Pizza Bases

olaola

Hi - does anyone have any recipes for pizza dough??

I saw Rachel Allen do one where she cooked it on an upturned preheated baking tray. But I cannot for the life of me find the bloody recipe!

I've never used yeast before, so this is my first venture into that world!

aidan_walsh

This it?

is_that_so

If you buy the McDougals dried yeast, there are recipes on the side. Very easy to use.

I use a basic bread dough

500-750g of plain white flour - strong white flour gives a better flavour
Yeast mix(follow instructions)
Salt to taste - probably 1-2 teaspoons.
About 500ml warm water(hand hot is how I verify it)

The key to yeast dough is the kneading. Knead as hard as you like. Good for releasing frustrations.

After that I just roll and stretch it according to my mood. I prefer thin crust myself.

Have fun.

rockbeer

I'm with is_that_so - basic bread dough. Maybe a small addition of olive oil.

Make sure the water is no more than lukewarm or you'll kill the yeast.

Definitely use strong bread flour, you'll find it hard to get a good, responsive dough using plain flour, it just doesn't contain enough gluten. Knead until elastic, but don't overdo it. Then the magic trick - let it rest for ten to fifteen minutes and give it a very short second knead. This improves things amazingly.

Most recipes will tell you to prove in a warm place but I suggest leaving to prove at room temperature for a longer time; the flavour and texture of the dough will be much improved if you do this.

Bake it on a hot pizza stone or terracotta tile as an alternative to a baking tray. The thing is to get decent heat under the pizza base or it'll tend to be burned on top and soggy underneath. Pizzas are traditionally cooked on raging hot stone surrounded by hot coals. Hard to replicate in a domestic oven. Once it's nearly cooked on top, slide it off the stone/tile/baking tray onto the wire oven shelf to finish off.

Good luck.

Sparks

And when you mix the dough initially, mix the ingredients till it comes together in an even mix, then leave it sit for 20 minutes before you start to knead it (or use the dough hook on it or whatever). That lets the yeast get a head-start on things (it's called the autolyse method if you want to get fancy about it). And pizza stones for sure. Blumenthal recommended upturning a cast iron frying pan, putting it under the grill until exceptionally hot and then cooking the pizza on the pan and under the grill; personally, I use a baking stone (started with a floor tile, currently use a purpose-made one and there isn't a huge difference) because I can see myself forgetting and grabbing the frying pan handle...

Oh, and if you have the patience, use a wetter dough and leave it in the fridge for a few days to let it rise slowly. Much better flavour.

And when you're cooking it, it's handy if you put the bare dough in the oven first, with just a light brush of olive oil all over; leave it for a minute or two to set up and only then brush the tomato sauce on and add the toppings. And don't forget to keep the toppings simple.

/me happens to have a bowl of dough nicely ready and is having pizza this evening for tea

Sparks

My recipe, in case it's useful:

2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
1.25 cups warm water
2 cups strong white bread flour (I've only been able to find the green bagged stuff from doves farm - Fallon & Byrnes do them in Dublin and I've seen them all over the place in tescos and health food shops and other places)
0.5 tsp dried yeast

Mix to a dough, leave to rest for 20 mins, mix with the dough hook in the kenwood chef for 15-20 minutes on low then check the dough. When ready, roll to a ball in the bowl, pour another tbsp of olive oil over it and cover loosely with clingfilm and leave in the fridge for at least 12 hours (preferably for several days).
Split to two doughballs, work and shape , cook as mentioned above.

olaola

Thanks everyone for the ideas (and Aidan, I searched UKTV food, BBC & her books!!)

I'll give it a go tomrw - see how I get on!

Toto Wolfcastle

If you're still looking for tips, I use this recipe:

650g/1lb 5oz Italian '00' flour (strong white flour)
7g sachet of easy-blend yeast
2 tsp salt
25ml/1fl oz olive oil
50ml/2fl oz warm milk
325ml/11fl oz warm water

The warm milk really makes a difference.

And you probably wont use all the water.

GERMAN ROCKS

on the topic of bases i make mine using a bread maker. when i go to roll them out i find it really hard and it could take up to 5 minutes per pizza. any tips to roll them out faster-it turns me off making homemade pizza
thanks
german rocks

rockbeer

@GERMAN ROCKS

More liquid?

rubadub

For quick low calorie pizzas I spread double concentrate tomato puree on ryvita crispbread. You can get it in a tube like toothpaste, squirt it on and spread like butter, now put some cheese on top and microwave for around 10-20seconds, or grill it.

olaola

Ok so!

Made the pizza bases last night - I used Rachel Allen's recipe. They tasted very very good - but the base was a bit biscuity in texture (not in taste). We were trying to figure out if it was a bad thing or not, as they didn't flop over when you lifted them off the plate!

They were easy to roll out and cooked quickly. But they didn’t rise around the edges. So I think the next time I'll knead it and then let it double in size before I roll them out.

Thanks for the tips!

noby

I usually roll mine out for a thin and crispy base, but sometimes I roll out, then allow to rise again, to get a thicker, doughier base.

Anyway, my way to skin a cat:

12-14oz Strong Flour
1 tsp salt
1 glug olive oil
1 pkt yeast into
8fl/oz tepid water, with a
pinch of sugar.

rockbeer

@olaola: Just read Rachel Allen's recipe. What's she thinking of? It's completely pointless adding yeast to the mix if you aren't going to give it time to prove. Essentially she's making unleavened flat-bread bases - it's just a fat-enriched chappati or flour tortilla.
If you really want to make a base that fast, try using self-raising flour or adding baking powder rather than yeast. You'll end up with a scone-like base, but at least it won't have rigor mortis.

Otherwise, ignore entirely her suggestion to leave it for half an hour, and put it by for 2 or three hours at least - preferably most of the day or even longer, as suggested by myself and Sparks earlier. The yeast will have time to multiply and you should end up with something more like you're expecting.

I'd ignore the butter too. Completely unneccessary, you'd never find it in Italian pizza dough.

As a 'professional' chef she really should know better.

olaola

rockbeer wrote: »

Otherwise, ignore entirely her suggestion to leave it for half an hour, and put it by for 2 or three hours at least - preferably most of the day or even longer, as suggested by myself and Sparks earlier.

I'd ignore the butter too. Completely unneccessary, you'd never find it in Italian pizza dough.

Yeah - I was a bit wary of the butter alright!
TBH it did taste great, but the texture just wasn't right.

I'll leave it the next time and see how it goes.

dulux

This is my favourite pizza dough recipe (Its fairly much a Jamie Oliver one from the Jamie in Italy book)

1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp salt
Just under a pint of warm water
700g of strong white flour For dough and dusting.
2 sachey's of dried yeast

Add the salt to your flour and make a well on a flat surface.
Add the sugar and yeast to your warm (not Hot) water and stir for a minute. Add the mix into the well a few drips at a time scooping a little flour with a fork in aswell.
This makes a sloppy mix, lift it out of the well of flour and leave to the edge repeating.
So you should end up with a sloppy warm soft readybrek mixture, add more flour working with your hands till it starts to come together and devide into 4 balls of dough for medium size pizza's, 6 balls for small size.
Dust with flour and wrap in cling film and leave to one side. If you have mates coming over leave them in the fridge after 15 mins and just take them out to roll when they come over.
Now the real secret is tin foil. when you are ready to cook turn the oven up to full (250c or as high as it will go and let it heat up well), roll out your pizza and take some olive oil and sprinkle it onto foil 1/3 bigger than your pizza. Rub it into the foil with your hand and then carefully transfer the pizza base to it. Now put on your sauce and toppings. I have an old chopping board that I use under the foil to take it to the oven because otherwise things can get sloppy. Slip it into the lowest rack of the oven and let it go. Watch for the edges browning and curling.

The best pizza by far cause my kids dont want it from the shops/Italian anymore. I really think this dough is best as its so light.
Oh by the way the first time I tried it the pizza flopped over as I was putting it in and I was so pissed off. Dont be if this happens, it tastes great and now I use the recipe for calzone pizza too.

il gatto

The recipe I use is as follows:
3 cups bread flour
1 cup warm water
2 teaspoons dried active yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1teaspoon sugar

Using 2/3 of the water, mix the yeast and sugar with 1/2 cup flour. Leave for about 20-30 minutes to make a sour dough.
Mix the sour dough with the rest of flour, water and salt. Knead for 5min. Place in an oiled bowl and cover with a wet tea towel and leave to rise for 1.5-2 hours. Punch down the dough and use a large handfull to make a 10inch pizza base.
For toppings use canned tomatos. It's what a neapolitan pizzaria uses so don't bother using puree, paste or fresh. Crush them up with a potato masher. I don't cook it down. Apply only a little so you can see the base through it. Then top with fresh mozzarella and a leaf of basil. For a change I sometimes put some pepparoni on too. Bake as high as your oven goes until the edges look done and the cheese just starts to brown.

rockbeer

il gatto wrote: »

Using 2/3 of the water, mix the yeast and sugar with 1/2 cup flour. Leave for about 20-30 minutes to make a sour dough.

This isn't a sourdough. This is just pre-activating the yeast.

il gatto

rockbeer wrote: »

This isn't a sourdough. This is just pre-activating the yeast.

Apologies. I meant to clarify that, as in I activate the yeast in a water and flour instead of just water. I shouldn't have called it sour dough. It's just that you use the mix in the same way as if you were using it. I had to stop using proper sour dough, as the missus strongly objected to something "living" in the fridge:D.

axer

Makes medium-small pizzas
Pizza Base:
2 cups strong flour
Salt
7g Yeast
-
Sieve the flour into a bowl. Add a little salt. Put the yeast into a bowl and 1/3 cup boiling water and 2/3 cup cold water (should get luke warm water). Leave for about 20 mins. Then mix all together in the bowl and then kneed the dough. Wipe a little oil around a bowl and put the dough into it leaving it for about an hour. Cut the dough in half for 2 pizzas and spread out each. Before adding toppings, put both pizzas into a preheated oven for 1-2 mins to make a skin on the dough (stop toppings making the dough soggy).

----

Tomatoe Sauce:
Olive Oil
Onion
Garlic
1 or 2 cans whole skinned tomatoes
Oregano
Parsley
Salt
Pepper
-
Small bit of olive oil in a sauce pan.
Add some onions and garlic chopped up (not too small). Cook until soft (3/4 mins).
Add a tin or two of whole peeled tomatoes.
Simmer for 15 mins then zap with a handheld immersion blender to make blend all sauce contents
Simmer for another 15 minutes.
Add some oregano, parsley, salt and pepper to taste.
Let the sauce cool down (should last about 5 days in the fridge or can be frozen).

----

Suggested toppings:
Chorizo Sausage (pre-fried)
Parma Ham
Block of Mozzarella Cheese Block cut into slices instead of grated
Peppers (pre-fried to soften)

niall2j

janeybabe wrote: »

If you're still looking for tips, I use this recipe:

650g/1lb 5oz Italian '00' flour (strong white flour)
7g sachet of easy-blend yeast
2 tsp salt
25ml/1fl oz olive oil
50ml/2fl oz warm milk
325ml/11fl oz warm water

The warm milk really makes a difference.

And you probably wont use all the water.

+1 for the Jamie Oliver pizza dough recipe. If you can, I strongly recommend getting hold of the '00 flour (and some Semolina flour if possible). I always get it from La Bottega di Paulo (down by Ormond Quay in Dublin), though I think theres also another place near Smithfield.

I'm pretty much a total novice at cooking so I found it really helpful to see it being done. If you go to 4on demand (the Channel 4 video site), you can watch episodes of Jamie at Home, one of which is all about making pizza. There also seems to be good stuff on Youtube

RE*AC*TOR

The most important thing is the cooking step.

Heston Blumenthal's method I have had great success with.

You need a cast iron frying pan. Basically when your dough is getting near the end of its rise put the pan on the highest possible heat for at least 10 minutes. Also put your grill on max.

Flatten your dough and roll it out (or stretch by hand).

He assembles the topping at this stage, but he has a peel (pizza tool - big spatula basically). I find it easier to assemble quickly on the upturned pan.

So your pan should be red hot - I put the dough on top, quickly assemble the ingredients and then slot it under the grill (as near as possible without touching). Cooking time should be about 4 minutes.

olaola

I've been using the Jamie Oliver recipe with great success.

A friend had a pizza maker thing - (I think they got it in Arnotts) and it worked very well!
Got REALLY hot - had an element above & below the pizza stone.
(http://www.homeandgardengifts.co.uk/Electrical/Kitchen/Pizza-ovens/The-Pizza-Maker-91100000.aspx)

Was the size of a George Foreman - you'd need space to put it somewhere when you were'nt using it.

Toto Wolfcastle

Just like to add in that the recipe I use is not a Jamie Oliver one! It's probably similar but I got it from a different chef, whose name escapes me.

niall2j

janeybabe wrote: »

Just like to add in that the recipe I use is not a Jamie Oliver one! It's probably similar but I got it from a different chef, whose name escapes me.

Yup, sorry, quoted the wrong post...:o

Edit: That pizza maker looks great! I've been cooking mine the Heston Blumenthal way aswell, but I find it's very messy but great results