When you think of the perfect food to cook on a rainy day, what comes to mind? Stew? Chili? A beautiful vegetable soup? Well, here, it seems that lately rainy days mean braving the rain outside to cook pizzas in our new pizza oven. Another couple of rainy weekends and it will be Pavlovian - pouring rain = pepperoni!
This is not as quick and easy as my pizza recipe I shared earlier. It's not flexible. You have to weigh ingredients. You can't load the dough up with dozens of toppings. But, the fire kissed crust and bubbling cheese make it all worth it...almost.
Ingredients:
Dough: [makes 8 pizzas - reduce as necessary]
21oz water
35oz 00 pizza flour
1oz salt
0.07oz fresh yeast / 0.04oz instant dry yeast [about 1/8 tsp]
Sauce:
1 can crushed tomatoes [I use Mutti]
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp thyme
salt and pepper
Toppings:
Sliced mozzarella (low moisture)
Pepperoni [Seriously, what's better than crispy pepperoni?]
Torn basil leaves
Anything else your heart desires - tips below
Timing Note: Start this recipe the morning before the night you want pizza (~36 hours) - I told you it was a bit fussy!
Pour all of your water into the large mixing bowl and add all of the yeast, stirring to dissolve. Add in half the quantity of flour 17.5oz to the bowl and mix with your hand for 30 seconds to combine.
Add the remaining half of the flour to the bowl and mix for another 30 seconds to combine and then add the salt and mix for a further 30 seconds.
Now, it's time for your workout! Empty out the dough mass to your counter and knead with your hands for 10 minutes, and then cover the dough with a tea towel and rest on your kitchen/work surface for 10 minutes.
Shape the dough mass into a smooth ball by cupping your hands on either side of the dough ball and dragging across the counter surface to form tension on the outside of the dough. Tightly cover with a lid or cling film and leave the dough to rest overnight for a maximum of 16 hours at 71°F room temp.
Using scales, portion the dough into 9oz portions using a dough cutter if you have one. Form the dough into balls and place into lightly oiled containers or a clean, dry tray and cover with a lid, leaving them to proof for 8 hours at room temperature 71°F. Alternatively, place the balls in the fridge for an extra day or two. Remove the dough balls from the fridge at least 6 hours before you want to bake pizza.
Make your sauce by combining all the ingredients - no need to cook, the oven will do the work! Slice your mozzarella thinly (if your cheese burns in the oven, you can slice thicker).
Preheat your pizza oven to 850°F [you might be able to achieve similar results with a grill and a pizza stone]. Press out your dough ball on a floured surface into a 10 inch circle, top lightly (moisture is your enemy here sadly...you know I love saucy pizza!), and transfer to a well floured peel. The trick here is to simultaneously pull the dough while you are thrusting the peel underneath.
Gently re-adjust the pizza if necessary to stretch to the edges of the peel. Give the pizza a quick shuffle test on the peel, it should freely move and not be stuck, and then transfer to your oven.
Allow the pizza to bake for 20-30 seconds before giving it a turn with a turning peel (smaller and more maneuverable). Turn every 20-30 seconds for 90 seconds total or until the pizza is baked just how you like it. Remove the pizza from the pizza oven onto a board and slice! Make sure you admire the "leopard spots" on the crust.
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