Pizza dough

Bread, On the Spotlight, Simply Italian, , , , ,

If I say pizza and what do you think?

I hope you think of Italy, because it comes from here and more precisely Naples. No pineapple, no salami, no strange, exotic  toppings.

The one I prefer is the simplest of all, a pizza margherita: tomato sauce, mozzarella and basil. Sometimes the better pleasure in life are most simple.

But today we concentrate on how to make a good pizza dough at home. Then, in the privacy of your homes, I won’t advocate on how you top your own pizza 😉 .

Basic Recipe

500 g flour, a mix of 0 (or manitoba) and 00

12,5 g fresh yeast, o 3,5 g dry yeast

2 teaspoons sugar

280-300 ml warm water

1 heaped teaspoon of salt

1 spoon of extra virgin olive oil + more for baking

For 2 30 cm circular pizzas

  1. In a large bowl mix crumbled yeast (if fresh), sugar and water. Be careful with water temperature: it must not be hot, but just warm. Otherwise it will kill the yeast.
  2. When it begin to bubble, add the rest of the ingredients.
  3. Begin to mix to amalgamate all the ingredients. When you have a bowl, transfer everything on a floured working surface and begin to knead. Keep kneading for at least 10-15 minutes, until your dough is silky and not sticky any more.
  4. Lay your dough in a large bowl, cover with a wet tea towel and let it rise for at least 2 hours or when it double its volume.
  5. When is risen, punch it, knead it briefly and let it rise for a second time, for at least 1 hour. (if you have no such time, let it rise the first time the night before in the fridge, then let it rise for a second time during the day, always in the fridge, and then at night it’s ready to be cooked once it’s a room temperature).
  6. Oil 2 baking tins (better glass or no stick), divide your dough in half and roll it out on the tins with you hands, with circular movements. The dough doesn’t have to fill completely the tin, as raising again it will expand. Let it rise for at least 30 minutes.
  7. Preheat your oven at 220° C or full rack.
  8. Once the oven is hot, top your pizza the way you prefer and cook it for at least 15.20 minutes, or until slightly golden.

Now that you have your pizza dough, how will you top it?

Focaccia