I am a former owner of an Italian pizza oven that I had imported from Italy. If it were not for the governing health dept. nutjobs where I live, I would still be in business today. That being said, after the Pizza Throwdown challange last week I felt compelled to impart some of my hard learned knowledge on this subject to those of you that wish to educate yourselves in the area of Neapolitan style pizza cooked in a wood fired oven . I hope that this is the correct forum to post this sort of info. I have always tried to teach " Simple" this is a very difficult subject for most cooks to embrace. We humans, by nature are complicated, so we tend to complicate recipes and cooking techniques as well. Please find listed below my simple pizza dough recipe.
NOTE: The ingredients (only 4)
500gr Molino Caputo Tipo 00 flour
325gr water (65% hydration)
10gr salt
3gr active dry yeast
Mix the dough in a stand mixer, by hand or in a bread machine. If you are using a stand mixer, mix it slowly for two minutes, faster for 5 minutes, and slow again for 2 minutes.
Cover the dough and let it rise for 1 1/2 - 2 hours, or until double. Punch it down and push out the air bubbles. Form the dough into a large ball, then cut it into three 275gr equal pieces.
Cover the dough and let it rise for 2 - 3-1/2 hours at room temperature, or until it has doubled in size. Punch it down gently. Form the dough into a large ball, then cut it into three 275gr equal pieces.
To make your individual dough balls, shape each piece of dough into a ball. Gently roll your dough into a ball, then stretch the top of the ball down and around the rest of the ball, until the outer layer wraps around the other side. Pinch the two ends together to make a smooth ball with a tight outer "skin." Set your ball seam-side down where it can rest. Dust your pizza balls with flour, and store them under a damp towel, in a proofing tray, or under plastic wrap. This will prevent the outside of the ball from drying out and creating a crust, and becoming difficult to work with. The top of the pizza ball should be soft and silky. They should look somewhat like this...
Heat: the oven needs to be at least 750 degrees F. That is relatively hard to achieve with a home oven. I tried this last week with my Kamado and learned the hard way. This weekend I will be building a custom, firebrick stone, and while cooking imploy the indirect method, but letting the temp rise to the desired 750 degree sweet spot.
Stay Simple!
Jed
NOTE: The ingredients (only 4)
500gr Molino Caputo Tipo 00 flour
325gr water (65% hydration)
10gr salt
3gr active dry yeast
Mix the dough in a stand mixer, by hand or in a bread machine. If you are using a stand mixer, mix it slowly for two minutes, faster for 5 minutes, and slow again for 2 minutes.
Cover the dough and let it rise for 1 1/2 - 2 hours, or until double. Punch it down and push out the air bubbles. Form the dough into a large ball, then cut it into three 275gr equal pieces.
Cover the dough and let it rise for 2 - 3-1/2 hours at room temperature, or until it has doubled in size. Punch it down gently. Form the dough into a large ball, then cut it into three 275gr equal pieces.
To make your individual dough balls, shape each piece of dough into a ball. Gently roll your dough into a ball, then stretch the top of the ball down and around the rest of the ball, until the outer layer wraps around the other side. Pinch the two ends together to make a smooth ball with a tight outer "skin." Set your ball seam-side down where it can rest. Dust your pizza balls with flour, and store them under a damp towel, in a proofing tray, or under plastic wrap. This will prevent the outside of the ball from drying out and creating a crust, and becoming difficult to work with. The top of the pizza ball should be soft and silky. They should look somewhat like this...
Heat: the oven needs to be at least 750 degrees F. That is relatively hard to achieve with a home oven. I tried this last week with my Kamado and learned the hard way. This weekend I will be building a custom, firebrick stone, and while cooking imploy the indirect method, but letting the temp rise to the desired 750 degree sweet spot.
Stay Simple!
Jed