This recipe originally came to me from Tom King when he had the restaurant Papa’s Church. It is usually more rustic than Italian pizza, shaped into a rough rectangle or oval, with bubbles and blisters around the edges.
INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon active dry yeast (1½ packets) 1 cup warm (100°F) water 3½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more as needed 2 tablespoons olive oil 1½ teaspoons kosher salt Cornmeal for dusting the baking sheet
METHOD:
In the mixing bowl of an electric mixer, dissolve the yeast in ¼ cup of the warm water. Stir in ½ cup of flour, cover with plastic and wait a half-hour.
Add the rest of the flour, the other ¾ cup of warm water, the oil, and salt. Knead with the dough hook until the dough is smooth and elastic, around 8-10 minutes.
Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, rolling around to get oil on the surface to help prevent a skin forming, and cover and let rest for 1 hour.
Punch down the dough, shape into a ball (or two if you wish to make two smaller cocque) and chill on a lightly floured sheet-pan under plastic for 30 minutes.
Roll out to desired shape using a rolling pin, and roll the dough around the pin to transfer from the board to the sheet-pan. Before transferring dough, lightly dust pan bottom with corn meal.
Top with your favorite toppings and bake in a pre-heated 475°F oven for 12-15 minutes, or until done.
Chef’s Notes:
This will make 1 18×13 inch (a “half-sheet” pan) cocque or two smaller ones. If you like thinner, crisper crust, go for 2 which allows you to roll out the dough a little thinner.
Serves: 4
Source: Chef Andrew E Cohen, thanks to Tom King
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