Chicago Thin-Crust (Tavern-Style) Pizza Dough
Compared with many other styles of pizza dough, this one is relatively easy. It’s stretched with a rolling pin, then allowed to sit uncovered overnight until it has lightly dried to the texture of a flour tortilla. This is the secret to getting the crunchiest, most cracker-crisp crust, and it also makes topping and moving the pizzas a snap. Give this recipe a try. If you do, there are a few things to note: Both mass measurements in grams and volume measurements in cups and spoons are provided. It’s strongly advised to use the mass measurements for everything, but at the very least, use it for the flour. Because flour is compressible, a cup can vary in weight by as much as 50 percent, completely throwing off the hydration level of your dough. Also strongly recommended: Following the full three- to five-day cold fermentation in Step 3, which makes rolling easier and results in a lighter crust. This recipe is part of our complete recipe for a Chicago thin-crust pizza. View the recipe for the finished pizza, as well as recipes for the accompanying sauce and Chicago-style Italian sausage.
Compared with many other styles of pizza dough, this one is relatively easy. It’s stretched with a rolling pin, then allowed to sit uncovered overnight until it has lightly dried to the texture of a flour tortilla. This is the secret to getting the crunchiest, most cracker-crisp crust, and it also makes topping and moving the pizzas a snap. Give this recipe a try. If you do, there are a few things to note: Both mass measurements in grams and volume measurements in cups and spoons are provided. It’s strongly advised to use the mass measurements for everything, but at the very least, use it for the flour. Because flour is compressible, a cup can vary in weight by as much as 50 percent, completely throwing off the hydration level of your dough. Also strongly recommended: Following the full three- to five-day cold fermentation in Step 3, which makes rolling easier and results in a lighter crust. This recipe is part of our complete recipe for a Chicago thin-crust pizza. View the recipe for the finished pizza, as well as recipes for the accompanying sauce and Chicago-style Italian sausage.
Ingredients
Method
Make the dough: Combine the flour, sugar, salt and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer (see Tips). Whisk together to combine, then add the water and oil. Mix at low speed with the dough hook attachment, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, until the dough comes together in a shaggy ball. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 10 minutes. Mix on medium-low speed until the dough is silky and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 5 minutes. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface.
Divide the dough: Using a bench scraper or knife, cut the dough into two even pieces, about 250 grams each. Using lightly floured hands, shape each piece into a smooth ball, then lightly coat each with oil, using your hands to cover every surface. Transfer each ball to a quart-size zipper-lock bag or other sealable container at least three times its volume. (Quart-size plastic deli containers also work for this.)
Ferment the dough: For good results, let the dough rest at room temperature until doubled in volume, about 3 hours. For better results, refrigerate the dough overnight. For best results, refrigerate the dough for at least 3 and up to 5 days.
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