PIZZA DOUGH
-makes two large crusts
1-1/3 cups of warm water
2 tsp dry bread yeast, ( NOT fast acting or quick)
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp salt
3-4 cups Roma 00 flour (you can also use unbleached flour with 1/2 tsp. of wheat gluten added to it, but the results will not be as good). (for thin crust use 2 cups.)
-put water in the bowl of a stand mixer, sprinkle in the yeast and allow to stand for 5min.
- add the oil and salt, mix with the dough hook.
- add 3 cups of the flour and stir into the water mixture with the dough hook.
- turn on the mixer and kneed, add flour as needed to produce a dough that is smooth and a little sticky, but does not stick to your hands., about 10 to 15 min.
- remove dough from bowl and shape into a ball, pulling dough down and around bottom, finally twist to seal the bottom.
- place dough on a clean counter and rub with olive oil, place bowl over dough and allow to rise until double in size 1-to 2 hours. (it may begin to lift bowl, but that is not a problem)
- evenly divide the dough and shape into balls, place on a plate and push down to form a disk, cover tightly with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 2 hour or as long as over night to rest.
-place a pizza stone on an outdoor covered grill or in an oven, heat to 500 f or higher.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator and allow to warm up , 15 to 30 minutes, stretch the dough to form a pizza on a bread peel, using flour as needed. Dust under pizza with corn meal or semolina flour to prevent sticking, add topping and bake on a hot pizza stone.
- ENJOY
____________________________________
Pizza Dough 2, Poolish starter with folded dough.
A poolish is a starter made 12 to 15 hours ahead, it increases flavor and produces a crisp light crust with large bubbles.
12 to 15 hours prior to making above dough put 1 cup of flour and ½ to ¾ cup of water and 1/8th tsp of yeast in a bowl and mix by hand, should be the consistency of thick pancake batter, loosely cover with plastic wrap and allow it to ferment for 12 to 15 hours at room temp.
When ready to use pour some of the water for the dough above around the edge to loosen the poolish and mix it in. Decrease the yeast to ½ tsp and proceed as above.
Folding the dough increases structure giving a nice bubbled edge.
How to fold: form the dough into a ball as above then flatten on a lightly dusted counter and form into a rough rectangle pull the dough from the left side out and up and then fold to the middle, do the same with the right side then the bottom and top, place dough seam side down in an oiled bowl, cover. Or place on a counter with a bowl flipped over it to rise. When dough has risen, repeat the folding and then form into balls as above and tightly stretch plastic wrap over them and refrigerate.
