Homemade Pizza

I am Italian and, from all over the world, everyone likes pizza. During the lockdown period we all tried our hand at preparing pizza and then? Is it more convenient to go and eat it in a pizzeria or were your results not satisfactory?

Yes, it seems a simple preparation but there are some fundamental steps for the success of a good pizza. But don't worry, I have prepared this article so you just have to follow directions and steps, use healthy and genuine ingredients, starting from the flour and... You will look forward to inviting friends and relatives to your home to let them enjoy your pizza like in a pizzeria. I would like to have the dough ready in a moment and only more to roll out in the pan, and then the oven... the one at home reaches a maximum temperature of 250 °C while in the pizzeria, in the wood or electric oven, the temperatures are far higher and cooking times halved... Prepare the dough in the morning to eat pizza in the evening at dinner, letting it rise at room temperature.

INGREDIENTS

 

400 g Wheat flour 

100 g Durum wheat flour 

350 ml water

1,5 g Natural brewer's yeast

10 g salt

extra virgin olive oil

GUIDELINES

 

DOUGH PREPARATION

In a large bowl, add the flour and mix well with your hands, so as to oxygenate them, add dry brewer's yeast and mix everything well.

Little by little add the water (it must have a temperature neither too cold, nor too hot, lukewarm, approximately around 20 °C) and knead with your hands always inside the bowl. Continue to add water and close the mass, always kneading inside the bowl, keeping aside a 10% to be used later. Transfer the dough to a work surface, slowly forfeit the remaining water, little by little, kneading by hand for a few minutes (if necessary lightly flour the work surface). The movement to do to knead is always the same: take the dough with both hands, lifting it from the surface, place "feet and then head" of the dough or the two ends of the mass, then take again with both hands in the opposite direction and proceed in the same way. (it's easier to do than to say, watch the video to understand the correct movement) Add a dash of extra virgin olive oil and let it absorb.

REST OF THE DOUGH

Let the dough rest on the work surface, covered with the previously used bowl or a kitchen towel, for at least 30 minutes.

 

CONCLUSION OF THE DOUGH

Remove the bowl or dish towel. Add salt slowly to avoid lumps of salt, and knead always making the same movement. The salt "pulls out" the water from the dough, in fact if you touch the dough is moist, this humidity is good, it goes to make the gelatinization of the mass, which then gives the caramelization of the sugars. The mass is made, it has taken texture and shape.

RISE

Transfer the dough into a container (the one in which we kneaded previously can also be fine) cover with a cloth or kitchen film and let rise at room temperature for at least 6-7 h.

DIVISION OF THE DOUGH

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and divide into masses, of the same weight or of different weight depending on the size of the baking trays you have available. With this dose you will have to get a classic rectangular baking tray or two round baking trays of about 30 cm. Knead the masses always with the same procedure for a few minutes. Once the "balls" are formed, let them rest covered with cloth for another 30 minutes on the work surface. (If you do not plan to use all the masses you can put a part of it in the refrigerator, in a closed container, for up to 2 days.)

LAYING OF THE DOUGH

Flour the work surface abundantly with durum wheat flour (this flour is more grainy and greatly facilitates the spreading of the dough) take the dough and enlarge it with your hands; with your fingers press on the entire edge of the dough (this step is necessary only if you use the rectangular pan, if you form small round pizzas instead no.) Always with your hands, and never with a rolling pin, spread the dough slowly making it rotate slightly to facilitate the procedure. Grease the baking tray with a drop of oil (you need very little oil). Take the dough on one side, place it on the palm of your hand, take the other end of the dough and place it on the forearm, in this way it will be easy to support it and position yourself on top of the pan because the dough is well supported: place the dough on the pan and widen again until it covers it completely, with one hand hold the dough still and with the other stretch with gentle movements. Lightly grease the surface of the dough with extra virgin olive oil (not too much because otherwise it will burn during cooking) including the edges.

COOKING

Preheat the oven to the maximum temperature (usually the oven at home reaches 250 °C) and meanwhile let the dough rest in the pan.

The pizza, in a pizzeria where the oven reaches much higher temperatures, cooks in just a few minutes and therefore the pizza maker seasons it with all the necessary ingredients; At home, on the other hand, cooking times are longer and it is necessary to season several times. To obtain the classic red pizza it is necessary to cover the pasta with tomato puree (without oregano because otherwise it burns during cooking), to obtain the white pizza we do not add anything but we bake it like this, with only a drizzle of oil on the surface.

BAKE ON THE BOTTOM OF THE OVEN (or on the lowest floor) FOR 10-15 MINUTES, after 10 minutes it is necessary to check because cooking depends a lot on the oven and the thickness of the dough.

BUBBLES FORM, THE PASTE GROWS AND TAKES COLOR.

TAKE OUT OF THE OVEN AND SEASON with cheeses, vegetables, cherry tomatoes and everything that comes to mind and you have available according to your tastes.

BAKE AGAIN IN THE UPPER PART OF THE OVEN FOR ANOTHER 5 MINUTES until the condiments are cooked. Remove from the oven, add the oregano and serve.