Italian Pizza – Dough
It is nearly hard to meet a person who does not like pizza. Since I can remember, I have enjoyed this delicious Italian treat, and I still get excited about everything about it—from the aroma to the first mouthful. There are many ingredients that go into making a great pizza, but the dough is the one that most people usually forget about. An real Italian pizza dough recipe is pretty easy, yet it nevertheless allows you to make a masterpiece. I’m excited to walk you through the fundamentals of making perfect Italian pizza dough today. Wish to give a few of these a try in person? Visit Any Italian restaurant to give these suggestions a try!
The choice of the right flour
The secret to outstanding pizza dough begins with flour. For the finest results in your homemade pizza dough, combine finely milled ’00’ flour and all-purpose flour. Quality is essential for making great dough.
Mastering Italian Pizza Dough with Flour
The higher protein content of ’00’ flour contributes to the formation of a flexible gluten network. Pizza crust produced this way is crunchy and soft at the same time.
How Important Hydration Is
The secret to getting the ideal dough texture is hydration. Try to stay at least 65% hydrated. One hundred grams of flour need about sixty-five milliliters of water. This guarantees a workable dough that holds its shape and bakes into a crispy crust.
Kneading gently and slowly
Knead the dough slowly and carefully to create a robust network of gluten. The dough can become tough and difficult to stretch, so try not to overwork it. Before shaping, let the dough rest after kneading it until it is smooth and elastic.
Sculpting with Accuracy
Do not use a rolling pin when shaping your pizza dough. It eliminates the air pockets necessary for a light, airy crust and compresses the dough. To get the right thickness, stretch the dough with your hands outward from the middle.
Warm up your pizza stone and oven.
Set your oven’s temperature to its highest setting in order to simulate the intense heat of an Italian pizza oven. For a flawlessly baked crust, heat is distributed more evenly with the use of a pizza stone or steel.
Maintain a balance when adding toppings.
Don’t add too many toppings on your pizza. Overabundance of ingredients can result in an unevenly cooked, mushy pizza. For the ideal flavor balance, use high-quality toppings sparingly.
Recipe for Italian Pizza Dough
This is a well-tested recipe for delectable homemade.
Ingredients: sufficient to make 2 pizzas
- 150 grams of ’00’ flour
- 150 grams of all-purpose flour
- Two teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil, or 8 grams.
- One teaspoonful (8 grams) of fine sea salt
- Two grams (¾ teaspoon) of active dry yeast.
Process
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together the flour and salt.
- 200 milliliters of warm water, yeast, and a small amount of olive oil should all be combined in a different basin. This will mingle with the flour blend when you pour it in and knead it with your hands for a few minutes.
- After letting the mixture sit for fifteen minutes, knead the dough for three more minutes. Cut into two equal pieces, then roll each into a ball.
- The dough balls should be placed on a floured board, covered with a moist towel, and allowed to rise for three to four hours at room temperature.
- Once the balls have risen, set them on a table dusted with flour and gently flatten them with your fingertips to create round bases.
- When ready to bake, transfer each base to a pan, stone, or oven tray.
- Top with cheese, tomato sauce, and toppings. Bake at the maximum temperature for approximately 12 minutes in a preheated oven.
That’s all there is to making pizza dough quickly and easily!
