New to outdoor pizza ovens? Here’s how to get started
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name: Next-level Neapolitan pizza dough
photo: https://www..com/resizer/v2/FUH3V6W5C5H5LNC3OOQX5IVPHA.JPG?auth=79a1d6bbbe042a84dfdf5dfe8e2e382b0b37db6a0a369f73ea1ac7dba01f62e4&width=1200&quality=80
serves: Makes three 12-inch pizzas
blurb: This simple Neapolitan pizza dough delivers a light, airy, tender-crisp crust, along with subtly tangy, complex taste. It does all this thanks to two simple tricks – each of them a gateway to next-level pies. The first of these is what pizza nerds might call “high hydration”: There’s a bit more water than the usual in this dough. In high-heat backyard pizza ovens, that extra moisture vapourizes to create pockets of steam. The result: a bubbly, high-rising crust. The second trick, a 24-hour rest in the fridge, allows the dough balls to slowly ferment, developing their flavour, improving their structure and making them easier to stretch.
[.ingredients]
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header:
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*335 grams very cold tap water
*500 grams all-purpose flour, plus extra for stretching (see note)
*4 grams instant dry yeast
*15 grams kosher or fine sea salt
*Olive oil
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[.+preparation]
To make the dough
1. To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, add the cold water, followed by the flour and yeast. Mix on the lowest setting until the ingredients form a sticky but cohesive dough, with no dry ingredients left in the bowl, one to two minutes. If working by hand, in a medium mixing bowl, use a spatula to bring the water, flour and yeast together, then use your hands to knead them into a sticky but uniformly moistened dough. Cover loosely and let rest for 20 minutes.
2. Add the salt to the top of the dough. In a stand mixer, knead on low speed for eight minutes. The dough will feel slightly springy when poked, but will still look rough and feel sticky when done. If working by hand, knead the dough in the bowl for eight minutes, until it is somewhat springy. Feel free to wet your hands if it’s too sticky to work.
3. Lightly grease the inside of a clean, medium mixing bowl with olive oil, then use a spatula to transfer in the dough. With wet hands, grab the side of the dough farthest from you, and gently pull it upward, lifting the dough ball to stretch but not tear it, then fold the stretched portion over the remaining dough. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees, and repeat this stretch and fold for the remaining three sides.
4. Cover the bowl tightly and let rest for 30 minutes. Repeat this stretching and 30-minute rest an additional two times. After the dough’s final rest, it should have increased in size by around 3/4. If not, let rest at room temperature for up to an additional 45 minutes.
5. Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured surface, then divide into three 280-gram portions. (It’s worth using your scale here: You’ll be able to stretch each ball more consistently when it comes time to cook.) To shape each dough ball, stretch and fold each one once, as in Step 4 (no need to rest the dough), and pinch any seams on the bottom closed. Flip, so the seams are down, then with cupped hands, gently twist and drag the ball across your counter to increase its internal tension, until the dough ball’s surface is taut.
6. Place each ball into its own lightly oiled container (round one-litre food containers are ideal). Cover tightly and refrigerate for 24 hours.
To bake the pizzas
1. An hour before you plan to stretch and fire your pizzas, remove the dough balls from the refrigerator to warm slightly, still covered. This will make them easier to stretch. Preheat your oven to your preferred temperature; between 700 F and 850 F is ideal.
2. Working with one ball at a time, invert a dough container over a bowl of flour, so the dough gently falls into it. Your goal throughout this step is to work gently, to avoid deflating the dough. Flip the ball in the bowl so that both sides are now generously coated with the flour, then flip it once again, this time onto your work surface, with the smooth side facing up. Using your fingertips, poke down the centre of the dough, continuing to poke from the middle toward the edges, with a goal of working any trapped air toward the crust and sealing it there. (Don’t forget to leave an untouched margin for the crust.) Flip the dough, and repeat, pressing any trapped air toward the outside edge. Now flip the dough one last time, wiping away any excess flour from your work surface as you do so.
3. To finish stretching the dough, use your non-dominant hand to pull gently out and up at the pizza’s edge, while using your other hand to hold the round in place on the counter. After each pull, rotate the dough and repeat until your pizza is around 12 inches.
4. Dress as desired (see Pizza tips to live by) and fire.
Note: The better your flour, the better your pizza. It mostly comes down to protein. Higher-protein flour means strong, resilient gluten networks – the structure that makes dough light and airy, with a satisfying touch of chew. Low-protein flour is tender, but weak, better for cakes than pizza. Yet even many imported Italian 00 flours and so-called “pizza flours” are low in protein, leading to flabby, leaden pies. When in doubt, stick with name-brand all-purpose flour. Here in Canada, it averages around 13 per cent protein, exactly what good pizza needs.
Photograph by Christie Vuong/The Globe and Mail
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