Ooni Brand Partner, New Jersey native, chef and owner of Razza Pizza Artigianale Dan Richer (@danricher) knows a thing or two about delicious, lovingly crafted pizza. Inspired by the Italian way of cooking and eating, Dan focuses on high-quality ingredients, location and seasonality and growing his own yeast culture. Suffice it to say, people took notice. In 2019, Razza won “Best Pizza in North America,” and in 2023 Dan was named Pizza Maker of the Year and Razza the number two pizzeria in the country by 50TopPizza.
Razza serves oven-fired classics like the Rossa with tomatoes, garlic and basil but also surprises like the Pumpkin Pie with winter squash, mozzarella, ricotta salata, shaved onions and breadcrumbs. If you want to enjoy some of the best pizzas in the U.S. but don’t live near Jersey, have no fear. Here, Dan shares his recipe for whole-wheat pizza dough so you can bring the real taste of Razza to your kitchen.
Dan loves using whole wheat flour in his pizzas for a complex, nutty flavour and the nutritional bonus of fibre, B vitamins and minerals. However, he doesn’t recommend using only whole wheat flour. In his book, “The Joy of Pizza,” he explains:
“When making pizza dough, I never use 100 percent whole wheat flour. The bran and the germ affect gluten development (think of the bran shards like little razors slicing through it) and therefore don’t create the airy crumb (interior structure) that I love.”
After combining the flour, Dan prefers using the autolyse method, allowing the flour and water to rest together for 20 minutes to 1 hour. Along with reducing the amount of time you need to mix the dough later, in his book Dan writes, “This step hydrates the flour (and therefore its proteins and starches), initiates gluten development, and allows the enzymes present in the flour time to do their work before the addition of salt slows their activity.”
Once the base is ready, the pizza is topped with crushed tomatoes, mozzarella, extra-virgin olive oil, basil and coarse salt for extra texture. Light and fluffy, slightly sweet and fragrant, prepare to enjoy a pizza that’s simply one of the best.
Watch and learn how to make Dan Richer's Whole Wheat Pizza Dough in this Ooni Cooks series from the Razza Pizza Artigianale chef and owner: Part I and Part II.
