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How to make pizza: the basics
So you wanna try do pizza on your own ? Ok that’s not so hard, be warned: it takes time to just make the basic dough for pizza. Take your time and it will be delicious!
You would not probably be able to “toss it”, but let leave this practice to expert cooks and let’s concentrate on taste.
In order to do a fine pizza dough (enough for 2 pizza) you need:
- 1/4 KG of wheat Floor type zero (or 00). (about 8.8 ounces)
- 5 grams of fine salt (about 1 teaspoon)
- 12,5 grams of brewer’s yeast (about 2 and half teaspoon)
- 125 grams of water (about half a cup)
- 12,5 grams of olive oil possibly extra virgin (again 2 and half teaspoon)
- half teaspoon of sugar.
Ready ? Let’s go !
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- Heat the water in a cup and melt the yeast inside. Pour the sugar and a couple of teaspoons of flour: mix it all togheter. Do not overheat the water, we want to create the perfect environment for the yeast, otherwise we risk it’s destruction. If you can keep your finger confortably in the water, it should be tepid enough. Let it rest for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhie, pour out the flour in a bowl along with the kitchen salt and mix them: be extra careful that there aren’t clot of salt which could interefere with the rising action of the yeast.
- After some 20 minutes your yeast should have produced a lot of foam, that’s the signal that’s its thriving. Add the mixture to the bown and add also the oil.
- Stir together the ingredients using a frork until they are amalgamated then it’s time to work with your hands: get some drops of oil over your hands (it’s a precaution to prevent most of the stickiness of the dough) and start kneading it. There’s no way i could describe the right way to knead it: it’s a matter of folding it again and again… and again.
- It would be nice to have a flat space, like a table, to knead the dough. If you don’t have such a space, simply work the dough in a larger bowl.
- Keep on kneading until the dough is ready. How can you determine if that’s ready ? try stamping your knuckles leaving a dent: if it rise again in a matter of half a minute, than that’s ok. Otherwise keep on kneading using hands and and palm pressure.
- In the end you should be able to knead it in a spherical form: keep it that way, cut a cross over it with a knife and let the dought rest in a bowl for about 3 hours. Cover the bowl with a light cloth! (very important for good rising)That’s it Michelangelo! it’s pizza time! Now that you made the dough there’s no limit to how can you use it, during the next week i’ll give some classical recipes regarding various types of pizza, but let me complete this articles with some hints.
- Always pre-heat the oven at least 20 minutes before putting the pizza, at 200C° (392 F).
- Use of Canned Tomatoes is allowed. I’ve heard that some guys use Ketchup instead: kill them on sight.
- Are you going to do only one pizza with these ingredients ? Put the remaining dough in a plastic bag (the kind used for meat or vegetables) and stock it in your fridge at a low temperature (near the vegetables, so to speak, not in the freezer section). The low temperature will hibernate the small guys responsible for rising, so you could use the remaining dough the next day.
- Remember: the right order to place ingredients for a nice looking and tasty pizza is : dough then tomato then mozzarella cheese then the rest.That’s it for now, have fun trying it !

{ 2 comments }
bitch
Great post, I also started a blog which is targeted on making pizza and I was just searching for other similar blogs.
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