In Pursuit of the Perfect Crust

“Dough is always the hardest challenge for any home chef,” explains chef and restaurateur Tony Gemignani. “But it’s the foundation of any great pizza.”

- AARON ROMANO

Tony Gemignani is a 13-time World Pizza Championship winner and owner of 22 food concepts across the country, including Wine Spectator Award of Excellence winner Tony’s Pizza Napoletana in San Francisco. In addition to his restaurant empire, over his 30-plusyear career he’s shared his love and knowledge of pizza through cookbooks and classes.

Gemignani says home cooks should start by selecting a high-gluten, high-protein flour to achieve a chewy yet crispy crust. His proprietary flour blend has a 15% protein content, but a typical pizza flour should have around 12%.

Weighing ingredients is critical to ensure appropriate ratios. Gemignani likes to quip, “Weighing is the way,” and advises always using a digital scale. Also, starting the dough at least one day ahead is important. “You want to plan for it,” says Gemignani. “It’s something that not everyone maybe has time to do, but the longer you let the yeast feed, the better flavor.”

Further, a higher hydration percentage (ratio of water to flour), ranging from 60% to 80% water content, will also go a long way, explains Gemignani. “Sometimes people under-hydrate because they’re worried about a soggy pizza, but water has no bearing on making a soggy pizza.”

However, working with wetter dough will make it harder to transport the pizza to the oven. Gemignani says cornmeal or semolina on the pizza peel will help the dough slide effortlessly into the oven. Alternatively, a perforated pizza peel allows excess flour to fall through and prevents it from making a mess of the oven.