Bruce’s Version of Pizza Dough

Ingredients:

4 Cups of Caputo Pizzaria Flour (“00″ Flour); See Final Thoughts on Sourcing.

2 Tablespoons of Natural Sea salt (Fine Grind)

3/4 Teaspoon of SAF Instant Dry Yeast

2 Cups of Warm Water (About 100 Degrees)

2 Tablespoons of EVOO (Good Italian Olive Oil)

Method:

1) Remember to have fun and explore the recipe! These steps are only guide posts to you perfecting your own version.

2) Place Flour, Salt and Yeast at room temperature in a large mixing bowl. Gently mix together with a fork or small whisk.

3) Form a well in the flour and add the water and the oil. With your hands, start to integrate the dry ingredients with the wet contents until a flour ball is formed. The dough will be very sticky and wet with almost all of the flour mixed into the dough. Cover the bowl with a towel and let the dough rest for 20 minutes to hydrate. This is a very important step!!

4) Once the dough has hydrated, then place the dough ball on a floured work surface. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes until soft and pliable. The dough is sticky and will absorb additional flour (maybe a 1/4 to 1/2 cup of flour). The key is not to dry out the dough. Let the kneaded dough ball rest for 10 minutes. It is better to error on too wet of a dough. The reason is that when you shape the dough into pizzas, it is best to have the dough softer and more pliable. A dry dough makes it harder to stretch the dough during Step 7.

5) After the resting period, knead the dough for another 5 to 8 minutes. Once kneaded, place the dough ball into plastic mixing bowl lined with a small amount of olive oil. Cover with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator overnight. The dough will rise slowly overnight.

6) On the next day, I like to knead the risen dough ball for 20 seconds and then place it in the plastic bowl again for another day of refrigeration. This is optional. I like to use another day of fermentation to let the yeast develop some added flavor.

7) The day you want to make pizza, remove the risen dough ball and let it come to room temperature (about 3 to 4 hours). At room temperature, knead the dough for 20 seconds. Then cut the dough into four sections. With each section, form a small dough ball and leave on your floured work surface to rise about 2 hours. Cover the dough balls with cotton towels slightly damp. Then form your individual pizzas on your work surface and then place on your floured pizza paddle. Top as you like and then place in the oven. The oven should be turned on for an hour before baking. Bake the pizzas until golden brown. In our Wolf, I can get the oven to about 550 degrees so our pizza takes about 8 minutes to make. Your oven or barbecue will be different so you will have to learn your own timings.

If your pizza does not work out, serve your guests Gelato!!

Final thoughts:

This recipe is a guideline for starting your own recipe search. Everyone’s kitchen environment is different and your ingredients will vary. Just practice enough until you feel comfortable with your results.

The best part is that you know what went into your pizza and it will be better than almost any dining establishment out there. Show passion for what goes in the recipe and do not be afraid to try things. And most of all, share your love for pizza and pass along your knowledge. The world can use great pizza everywhere.

I found a company (http://www.pennmac.com) that sources the Caputo Pizzaria Flour in 5 pound bags. Also, they sell a full line of Italian Ingredients and other pizza related items. Enjoy and let me know how your pizzas are coming along!