Pizza tonight

Ingredients needed for the base 

1kg 00 flour

600g water (room temperature) 

2 teaspoons salt 

1 and a half teaspoon sugar 

1  and 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast

1 tablespoon of EVOO 

METHOD:

Firstly put water in a bowl.  Never hot nor cold.  Add yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar and stir.  Leave for five minutes covered to activate the yeast.

You can use a kitchen aid or kenwood chef or just work it by hand.  In the mixer always use the dough hook to mix.  

First mix in your mixer bowl, first put in flour and salt and  half a teaspoon of sugar , then mix together.  Then make a well and add the water with the yeast and sugar that had been resting for five minutes.  Now mix in mixer.  After mixing for a few minutes continue to mix for a few more minutes on a  medium to high speed.

Form into one ball and leave to rest for at least 2 hours and well covered in an oiled bowl.  Wherever it rests make sure there are no draughts. Maybe a cupboard or oven.  As long as oven is not on! 

After two hours or more form into dough balls of aprox 250gr and leave time to rest for at least two hours.   I like to leave at room temperature for 6 to 8 hours.  After this time you should refrigerate the balls.  These 250g balls should be kept in an ambient temperature and well covered and they should double in size.  Now put the dough balls onto oiled trays.  Press down onto the dough from the middle outwards with the tips of your fingers.  Be gentle as you want the dough to be almost sponge like.  Form as round pizza shapes.   Allow to rest for 10 minutes whilst your oven heats up.  Then add your topping sauce, any pizza toppings that you love and then put mozzarella evenly around the pizza.  Don’t forget if you are making a traditional pizza to put oregano on it.  A little sea salt and then put in the oven.  

Always decorate with basil leaves before serving!

Enjoy your Pizza.