How simple changes could turn pizza into award winning pie

Credit: American Chemical Society.

This week our host, Sam, chats with renowned baker Peter Reinhart and learns how a couple of small chemistry tweaks can transform a terrible pizza into an amazing one.

Here’s our simple recipe for making stellar pizza at home:

Mix 1 package (0.25 oz) of dry yeast into 1 cup of warm water Let sit for 5 minutes.

Add 2.5 cups of bread flour and 1 tsp of salt. Mix.

Knead the dough for a few minutes.

Dust your hands with flour and form your pizza dough into a round ball. Transfer to a bowl.

Let the dough sit, covered, in the fridge overnight. THIS IS KEY!

Remove the dough from the fridge, let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, then using your hands or a rolling pin spread out the dough.

Set your oven as high as it can go (for many ovens that’s 550 degrees F).

Add sauce and toppings

Put your pizza in the oven until the crust starts to brown (should be around 9 minutes, maybe a little longer if you like it crispy!)

Let cool and enjoy!

Reactions is a video series produced by the American Chemical Society and PBS Digital Studios.

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