Enjoy Making Pizza At Home!

Here are Robert’s favorite tools and basic recipe to get you started!

TOOLS

 

PIZZA TECHNIQUES AND RECIPE

Dough Techniques

  1. Use water that is at least 70 degrees
  2. Whisk the yeast into the water.
  3. Whisk the oil into the water.
  4. Mix the flour, malt and salt together.
  5. Add the water yeast and olive oil mix to the flour until you get a good consistency, and it starts to look like dough.
  6. Flour the surface with some flour. I like to work on wood. I would use a large wooden cutting board. I like to knead by hand. You can use a stand mixer, but I don’t think it’s necessary and by the time you take it out, set it up and clean it you could have hand kneaded the dough.
  7. Knead the dough for about 8 minutes. Much longer than this the dough will be tough more and with less the gluten hasn’t developed.
  8. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes.
  9. Cut the dough up into 400-gram portions
  10. Gently flatten each piece of dough and then fold the edges into the center – like a flower. Then pick the dough up and pinch the bottom of it together so you seal it. Round it on the table by pressing down on the dough under the palms of your hands.
  11. Lightly oil with olive oil, four containers large enough to allow the dough to double. Use a round container. It is much easier to spread the dough if you start with a round dough ball.
  12. There is no need to let it rise. Once you’ve rounded it, cover the bowls and put them in the refrigerator.
  13. The dough can stay in their refrigerator for 24 to 48 hours.
  14. When you are ready to make pizza. take the dough out several hours before you want to make your pies. I would recommend about three hours. At this point the dough should double in size.
  15. Flour the surface. I recommend a wooden surface such as a good as a large cutting board. Turn the dough ball onto the table.

 

Stretching The Dough

 

  1. Use your fingers to open up the dough. Try not to touch the edge. When you have created a circle of about 8 or 9 inches you can pick it up and place it on your fists. Gently shuffle the dough to one side and this will open up the dough to the appropriate size. This is much easier then tossing the dough. When the circle is approximately 14 inches it’s time to put it on your peel.
  2. Flour the peel and place your dough on the peel.
  3. Have all of your ingredients ready and know what kind of pizza you’d like to make before you put the dough on the peel.
  4. I like to use flour on the peel. Don’t use too much. You can also use cornmeal or semolina for this process, but I prefer the flour.

 

The Dough and Bakers Percentages

 

It is best to use baker’s percentages when you’re creating your recipe. It will allow you to change your recipe and improve it with consistency if you always know the proportions of your ingredients. Baker’s percentages are based on the weight of the flour. If you use 1000 grams of flour with 60% hydration you will use 600 grams of water. The same goes for the oil salt, malt etc.

 


BASIC Dough Recipe

  • 1000 grams of flour (100%)
  • 600 grams of water (60%)
  • 10 grams of dry active yeast. (1%)
  • 20 grams of diastic malt (2%)
  • 20 grams of salt (2%)
  • 10 grams of Olive oil (1%)

 

 

 

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