Famous California Pizza Dough Recipes

Steps:

• For the dough, combine the water, yeast, honey, and olive oil in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add 3 cups flour, then the salt, and mix. While mixing, add 1 more cup of flour, or enough to make a soft dough. Knead the dough on low to medium speed for about 10 minutes until smooth, sprinkling it with flour, if necessary, to keep it from sticking to the bowl.
• When the dough is ready, turn it out onto a floured board and knead by hand a dozen times. It should be smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a well-oiled bowl and turn it several times to cover it lightly with oil. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• Divide the dough into 6 equal parts and roll each one into a smooth ball. Place the balls on a baking sheet and cover them with a damp towel. Allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes. Use immediately, or refrigerate for up to 4 hours.
• If you've chilled the dough, take it out of the refrigerator approximately 30 minutes ahead to let it come to room temperature. Roll and stretch each ball into a rough 8-inch circle and place them all on baking sheets sprinkled with cornmeal. (You will be able to fit 2 pizzas on each 18 by 13-inch baking sheet.)
• Light your grill and wait until it's hot.
• Place the pizzas directly onto the grill and cook on 1 side for 1 minute. Turn the pizzas over and brush with olive oil or garlic oil.
• Top the pizzas with any toppings you wish, piling them high. Drizzle each pizza with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Put the lid on your grill and cook for 5 minutes more, until the crust is crisp and the toppings are cooked.

Steps:

• In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast and honey in 1/4 cup of warm water.
• In a mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the flour and the salt. Pour in 2 tablespoons of the oil, and when absorbed, scrape in the dissolved yeast. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of water and knead on low speed about 5 minutes.
• Turn out onto a board and knead 2 or 3 minutes longer. Dough should be smooth and firm. Let rise in a warm spot, covered with a damp towel, about 30 minutes. (Dough will stretch when lightly pulled.)
• Divide the dough into 4 balls, about 6 ounces each. Work each ball by pulling down the sides and tucking under the bottom of the ball. Repeat 4 or 5 times. Then on a smooth unfloured surface, roll the ball under the palm of your hand until the dough is smooth and firm, about 1 minute. Cover with a damp towel and let rest 15 to 20 minutes. At this point, the balls can be loosely covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for 1 to 2 days.
• Preheat the oven to 525 degrees F. Place a pizza stone in the oven.
• To prepare each pizza, place a ball of dough on a lightly floured surface. Press down on the center, spreading the dough or roll into a 7 or 8-inch circle, with the outer border a little thicker than the inner circle. Brush lightly with oil and arrange the topping of your choice only over the inner circle.
• Arrange the pizza on the baking stone and bake at 610 degrees for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until the pizza is nicely browned. Transfer to a firm surface and cut into slices with a pizza cutter. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• Put 1 3/4 cups/420 milliliters lukewarm water in a mixing bowl (use a stand mixer or food processor if you prefer). Sprinkle yeast over water and let dissolve, about 2 minutes.
• Add flour, salt and olive oil and mix well until flour is incorporated and dough forms, about 5 minutes. It may look a little rough or pockmarked.
• Lightly dust a work surface with flour. Turn dough out onto surface and knead lightly until it looks smooth, 3 to 4 minutes. Cut dough into 4 equal pieces, about 8 ounces/225 grams each.
• Wrap dough pieces individually in resealable zipper bags and refrigerate for several hours or, for best results, overnight; you can also freeze it for future use. (You can skip this rise in the refrigerator and use the dough right away, but this cool, slow rise makes it easier to stretch and gives the pizza a crisper texture and more nuanced flavor.)
• To use dough, form each piece into a smooth, firm ball, and place on a flour-dusted or parchment-lined baking sheet. (If you froze the dough, leave it at room temperature for several hours first, or defrost overnight in the refrigerator.) Flour lightly, cover loosely with plastic wrap and top with a kitchen towel. Leave to rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 30 minutes. Each dough ball with make a 10-inch diameter pizza.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C). Rub 2 sheet pans with a few teaspoons of olive oil, and sprinkle over a light dusting of cornmeal. Set aside.
• Roll each dough ball into an oval shape about 1/8-inch thick and transfer onto the prepared pans. Cover each with pesto sauce, reserving about 2 tablespoons for the topping. Sprinkle each with Cheddar cheese. Add potato chips in one thick layer, overlapping chips as need to cover the surface.
• For each pizza, thin out reserved pesto with a tablespoon of olive oil, and then drip and drizzle it over the top of the chips. Top with red onions and mozzarella. Drizzle the tops of the pizzas with a little bit of olive oil.
• Bake in the center of the preheated oven until top and bottom crust of pizza is browned, 12 to 15 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes before cutting.