Pizza Dough
This is the go to recipe I share with friends whenever making their first pizza
Prep time 30 min/ 24 - 48 hours to develop in the fridge/easy
Recipe
500g bread flour
3g dried yeast
10g honey
350g water (room temp)
10g olive oil
10g fine salt
Method
Mix water, olive oil, honey and yeast in a bowl. Pour onto the flour, mix for 3 - 4 mins until combined, don't worry if there's lumps as long as it's all mixed in, fine.
Scrape down the side, cover with a cloth and leave for 40 mins covered on the bench.
After 40 mins, add the salt, knead this in till smooth. Don't add more flour, just wet your hands a little and try to fold the dough onto itself. Scrape down the sides, cover and pop in the fridge. Ideally 24 hours to develop.
I've left mine in for 2 days and it's come out great, but 24 hours is ample.
Take out the fridge, lightly dust with flour, then basically you want to pop onto a lightly floured surface and carry on folding the edges into itself. This will trap pockets of air into the dough and improve the structure and form a ball shape. A few minutes is fine.
Now you just cut the dough into the size you like. I usually cut it into 4 which still gives you a nice manageable sized pizza.
Take these pieces and using your favourite technique of bringing the sides onto itself again, shape them into balls.
Almost there…
Now you can either keep these in the fridge for later, or if you actually want to make pizza now, leave them out to prove for a good hour or so (dust with flour otherwise they'll stick together as they prove up) then dust with flour and work from the centre and push out the sides to make a round.
The resting here is important so give it at least an hour before shaping into rounds, otherwise it's just going to want to spring back and you'll end up with a thicker but smaller pizza. Spin it in the air if you must, but try to leave a little lip on the edge.
When you are happy with the diameter, dust the paddle with semolina and transfer to the paddle, give it one final stretch out on the paddle.
It's finally ready for the toppings!
I usually grate a clove of garlic and a couple of tbsp of olive oil for the base. Have all the toppings in bowls ready to go…Less is more!
