Snow + playing outside + 4 hungry boys = homemade pizza
It really seems the right thing to do to try and make a great homemade pizza whilst we are here in the US. For the last few weekends I have been trying out a few different homemade pizza dough recipes. I am trying to improve my knowledge and understanding of yeasted doughs and I am starting to realise that the only way is by trial and error. You can only understand when the dough is as it should be after experimenting with kneading techniques, kneading and proving times, rolling and stretching and prodding and poking. After a few attempts I am really happy with the recipe that I am going to share with you. It has just the right amount of effort and so you feel that you have really made proper bread dough and it is practical as it can be made the night before and can prove in the refrigerator overnight and is ready to use the next day.
Most importantly it really is delicious. In my opinion, it is very much superior to a shop bought pizza, both in taste and because you know exactly what you are eating. Because the dough is good, the toppings can be minimal and minimalist with fantastic results in true Italian style.
The boys gobbled up several slices each, had desert and then came back for more pizza. We are going skiing next week. Because you can freeze this dough I am going to take some with us and make fresh pizza for our first dinner after a day on the slopes. Perhaps snow and pizza = my perfect day.
Pizza Dough Recipe: From James Morton's book Brilliant Bread
For the Base: Makes 3 or 4 regular size pizzas
500g strong white flour (bread flour or Italian 00)
325g (yes grams..weigh it!) tepid water - defined as slightly warm, around body temperature...NOT hot!
40g olive oil (the cheap kind)
Place the flour in a large bowl and put the salt on one side of the bowl and the yeast on the other. Using your hands, rub the yeast into half of the flour and the salt into the other half. Keeping them separate at this point stops the salt from killing the yeast!!!! Ahhhh!
Add the tepid water and all the olive oil and now combine everything into a dough with your hands, mopping up all the flour from the side of the bowl.
Best bit.....knead the dough vigorously for at least 10 minutes until the gluten has built up within the dough to make it really stretchy and smooth....gorgeous. I copied techniques for kneading that I saw on the Great British Bake off, stretching the dough into a sausage and hitting it as hard as you can on the counter and then folding it in on itself. Remember to TURN the dough to make sure you are building the gluten in every part of it. Dan said he could hear the dough thudding the counter when he was outside in the garden.....well, it did say vigorously!!! The first time I did this I kneaded for 20 mins and the second around 10....I had become more efficient. I wouldn't do any less though.
How do you know when its ready? James Morton describes the windowpane test. Take a small handful of dough and rest it in your hand for a moment or two. Then holding it gently at the edges, try and stretch it out between your hands, holding up to a window or to the light. If the dough is ready, it will stretch pretty well without tearing too easily and you will be able to see the light through the stretched dough. This is the time to keep testing, kneading some more if needed and learning about your dough.
When it is ready, place the dough in a bowl that is large enough that the dough can double in size. I rub olive oil on the bottom and sides of this bowl to stop the dough sticking and cover with 2 tight layers of cling wrap. Rest for 1-1/2 hours at warm room temp or in a warm not HOT place or refrigerate over night. The dough should noticeably get bigger, ideally twice as big before you use it.
At least 30 mins before you are ready to cook your pizza, pre-heat your oven to 240 degrees C or around 480 degrees F. Now it needs to be HOT!
Divide your dough into 3 or 4 roughly equal pieces. (Wrap in cling wrap and freeze any that you are not going to use now). Place the dough for your pizza on a lightly floured board. Roll into a flat sheet, use your hands to gently stretch out the dough and make your pizza as thin or thick as you like. I find the dough clings well to my wooden board and that if I let it stay in the stretched position for a few mins (4-5), when I come to lift it onto the baking tray it is much more likely to stay stretched and thin and not shrink too much. I guess that the dough is easier to work with when it has warmed up a little as my dough was straight out of the fridge. A dough scraper is really useful for releasing the dough from the board, you can pick them up for around $3.
Top tip number one: scatter your baking tray with corn-meal or semolina before placing the dough on top. It protects the base from the heat to a degree and adds a delicious crunch texture to your pizza base.
Now to the toppings....of course be as imaginative as you wish and have fun but go steady on the amount as too much will produce a soggy finished pizza. For a guide, I used 1/3 cup of tomato sauce per pizza + a couple of handfuls of cheese. Here is what I did...
Pizza Sauce and Toppings:
I used Pomi (pureed and strained tomatoes). You could blend whole tinned tomatoes until smooth instead. So to 1/3 cup of Pomi I added a small crushed clove of fresh garlic, a few drops of red wine vinegar, a pinch of sugar and seasoning to taste. Spread this on your pizza base almost up to the edges.
Now add 2 handfuls of shredded or torn mozzarella. The fresh mozzarella has a higher water content than the less expensive mozzarella and so is not the best choice here. I used a packet of pre grated mozzarella. Drizzle the pizza with olive oil and place the tray in the oven ( upper half) for 7-11 minutes. I cook for 5 mins, turn the tray 180 degrees and then cook for a further 3 minutes before checking. You are waiting for the cheese to just begin to brown and bubble acriss the pizza surface.
Top Tip Number 2: Now add grated parmesan and freshly torn basil....adding this after baking is a great idea as it melts immediately and creates a delicious aroma.
Rest for a minute or 2 if you can bear it....slice and devour!
Red Shoes Bakery Top Tips:
Obviously you can now create any number of wonderful pizza combinations. Just limit the moisture in your toppings or at least understand what moisture will do to your pizza base (mostly make it soggy!)
Other obvious easy toppings would be, adding red pepper / chilli flakes to the tomato sauce, adding salami or olives before baking, a drizzle of pesto before or after baking or topping your slice of pizza with a handful or arugula (rocket in the UK) before eating.
