Dad set a challenge on pizza and I want to win it!
Despite my numerous failed attempts to make a proper sourdough base, I haven't given up yet but having friends coming over for the Carnival party, I didn't want to undermine my good reputation in the kitchen so I cheated a little.
Fresh yeast is a great ally for these situations and you get great results too!
Time is the key, so don't get in a hurry to have your pizza ready, it still has to rise slowly if you want to get a proper bakery yeast-free taste.
Ingredients:
500g strong white bread flour
250g lukewarm water (max 37˚C, any higher will kill the yeast)
50g EVO oil
25g fresh yeast (allow double the amount if your yeast has been frozen)
10g salt
for the topping:
350g passata rustica/crushed tomatoes
250g grated mozzarella (you can use fresh mozzarella but you have to drain very well all the liquid)
EVO oil
1 pinch of salt
1 tbsp oregano
anything else you want if you don't fancy a margherita
Despite my numerous failed attempts to make a proper sourdough base, I haven't given up yet but having friends coming over for the Carnival party, I didn't want to undermine my good reputation in the kitchen so I cheated a little.
Fresh yeast is a great ally for these situations and you get great results too!
Time is the key, so don't get in a hurry to have your pizza ready, it still has to rise slowly if you want to get a proper bakery yeast-free taste.
Ingredients:
500g strong white bread flour
250g lukewarm water (max 37˚C, any higher will kill the yeast)
50g EVO oil
25g fresh yeast (allow double the amount if your yeast has been frozen)
10g salt
for the topping:
350g passata rustica/crushed tomatoes
250g grated mozzarella (you can use fresh mozzarella but you have to drain very well all the liquid)
EVO oil
1 pinch of salt
1 tbsp oregano
anything else you want if you don't fancy a margherita
Preparation:
preparation time: 5 hours; cooking time 20 minutes
Pour the flour in the mixer bowl and create a crater-like space to dissolve in it the yeast with some of the water; then add the remaining water and the oil and start mixing (I used the lowest setting - '2' on my KitchenAid). When you get a rough dough add the salt and keep mixing until you get a uniform elastic dough - it should take approx 10-15 minutes. Cover with cling film and put in a oven with just the light on for 90-120 minutes, the dough should double the size. Mix again on a higher setting (mine is 4) for roughly 5 minutes; this eliminates all the excess gases formed during the yeast's raising process. Cover back with cling film and put again in the oven with only the light on for 90-120 minutes.
The more you let it raise the more digestible the pizza will be. Just bear in mind that not all flours are set to long rising times. Generally, whole flours, spelt and rye have a quicker collapsing point, once they reach it your dough won't raise anymore while cooking in the oven. White strong bread flours are more suitable for this very slow process as they have higher gluten contents.
I wouldn't suggest going beyond 2/2.5 hours for each rising phase.
If you work the dough by hand, you need to beat it on the worktop from time to time; a link to a good way to do this can be found in the post on homemade bread.
It's definitely more rewarding but it takes longer and you'll need v fit arms!
Oil a baking tray, pour the dough on it using a silicone palette knife to tear off the dough from the sides of the bowl. Oil your hands and start shaping and gently stretching the dough to cover all the surface area. The trick is not to burst the bubbles in the dough and to hold the stretch for few seconds, this helps the dough to keep its new shape. The dough is very elastic will tend to retract to its initial shape. You need lot of patience and perseverance to cover the full surface. You'll get there in the end! This is the step I like the most, working the dough with love, I find it very relaxing.
Once you've stretched the dough to cover the tray surface, let it rest at least for another hour. It will rise a little bit more.
In the meantime, prepare the tomato sauce, pour in a pot some "passata rustica"/crushed tomatoes, add the EVO oil, salt and oregano. Let it simmer gently for 10 minutes and then set aside. It shouldn't be hot when poured over the dough.
Preheat the oven at 230˚C.
After the additional 1 hour rest, pour the tomato sauce on top of the dough and gently pinch it, pulling it up slightly. This will form lovely bubbles while cooking!
Place in the hot oven on the lower shelf (my tray went straight to the bottom of the oven) and cook for 15 minutes at 230˚C.
Remove add the grated mozzarella and any other topping you fancy, move back into the oven and turn the heat completely off. Let the toppings melt and slightly cook for another 5 minutes and then serve immediately.
If you won't eat it straight away, you can leave the pizza in the oven, it won't dry up as there will be plenty of moist to keep the dough soft and fluffy.
We topped our pizza with some mouth-watering grilled vegetables from Giacobazzi, the best italian deli ever!
As you can see from the picture, this pizza was such a success and it went so fast that I only managed to take a quick snapshot when there was only one slice left.
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