The Dinner: Roberta’s Pizza Dough

Before quarantine began, I had never made a pizza at home (unless you count buying cauliflower pizza crusts at the store and throwing some toppings on them) - let alone a dough. Without the chance to try the hottest new Italian spots in San Francisco, or to grab a greasy slice on my way home from a bar, I began ordering in pizza to satisfy my craving! Once I tried this dough recipe from the owners of Roberta’s in New York City, however, I fell in love with making homemade pizza. Now, takeout does not taste quite as good!

I know making dough sounds intimidating, but this recipe is quite easy. I’ve tried several, and many yield a final product that is sticky and difficult to shape. This recipe yields smooth, round balls that you can easily mold, and below I include tips on how to bake it in your kitchen to replicate a pizza oven taste.

The Dinner: Roberta’s Pizza Dough shared on What’s Gaby Cooking

Tips from Cooking Curated:

• Ingredients

  • 00 flour is an Italian flour that is used in pizza and pasta doughs. It’s available at many grocery stores and on Amazon. Do not try to substitute another flour here - the flavor will not be the same!

  • You can replace active dry yeast in this recipe with instant yeast without any changes to the instructions. I have found the dough does not rise quite as well with instant yeast, however.

  • A note on toppings: If you plan to include any ground meats (such as sausage) or any veggies that need to be cooked (such as caramelized onions) on top of your pizza, make sure to fully prepare them prior to cooking the pizza.

• Method

  • If you let the dough rise in the fridge, make sure to remove it 30-45 minutes before you want to make the pizza so it can come to room temperature.

  • Once the pizza dough is ready (i.e. it has risen for 3-4 hours at room temperature or 8-24 in the fridge), you have several options. Pizza dough recipes rarely tell you how to actually bake the pizza- which frustrates me. Many recipes for particular pizza flavors will tell you how to prepare them- but they often assume you have a pizza stone. Below, I include instructions for baking this dough with a variety of tools - so choose whatever works for your kitchen.

    • If you do not have a pizza stone, baking steel, or cast iron skillet - use a regular baking sheet: 

      • Oil a baking sheet. It is important to use a high-smoke point option like avocado oil.

      • Preheat your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

      • Place the pizza dough onto the baking sheet and stretch it with your fingers into a round, flat circle. You can also hold it with your fingertips and turn it slowly in a circular motion, like you probably saw cooks do at your local pizza parlor growing up.

      • Spread toppings on the dough and bake for 12-14 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbling and the crust is golden brown.

    • If you have a cast iron skillet, but no pizza stone/baking steel:

      • Preheat the oven to 525 degrees Fahrenheit.

      • Set the pan over medium-high heat on the stove, so it gets warm but not so hot that it is smoking. Sprinkle the warm pan with cornmeal and/or AP flour.

      • On a lightly floured surface, stretch the dough with your fingers into a round, flat circle. You can also hold it with your fingertips and turn it slowly in a circular motion, like you probably saw cooks do at your local pizza parlor growing up. Then, lift the dough and press it into the cast iron pan with your fingers. Be careful not to touch the cast iron itself - use the dough as a barrier.

      • Brush the dough with olive oil and allow it to cook for a few minutes. Once the dough starts to bubble, add your toppings.

      • Put the skillet into the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling and the crust is golden-brown.

    • If you have a pizza stone or baking steel:

      • About 30 minutes before you are planning to make the pizza, place the pizza stone/baking steel in the oven and turn it to 500-550 degrees Fahrenheit (depending on the manufacturer’s instructions).

      • Flour your pizza peel (you should have one of these if you own a pizza stone) with AP flour or cornmeal.

      • Stretch the dough with your fingers into a round, flat circle on the pizza peel. You can also hold it with your fingertips and turn it slowly in a circular motion, like you probably saw cooks do at your local pizza parlor growing up.

      • Spread toppings on the dough and use the pizza peel to transfer to the pizza stone.

      • Bake until the crust is golden brown - anywhere between 5-12 minutes (depending on how hot the oven is).

  • Honey Glaze:

    • When you remove the pizza from the oven, I highly recommend brushing the crust with a mixture of 1 tablespoon honey, 1/4 cup water, and a generous sprinkle of red pepper flakes - if that sounds good to you.