Jim Lahey’s No-Knead Pizza Margherita

blucoat's Note:

This is a great recipe for a simple, thin crust pizza. It's from Jim Lahey (of no-knead bread fame) who now runs a popular NYC pizzeria called Co. The recipe was printed in New York Magazine (Jul 12, 2009). If you don't have a pizza stone, this works well in a cast iron skillet. The recipe requires very little time and effort but the dough must be started the day before.

• Total Time: 36 mins
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 6 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 3 10-inch ...

FOR DOUGH (yields 3 10-inch crusts)

• 3 cups all-purpose flour or 3 cups bread flour , more for dusting
• ¼ teaspoon instant yeast
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• 1 ¼ cups water

FOR SAUCE

• 1 vine-ripened tomatoes (about 5 oz.) or 1 heirloom tomato (about 5 oz.)
• 1 pinch salt
• ¼ teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

FOR EACH PIZZA

• 5 tablespoons tomato sauce
• 2 ounces buffalo mozzarella (about 1/4 ball)
• basil leaves
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• salt

Directions:

1. To make dough: In a large bowl, mix the flour, yeast, and salt. Add water and stir until blended (the dough will be very sticky). Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 12 to 24 hours in a warm spot, about 70 degrees.
2. Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and sprinkle the top with flour. Fold the dough over on itself once or twice, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and let rest for 15 minutes.
3. Shape the dough into 3 or 4 balls, depending on how thick you want the crust. Generously sprinkle a clean cotton towel with flour and cover the dough with it. Let the dough rise for 2 hours.
4. To make sauce: Blanch tomato for 5 seconds in boiling water and quickly remove. Allow to cool to the touch. Peel the skin with your hands and quarter the tomato. Remove the jelly and seeds, and reserve in a strainer or fine sieve. Strain the jelly to remove seeds, and combine resulting liquid in a bowl with the flesh of the tomatoes. Proceed to crush the tomatoes with your hands. Add salt and olive oil and stir.
5. To make pizza: Place pizza stone on the middle rack of the oven and preheat on high broil. Stretch or toss the dough into a disk approximately 10 inches in diameter. Pull rack out of oven and place the dough on top of the preheated pizza stone. Drizzle 5 generous tablespoons of sauce over the dough, and spread evenly. Try to keep the sauce about ½ inch away from the perimeter of the dough. Break apart or slice the buffalo mozzarella and arrange over the dough. Return rack and pizza stone to the middle of the oven and broil for approximately 6 minutes. Remove and top with basil, olive oil, and salt.