CORNMEAL CRUST
Cornmeal is one of my favorite ingredients to add to a pizza crust. The flavor of it works great with the wheat in the dough and I like how the coarseness adds a nice toothsome quality to the pizza. Many Chicago pizzerias have made cornmeal to great results.
This recipe came about one night when I was stranded during a snowstorm the night before teaching a class and I didn't have time to make it home. Rolling with the punches, I came up with some new recipes to present to the class and this here was one of those. I hope you enjoy it.
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3 Cups all-purpose flour
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1 Cup cornmeal, plus extra for dusting
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1 1/2 Teaspoons instant yeast
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2 Teaspoons salt
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2 Tablespoons sugar
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1 1/2 Cups water
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1/4 Cup corn oil
1. Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the oil and most of the water and stir, making sure you are moving the spoon along the sides and bottom of the bowl so you are incorporating as much as possible. Once you feel like the water has been as absorbed as possible, start adding the rest until a rough mass of dough has formed.
2. Turn the dough out onto a well floured surface. Knead it for about ten minutes, first pressing into the dough with the heel of your hand, folding it back onto itself and rotating it. You will feel the dough tightening in your hands. When the dough is ready, it will feel stiff and smooth to the touch.
3. Place your dough into a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. If you are making the pizza the same night, let it rise at room temperature for two hours. Otherwise, put the dough into the refrigerator until the next day. Take it out of the fridge two hours before you are making the pizza.
4. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. If you are using a hearth stone, make sure it is in the oven as it preheats.
5. Roll the dough out and brush the edge with olive oil. Dust the crust liberally with cornmeal. Bake the crust alone for a few minutes so that the cornmeal crisps up a little. Remove the crust from the oven and dress it with your sauce, cheese and toppings. Return to the oven. The pizza should bake for about ten minutes, until the crust is browned and the cheese is melted and bubbling towards the center.
