It's taken what feels like an age to get my pizza dough recipe right. I have investigated my way through books, magazines and the internet, exploring all night long doughs, beer doughs (courtesy of Birra Moretti), and 5 minute doughs made with yoghurt. However, I finally found a recipe that works through a blog that Maria reads, and have adapted it slightly for myself.
The website it belongs to is smittenkitchen.com and they call it their lazy dough. They couldn't be more right. The first time I tried this dough I was nervous; fiddling with it, playing with it, shaking and squishing it and of course, ruining it. However, the best thing to do with the dough is mix it and leave it. So far, it's worked every time for me.
Here is the recipe:
(direct extract from Smittenkitchen.com)
Options:
3 cups (375 grams) all-purpose flour (I bought pizza flour from Gastronomy - 2.20AZN per kilo. ends up costing 60q per base. This flour is lighter and you can see the difference in the rise.)
Slightly heaped 1/8, 1/4 or 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast (as above)
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt (I use salt flakes)
1 1/4 cup water, plus an additional tablespoon or two if needed (room temperature)
A splash of Olive Oil (not in the original recipe but makes for a good fried base)
1. Basically - mix all the above together in a large bowl. Paul Hollywood explains that the salt slows down the yeast reaction so you should place them on separate sides of your mixing bowl. I always mix by hand, it helps to see if you need to add more water or not. It should look craggy but well mixed.
2. Cover with cling film and keep in a warm place until doubled in size. I find as the cold is starting to set in I have needed to put the oven on low and then put the bowl in the oven after turning it off, using it as a proving drawer of such.
3. Once doubled in size, knock it back by tapping the base. This helps to create larger bubbles the second time around.
4. I now start to create the tomato paste. This is really easy. Put a tin of tomatoes into a small saucepan. Cut an onion in half and remove the paper from the outside. Put one half of the onion in the saucepan flat side down. Finally, add a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of oregano. Put a lid on and leave it on a low, low heat.
5. Once you are ready to go - get the oven as hot as possible. Using quite wet hands, pick up the dough, half it and start to stretch it into a pizza shape. I tend to use a flat baking tin with a splash of olive oil and semolina flour on it. The tin does not need to be hot. Once I have stretched it as far as I can, I put it on the tin and, again using wet hands, stretch it a little more allowing it to stick to the tin to hold it in place. This is OK as when it cooks it separates from the tin.
6. Toppings:
Now, the rule is less is more.
By now the tomato sauce should be nicely reduced. It it your choice but I always blend it. I add two, maybe three tablespoon of tomato tops, and spread it around the entire base, getting right to the ends. (neither Maria or I are a fan of crusts)
Next is a small amount of hard cheese, edam, gouda, or chedder, to barely cover the pizza. (We use Prima Donna from Grandmart)
Now comes the real toppings. We tend to buy Pepperoni or Salami from Gastronomy. Again, less is more. If you put too much on the pizza, the toppings start to release oil and can create problems for the integrity of the base. This is also a time where you can add mushrooms, peppers, olives, pineapple - whatever your flavour. Not too much!
Finally - a really healthy dose of dry Mozzarella. You can buy little 250g packs and we use half on each pizza. I cut the cheese into small cubes and cover the pizza. The reason we use dry mozzarella is again keeping the pizza base dry. If you can only find wet mozzarella (the stuff that comes in brine), cook the pizza first, and add small slithers of this while it is still hot.
7. The pizza will be ready in about 8 minutes, but you will know when the mozzarella has melted to cover everything and is browned all over. Take it out. If you can get your hands on it, and it is not ridiculously expensive, add rocket here.
8. Cut it however you wish - I tend to slice straight through the middle and then into little soldiers, but this is because I make square pizzas!
Enjoy your pizza with mayonnaise and BBQ sauce (I make my own BBQ sauce) for the crusts.
Let me know how they work out for you!
The website it belongs to is smittenkitchen.com and they call it their lazy dough. They couldn't be more right. The first time I tried this dough I was nervous; fiddling with it, playing with it, shaking and squishing it and of course, ruining it. However, the best thing to do with the dough is mix it and leave it. So far, it's worked every time for me.
Here is the recipe:
(direct extract from Smittenkitchen.com)
Options:
- Overnight Dough Schedule: Begin between 8 and 9 p.m the evening before for dinner between 6 to 8 p.m. (approx. 22-hour dough) - 1/8 teaspoon yeast
- All-Day Dough Schedule: Begin between 6 and 8 a.m that day for dinner between 6 to 8 p.m. (approx. 12-hour dough) - 1/4 teaspoon yeast
- Part-Day Dough Schedule: Begin around noon that day for dinner between 6 to 8 p.m. (approx. 6-hour dough) - 1/2 teaspoon yeast
3 cups (375 grams) all-purpose flour (I bought pizza flour from Gastronomy - 2.20AZN per kilo. ends up costing 60q per base. This flour is lighter and you can see the difference in the rise.)
Slightly heaped 1/8, 1/4 or 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast (as above)
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt (I use salt flakes)
1 1/4 cup water, plus an additional tablespoon or two if needed (room temperature)
A splash of Olive Oil (not in the original recipe but makes for a good fried base)
1. Basically - mix all the above together in a large bowl. Paul Hollywood explains that the salt slows down the yeast reaction so you should place them on separate sides of your mixing bowl. I always mix by hand, it helps to see if you need to add more water or not. It should look craggy but well mixed.
2. Cover with cling film and keep in a warm place until doubled in size. I find as the cold is starting to set in I have needed to put the oven on low and then put the bowl in the oven after turning it off, using it as a proving drawer of such.
3. Once doubled in size, knock it back by tapping the base. This helps to create larger bubbles the second time around.
4. I now start to create the tomato paste. This is really easy. Put a tin of tomatoes into a small saucepan. Cut an onion in half and remove the paper from the outside. Put one half of the onion in the saucepan flat side down. Finally, add a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of oregano. Put a lid on and leave it on a low, low heat.
5. Once you are ready to go - get the oven as hot as possible. Using quite wet hands, pick up the dough, half it and start to stretch it into a pizza shape. I tend to use a flat baking tin with a splash of olive oil and semolina flour on it. The tin does not need to be hot. Once I have stretched it as far as I can, I put it on the tin and, again using wet hands, stretch it a little more allowing it to stick to the tin to hold it in place. This is OK as when it cooks it separates from the tin.
6. Toppings:
Now, the rule is less is more.
By now the tomato sauce should be nicely reduced. It it your choice but I always blend it. I add two, maybe three tablespoon of tomato tops, and spread it around the entire base, getting right to the ends. (neither Maria or I are a fan of crusts)
Next is a small amount of hard cheese, edam, gouda, or chedder, to barely cover the pizza. (We use Prima Donna from Grandmart)
Now comes the real toppings. We tend to buy Pepperoni or Salami from Gastronomy. Again, less is more. If you put too much on the pizza, the toppings start to release oil and can create problems for the integrity of the base. This is also a time where you can add mushrooms, peppers, olives, pineapple - whatever your flavour. Not too much!
Finally - a really healthy dose of dry Mozzarella. You can buy little 250g packs and we use half on each pizza. I cut the cheese into small cubes and cover the pizza. The reason we use dry mozzarella is again keeping the pizza base dry. If you can only find wet mozzarella (the stuff that comes in brine), cook the pizza first, and add small slithers of this while it is still hot.
7. The pizza will be ready in about 8 minutes, but you will know when the mozzarella has melted to cover everything and is browned all over. Take it out. If you can get your hands on it, and it is not ridiculously expensive, add rocket here.
8. Cut it however you wish - I tend to slice straight through the middle and then into little soldiers, but this is because I make square pizzas!
Enjoy your pizza with mayonnaise and BBQ sauce (I make my own BBQ sauce) for the crusts.
Let me know how they work out for you!
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