Authentic Napoli Pizza Dough Food

AUTHENTIC ITALIAN PIZZA DOUGH RECIPE

Steps:

• To prepare the dough for the pizza, start pouring the flour in a large mixer bowl.
• In a small bowl add luke-warm water and then add the yeast, mixing gently until the yeast is dissolved.
• Turn the mixer on with the hook mounted on medium-to-low speed and start pouring the water little by little, making sure you wait for the previous dose to be absorbed by the flour.
• Keep kneading until the dough gets smooth and homogeneous. When it gets to that point, keep kneading for about 15/20 minutes.
• Add the salt and keep the mixer running until the salt is fully combined with the dough.
• When the salt is fully absorbed, remove the dough from the mixer and knead with your hands until you get a large ball.
• Place it in a large bowl, cover with foil or a clean humid cloth, then let it rise in the oven with the light on.
• Wait until the mixture has at least doubled in volume (after 1.5 h). Ideally, you should let it triple in size (at least 3 hours).
• Once the dough has risen, transfer it on a work surface.
• Divide it into 4 equal parts and shape them as balls using your hands. Once done, cover them with a clean cloth and let them stand for 30 minutes at room temperature, before using them to make your pizzas.

NAPOLETANA PIZZA DOUGH

Steps:

• Mix yeast with 1/2 C of lukewarm water and let it proof. This usually takes 5-15 minutes.
• Place all ingredients including the remaining lukewarm water (1 1/4 C plus 2 T) according to the ABM machine instruction and set it for dough only. My ABM takes 2 hours for dough only setting.
• After the 2 hours are up take out the dough and place it in a well olive oiled large bowl. Turn the dough to coat it with the oil, and cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put the bowl in the refrigerator overnight. The overnight method makes wonderful tasting pizzas.
• Next day remove the bowl of dough from the refrigerator 2 hours before you plan to make the pizzas. The dough will have expanded and gluten very relaxed.
• Using wet hands gently transfer the dough to a floured counter, trying not to degas the dough as little as possible.
• Using a pastry blade or knife dipped in water, divide the dough into 6 equal pieces. Gently round each piece into a ball and brush or rub each ball with the olive oil.
• Brush the sheet pan with olive oil and place each dough ball on the pan and loosely cover the pan with plastic wrap. (If you do not plan to use all the pieces, place the extra ones in individual freezer bags and freeze).
• Allow the dough balls to sit at room temperature 2 hours before making the pizzas.
• Preheat the oven to 500°F.
• Roll out the each dough into 9 to 12 inch diameter pizzas using a rolling pin and your hands. This dough is very soft, elastic and hard to handle compared to other pizza doughs and will require some effort to get to 9 inches diameter. I use combination patting down, stretching, and use of rolling pin to get it to 9 inch diameter. Once you get very good handling this dough, you may get it to 12 inch diameter, but 9 inch is perfectly fine.
• Lightly oil the pizza baking pan and place the pizza. Spread 1/4 C to 1/2 C sauce over the surface of dough, leaving a 1/4 to 1/2 inch border uncovered. Arrange mozzarella over the top and sprinkle with grated Parmesan or Romano cheese.
• Bake for about 9-10 minutes in the middle rack. When done, the crust should be puffy and slightly charred on the edge and thinner in the center, and cheese fully melted and just beginning to brown in spots. The underside of the crust should be brown and crisp, not white and soft. Keep an eye on it until you know how long your oven will take because each oven is different.
• Remove the pizza from the oven and lay 4 - 6 basil leaves. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to make the next pizza.

PIZZA DOUGH

Steps:

• Add the honey and yeast to 1 cup warm water. Stir to dissolve. Let the mixture to sit for 3 minutes to make sure the yeast is alive; it should foam and start to bubble.
• Place the flour and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add the yeast mixture and mix on low speed until the mixture starts to come together. Turn the speed up to medium and mix for 8 minutes. The dough should start to pull away from the sides but still remain soft and slightly sticky at the bottom of the bowl. Add 1 extra tablespoon of flour if needed. Coat your hands in a bit of olive oil and form the dough into a ball. Place the dough in a bowl that is coated in olive oil. Cover with a towel and proof the dough in a warm place until it doubles in size, 1 hour.
• Knock down the dough and cut into 4 equal pieces if making small pizzas or simply reform into a ball if making one larger pizza and proof the dough for an additional 1 hour.
• The dough is now ready to use.

ROBERTA'S PIZZA DOUGH

Steps:

• in a large mixing bowl combine the two types of flour and the salt.
• In a small mixing bowl, stire together 200 grams (a little less than 1 cup) lukewarm tap water, the yeast and the olive oil. Then, pour it into flour mixture. Knead with your hands until well combined, approximately 3 minutes, then let the mixture rest for 15 minutes.
• Knead rested dough for 3 minutes. Cut into 2 equal pieces and shape each into a ball. Place on a heavily floured surface, cover with dampened cloth and let rest and rise for 3 - 4 hours at room temperature or for 8 - 24 hours in the refrigerator. If you refrigerate the dough, remove it 30-45 minutes before you begin to shape it for pizza.
• To make pizza, place each dough ball on a heavily floured surface and use your fingers to stretch it, then your hands to shape it into rounds or squares. Brush surface of each spread out pizza dough with olive oil, then top it with favorite toppings and bake. The olive oil helps keep the sauce from soaking into the dough and making it soggy.
• I suggest arugala on top of the pizza when it comes out of the oven.
• Cook at 450 deg F for 10-15 minutes or better yet, as hot as the oven will go for something less than that.