Peter Reinhart's Napoletana Pizza Dough

Fridays in the Rader house are celebrated with pizza. This tradition dates back to the early years of our marriage, and my quest for the perfect crust has been, at times, obsession. Everyone is partial to a different type of crust, but my own favorite is a thin chewy variety...leaning on the pastry style. I can't count the number of recipes I've tried, promising a "thin pastry style crust," only to leave me disappointed. Most of them turn out too bready, yeasty, or thick.

But friends, my search is over. I found my recipe. Well, Peter's recipe.

Once I read up on Pete, I couldn't believe I hadnt bumped into this recipe sooner. He's a fairly well know baker and even put out an entire book devoted to his "search for the perfect pizza".
I knew he could point me to great sandwich bread, but I didn't know he did pizza.

The secret, I think, to this recipe is the overnight fermentation process. And, unlike other recipes, ice water is added to the yeast, which gives it a late activation. A pizza stone is a must, and if you, like me, dont have a pizza peel, just use the back side of a cookie sheet and slide the pizza onto the hot stone. I cook mine at 500 degrees on the top shelf on the oven and it works great!

I had good intentions of taking a picture of the beautiful pies on Friday, but we gobbled them down before I thought of getting my camera out. Perhaps next week I'll remember:)
Without further adieu....the recipe link....(there are many, but I like this blog)

Peter Reinhart's Napoletana Pizza Dough