Pizza dough
Four ingredients and time. That is the whole secret behind dough that is chewy, airy and delicious.
Real pizza dough is made from flour, water, salt and very little yeast. The secret is time: let the dough rise slowly in the fridge for 24 to 48 hours. That is where the flavour and the chewy, airy texture come from. The recipe makes 6 pizza bases and takes ten minutes of active work.
Ingredients
- 1 kg wheat flour, preferably tipo 00
- 650 g cold water (65% of the flour's weight)
- 25 g salt
- 2 g fresh yeast (the size of a pea)
How to make it
- 1
Dissolve the yeast in the water.
- 2
Mix in the flour. Knead the dough for 8–10 minutes in a mixer, or 15 by hand.
- 3
Add the salt towards the end and work it in.
- 4
Let the dough rest under a tea towel for 1 hour at room temperature.
- 5
Divide into 6 pieces of about 280 g each. Roll into tight balls.
- 6
Place the balls in oiled boxes with lids. Put in the fridge for 24–48 hours.
- 7
Take the balls out 2 hours before baking. Shape by hand – do not use a rolling pin, or the air disappears.
- 8
Bake as hot as the oven can go: 450 degrees in a pizza oven (90 seconds), maximum grill setting on a pizza steel at home (4–5 minutes).
Good to know
- Always weigh the ingredients. Cups lie, a scale does not.
- Cold dough is easy to shape. Warm dough shrinks back.
- The dough keeps 3–4 days in the fridge. Days 2 and 3 are when it is at its best.
Common questions
Can I use regular wheat flour?
Yes. Tipo 00 gives a chewier base, but regular strong wheat flour works well. Just avoid flour with low protein – check that it has at least 11–12 grams of protein per 100 grams.
Why so little yeast?
Time replaces yeast. A little yeast plus a long cold rise gives flavour and structure. Lots of yeast plus a short rise gives a dull, flat taste and a dough that is hard to digest.
Does the recipe work with dry yeast?
Yes, use a third of the amount – so just under 1 gram. Mix the dry yeast with the flour instead of the water.
How do I scale the dough up for the pizzeria?
The same percentages work in a 25-kilo batch: 65% water, 2.5% salt, 0.2% yeast of the flour weight. A dough mixer and dough boxes with lids are all you need. Make dough every day at the same time and the rhythm becomes easy.
Dough done? Then you need the sauce.
Real tomato sauce has five ingredients and is never cooked.