If par baking the dough, after leaving to cold ferment, remove from the refrigerator and let it relax (covered) for 4 hours at room temperature.

• 9

  Coat the bottom and sides of the pizza pan with shortening or lard.

• 10

  Using fingertips, press dough out on a smooth surface that has been lightly dusted with flour. Extended dough should be approximately the size and shape of the pan.

• 11

  Transfer the dough to the pan and press edges up the side of the pan about ¼-inch from the top. Then indent the base with your fingertips. Brush the top of the dough with olive oil.

• 12

  Place pan in a plastic bag and fold to seal. Make sure bag is loose or risen dough will stick to the plastic. Let the dough rise for 6 to 12 hours at room temperature.

• 13

  On the Smart Oven® Pizzaiolo with the interface magnet in place, press and hold the deck temp dial and turn the top temp dial from off to 350°F, then release the deck temp dial. The manual mode light will flash 3 times, then stay on to indicate it is in Manual mode. Turn the Deck Temp to 425°F, the Top Temp to 350°F and the Top Control to Even heat. This can take up to 20 minutes.

• 14

  Once the oven has preheated, par bake the shell until it is light brown (about 12 minutes), rotating pan while cooking, if necessary.

• 15

  Cool par baked shell on a cooling rack until it reaches room temperature. The pizza can be topped and baked at this point, or it can be securely wrapped in plastic and refrigerated or frozen. Repeat steps to par bake the second dough ball.

  Tip: Cook the topped pizza on the manual setting. Deck temperature 450°F, Top temperature 350°F, Top control set to Even heat, for 12 minutes, rotating the pan 90 degrees every 3 minutes until it is light brown.