File this under "excuse to use the dough hook attachment."

Combine an itch to try out the dough hook with amazingly cool summer weather, and you can file it under "perfect excuse for summer baking." After all, when you're cranking the oven to 500 degrees or higher, it's nice if your kitchen isn't already at infernal temperatures.

This crust is a take on the basic crust from Bittman's How to Cook Everything. I've used his recipe many times in the past, with various adaptations: herbs, semolina, cornmeal, tasty bits, etc. I hit the nail on the head this time with chopped rosemary and whole wheat pastry flour, which deepens the flavor without tasting too-too healthy.

It has been quite some time since I have had any luck with something requiring yeast, including several of the recipes from the Bittman Bible. My hunch is that my failures stem from a combination of tired yeast packets and a tendency to want things to rise in my chilly kitchen in the winter.  But I have found the answer, and that answer is fresh yeast: the kind that comes from the refrigerated section of the grocery store in a tiny, two-ounce package. The texture is somewhere between crumbly and malleable, and the smell is heavenly, something that could be bottled and sold as "Essence of Boulangerie."

As for toppings, anything goes, but keep in mind that this produces a fairly thin-crusted pizza. If you want to put on a full pound of cheese and three piggies' worth of pepperoni, find a different recipe; this one is best for showcasing one or two premium-quality ingredients. I had great basil from the garden and the farm box, so I whipped up some pesto sauce, then topped it with grape tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and thin, peppered salami. Pizza #2 had the same salami, fontina and mushrooms with tomato sauce.


Pizza Crust
Makes 2 12-inch pizzas

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour, divided
1 ounce fresh (refrigerated) yeast
1 cup warm water
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon chopped rosemary

In a large bowl, whisk together both flours. In the bowl of a stand mixture fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine yeast, water, olive oil, salt and rosemary. Add about half of the flour mixture on top of the water. Turn the mixture on low, and let work until mostly combined. Add the remaining flour a little at a time until the mixture has become a ball that holds itself together. You may not add all the flour. Let the machine work, basically unattended, until the dough ball is smooth but still moist - about 4 minutes for me.*

Turn the dough ball onto a lightly floured work surface and form it into a smooth, rough ball. Grease a metal or glass bowl with olive oil, place the dough all inside, and coat the exposed dough with olive oil as well. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth. Let the dough rise in a warm** place, undisturbed, until about double in size, 1-2 hours. Alternately, let the dough rise until you can tell that it's working, then transfer it to the fridge, where it will rise much more slowly over the next several hours. (I did overnight.) After rising, you can freeze the dough if you'd like to save it for later.

45-60 minutes before you want to eat pizza, preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. If you are using a baking stone, preheat it in the oven. If you are using a pizza pan, grease it appropriately.

Flop the risen dough onto a lightly floured counter. Divide in half; each half will make one 12" pizza. Press the dough out by hand. If it stops stretching and starts ripping, leave it be for a few minutes to let the gluten relax. Once the oven is hot and has been hot for at least 15 minutes - you want a really hot oven for pizza! - bake the crust, naked, for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, top the pizza and bake until dough is finished and cheese is melted, 3-5 minutes more.

Repeat if you're making the second pizza immediately!

*Watching the dough hook is mesmerizing. Don't let it hypnotize you for too long!
**If your kitchen is cold, preheat the oven to 200 degrees F when you start mixing the dough. To rise, turn the oven off and put the covered bowl inside. The oven should feel comfortably toasty, not hot. If it's undeniably hot in there, leave the door open a crack.