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Herb Spelt Pizza Dough

This is my current favorite pizza dough. It is a variation on a traditional pizza dough recipe that I modified to use whole grain spelt flour instead. The addition of herbs and spices to the dough really gives it wonderful flavor on its own, so you aren't depending as much on the toppings to bring the flavor to the party.
Preparation Time:
3 hours
Tools
  • Mixer with dough hook (optional)
  • Pizza peel
  • Pizza stone

Ingredients

  • 1 3/4 cups warm water
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 packet active dry yeast
  • 6 cups spelt flour
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon freeze-dried Italian Herbs
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder
  • corn meal for the peel
Cooking Instructions
  1. Making the dough: Pour the warm water into the mixing bowl with the sugar and the yeast. When the yeast is active, mix in the first cup of flour. Mix in the olive oil, salt, herbs and spices. Add 4 1/2 cups of flour, 1/2 cup at at time, while continuing to mix the dough.
  2. Kneading the dough: Sprinkle the last half a cup of flour out onto your kneading surface, turn out the dough and knead for about 6 minutes. Let it rest while you clean and grease your bowl. Continue kneading your dough till it feels smooth and springy.
  3. Rising: Form the dough into a ball and place back in the greased bowl. Turn the dough so it is evenly coated with the oil. Cover it to keep it away from drafts. Let rise till it has doubled in size.
  4. Preheat oven and stone: preheat your oven with the pizza stone in it at 475 for at least half an hour. It is vital that the stone be up to temperature before you start cooking the crust.
  5. Shaping: Turn your dough out on a floured board. Punch it down and break up the large bubbles. Cut it into 2 even pieces for thick crust or 3 pieces for thin crust. Roll the pieces out to the desired size and thickness. Take a fork and jab your dough (known as docking) about every inch so that the crust does not inflate like a big old pita while prebaking.
  6. Prebaking: Turn your oven back down to 400 degrees. Sprinkle your peel with some corn meal and place your first crust on it. Slide it onto your pizza stone and bake for about 10 minutes.
  7. Top that sucker: Put on whatever you like, it's your pizza.
  8. Bake the pizza: Slide the pizza back in and cook till the toppings are cooked to the desired state. By precooking the crust, you no longer have to be concerned with making sure the crust is fully cooked.
Notes
For an even more flavorful crust, let it rise in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours, taking it out 15 minutes before you are ready to roll it out.
dave – Thu, 2005 – 11 – 10 15:14
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