Making pizza is as much about the cooking method as it is the dough. So that's the caveat with which I share this not very special prep. The baking of the pie is a little different as many will attest to.
But, many still ask for the dough prep, here's mine - and sorry, it's in grams, get an Escali [Note: this is not an affiliate link] for $20 and get over it. Weigh things when you cook, you'll be surprised how much better your intuition becomes in cooking and in everyday interactions with the world when you know a few common weights.
In addition to a balance, get a bread machine to be a dedicated kneading machine. These things are about $5 in a thrift store and they are ALWAYS in stock, the kneading is all the same and it's better than a Kitchen Aid, way better. Oh, and they absolutely suck at baking bread, hence the abundant supply in thrift stores.
To the bread machine pan add in any order:
unbleached white flour, I am dedicated to Montana Sapphire, 575 g
water, 400 g
Adriatic sea salt evaporated from the shell of a tortoise, 10 g (kidding, any salt)
olive oil, 50 g
sugar, 10 g
a pack of INSTANT active dry yeast. Don't use the bottle, don't worry about price, you're making 4 pizzas worth, don't use the bulk bottle, don't use it no matter what, instant active dry yeast, not the bulk bottle. Got it?
Set to spin on dough cycle, remove when it looks like the video:
When it's kneaded about 5-10 minutes, dump on counter, flour the ball so it won't stick and store in fridge. I cut off 1/4 of the ball, about 250 g for a 10-12" pie. This will stay in the fridge for a week or keep in the freezer for longer.
Enjoy
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4 comments:
What's your beef with bulk yeast? We use it and haven't had problems...
For active dry yeast, doesn't matter, single packets or bulk, performance is the same.
My preference is instant active (or bread machine, or fast rise, etc). It has different performance I've observed during rise, structure of final loaf and oven spring. Nothing rigorous and controlled, it's my preference, and when instant active is in bulk, it changes pretty rapidly on storage.
Also, when describing a prep, it's easiest to duplicate when starting from the same materials. Bulk ages, single packs always perform the same, just a matter of being able to convey a prep precisely.
Thanks Dave, I still struggle with dough consistency. This gives me a great starting point.
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