Pizza Dough (Basics)

Pizza dough

Adapted from Nancy Silverton’s pizza dough recipe; Mozza Cookbook.

There are several steps in the process of making this pizza dough, beginning with a starter, and then proceeding to the final dough. I have divided  the recipe into an easy to follow progression with ingredients and directions for each step. 

The dough is moister than most recipes I have used in the past, and does take some getting used to, but the end result is far and away the best pizza dough ever!

Makes 3 10” PIZZAS

Making the dough:

• 7.5 oz warm water
• 3/4 teaspoon active dry yeast

Combine the above in a stand mixer bowl and let sit 5 minutes until the yeast dissolves, then add:

• 6.5 oz bread flour
• 1.5 teaspoons rye flour
• ¾ teaspoon wheat germ

Add the above to the water yeast mixture and stir with a wooden spoon to combine.
Cover bowl with a double seal of cling film and set aside for 1 ½ hours

Remove cling film and add:

• 3.5 oz warm water
• 6.5 oz bread flour
• ¾ teaspoons honey

Mix dough with the mixer  fitted with a dough hook for 2 minutes. Then add:

• 1 ½ teaspoons course sea salt

Mix 8 minutes until dough begins to pull away from side of bowl. If not, add a generous handful of flour and continue mixing until the dough pulls together. The dough will not come away completely clean from the sides of the bowl, but don’t worry about it! Use a silicone spatula rubbed with a little oil  to release what dough remains on the sides of the bowl and add it the dough.

Oil another bowl, large enough to hold the dough once it has doubled in size, with olive oil. Using an oiled spatula, remove the dough from the bowl and place dough in the center of the oiled bowl. Seal as before and let stand for 45 minutes.

Remove the seal and fold the dough towards the center onto itself and flip the dough over. This can be a little sticky, but don’t fuss about it! Do the best you can. Reseal and let stand another 45 minutes.

Remove dough to a very well floured work surface, dusting the top with flour and knead until you can handle it without the dough sticking to your fingers. Cut the dough into 3 equal pieces (approx 8oz each). Let rest 5 minutes, then, form the dough, adding flour as needed, into a rounds, and place on a floured baking sheet. Cover with kitchen towel and let stand for 1 hour. The dough rounds can then be refrigerated, sealed with cling film, for later use.

If dough has been refrigerated,  remove from the refrigerator and place under a kitchen towel 1 hour before making the pizza.

Preheat oven to as hot as you can get it… with pizza stone on bottom baking rack in the oven.

Forming the dough into pizza rounds:

With floured hands and well floured work surface, press the dough with your fingertips from the center outward, leaving a 3/4 inch rim untouched.
Dust a pizza peel with semolina.

With floured hands, pick up the dough and place on your fists (facing you) and begin to stretch the dough in a circular motion until it stretches downward making an approximately 10” circle of dough and place the dough on the semolina dusted peel. Don’t worry too much about the shape. It takes practice!

Baking:

Brush the 3/4 inch rim with olive oil and salt the pizza dough round. Add desired toppings and slide the pizza, with a quick forward backward jerk onto the pizza stone and bake 8-12 minutes until crisp and dark golden.

Li…bello!