I spent *years* trying to find a good recipe for pizza dough. Especially one that could be made the same day. With no luck.
Well, I've modified a recipe from my "Bread" book (the geekiest baking book of all time) and I think I've got it. They say you have to do a lot of complicated crap and let things rise overnight. Not so - the key is a little sugar to boost the yeast at the start (sort of like "turbo charging your ride" with ceramic bearings!)
Walt's same-day super-good pizza dough
Starter:
1/4c flour
1 tsp yeast
1 tsp sugar
1/3c warm water
Mix the yeast, water, and sugar in a small bowl, and let it sit somewhere warm for 10 minutes or so - you should have a runny, bubbly batter. Now mix in the flour, cover the bowl up, and leave in that same warm spot for 30 minutes. You should end up with a bubbly, goopy mess. But never fear, that's what you want.
Main dough:
3 1/2c flour
1 1/4c warm water
1 tsp yeast
2 tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil
starter
If you have a stand mixer, throw in every ingredient *except* the olive oil and mix on the lowest speed with a dough hook for 3 minutes. Then add the olive oil and mix for another 6 minutes.
If you don't have a stand mixer, mix everything in a large bowl (including the oil) and knead enthusiastically for 8 minutes. Yes, 8 whole minutes. Yes, enthusiastically. Suddenly that Kitchenaid isn't looking like such a stupid purchase, eh? There's a reason bakers (at least back in the day) had forearms like Popeye...
Cover the bowl with the dough and put it in it's happy warm spot. Leave it for 2 hours or so, then punch it down and leave it for another 30 minutes or so to rest (and let the gluten relax so you can shape/stretch it).
Boom! You're done. Practice your pizza dough throwing technique and put some cornmeal down on the baking sheet, then go to town.
Final tip: I've found that baking the dough (once you've got it stretched/flattened out on the baking sheet) for 5 minutes or so before adding sauce and toppings works out best.
7 comments:
Jeeezy peets, son. You didn't try to actually _make_ a recipe from Hamelman, did you? Masochist!
Dude, Hamelman is the MAN. I LOVE that book!
I've made lots of recipes from "Bread" - but then, I'm a baking geek like I'm a bike geek, so I like complicated recipes.
Just not for pizza dough.
I've got one of these http://www.throwdough.com/ and it is so much fun, and it helps you practice your "throwing style."
I always start my yeast in warm water with sugar, then mix in all my flour and it rises fine. The most important thing is to use high gluten wheat flour or add wheat gluten to regular flour - makes the dough nice and stretchy
Been using your recipe and made some great dough, thanks Walt!
absolutely excellent. It's worked Brilliantly twice now, with so much less effort.
Never thought I'd find the perfect dough recipe here. Better than all the overnight ones i've tried.
Do you double everything to make more than one crust? I ask mainly because of the yeast.
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