Makes 2 pizzas
Prep time: 20 minutes
Total time: 3 hours
Ingredients
for the dough:
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 cup|140 grams all-purpose flour
½ cup|90 grams semolina
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for greasing
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon granulated sugar
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for the sauce:
1 (28-ounce|795 gram) can whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
2 anchovy fillets, patted dry
1 garlic clove
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
for the pizza:
1 pound|450 grams shredded cheese (a blend of mozzarella, provolone, and cheddar works well)
2 ounces|60 grams sliced pepperoni
Directions
- Make the dough: Dissolve the yeast in ½ cup|120 ml water heated to 115°F in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Let sit until it starts to bloom, about 10 minutes. Add the flours, oil, salt, and sugar. Turn on medium speed and knead until a sticky dough has formed. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, a few minutes longer. Transfer to a greased mixing bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place in a warm area and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours. You don’t want to let it proof too long because you don’t want this to be a super yeasty dough.
- Make the sauce: Place the tomatoes in a food processor and purée until smooth. Heat the oil over medium-high in a medium saucepan. Add the red pepper and bloom for 30 seconds. Add the anchovies and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, sugar, and soy sauce and simmer over medium-low heat for about an hour. Season to taste with salt. Cool completely.
- Make the pizza: Heat your oven to 500°F, making sure the rack is in the middle position. Once your dough has proofed, you can cut it in half and form two balls. Grease your cast-iron skillet with a healthy amount of olive oil. You don’t want a pool to form, but you do want to cover the entire surface to ensure the bottom crust fries. From here, press the dough into the skillet (like you might a press-in pie crust). Spread the dough with about ⅓ cup of sauce and sprinkle with about half of the cheese (you want it to reach the edges…we don’t care about cornicione here, but want rather a lacy, crispy, burnt-cheesy edge). Top with pepperoni and a little more cheese. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the cheese begins to blister and the pepperonis begin to curl upward, forming little baby meat bowls. Voila! Repeat with the remaining dough, sauce, cheese, and pepperoni.
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