This is a recipe I worked on a couple of years ago (before I was writing everything up on here). I found a bag of the dough sitting in the freezer...sadly it was no longer viable, however it spurred me on to make up a new batch from my ancient hand-written notes. The base of the recipe was to try and replicate a Dominos pizza base, my personal favourite. I spent a few evenings reading up on the subject...Dominos are obviously fairly secretive about the exact composition, however I did find out;
- You need very high protein flour
- You want a slow prove
- You can freeze the dough (and this is how most Dominos receive their dough)
- Polenta = Cornmeal = maize flour
- The hotter, the better
- My oven has a pizza-specific setting
The core ingredients are pretty simple, and this recipe will make 2 x 14" thin crust pizzas. For the toppings, just go wild. I use a jar of pre-made pizza topping, and then throw various things on (the photos here are chorizo, mushroom, onion and cheese).
The base recipe is here...I have modified it, and also turned it into sensible numbers! There are a couple of bits of specific kit you need;
1) A proving tub that fits in your fridge. I use a Really Useful Box that just happens to be the right size for proving a 500g flour batch of dough (you've probably seen it in photos before). The other item is a pizza baking tray...these typically have holes over the bottom to allow the moisture to escape, and for the base to crisp up.
Pizza Dough - Recipe
Ingredients
- 500g very strong white flour (I used a 15% protein flour)
- 320g warm water (~40'C max)
- 10g caster sugar
- 10g yeast
- 10g salt
- 25g olive oil
1) Mix the sugar and yeast into the warm water with a fork, and leave for 5-10 minutes until it begins to bubble
2) Place the flour, salt and olive oil into a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment3) Begin to mix, and slowly pour the water/yeast mixture in to form a dough
4) Mix on a medium speed for 10 minutes, until you have a smooth, soft, stretchy and glossy dough
5) Oil a container, and place the dough in there
6) Place in the fridge to prove for 24 hours. This is important, as you want a really soft, stretchy dough. It should roughly triple in size.
Assembly
- Polenta / Cornmeal / Maize Flour (to roll in)
- Toppings to taste;
- Tomato sauce
- Meat
- Vegetables
- Cheese
- Anything really!
Note - the dough recipe makes 2 batches, each of about 425g. You can freeze the dough, so after you've knocked it back place one ball in a plastic bag, and freeze. To use this, get it out in the morning and let it defrost naturally (no microwaves!). It should soften, and begin to expand again...then you can knock it back and use it normally.
1) Pre-heat the oven to 250'C. My oven has a pizza setting, where the base of the oven is heated up to make the base crispy (and you then put the pizza right at the bottom)2) On a lightly oiled surface, knock the dough back, and split in half
3) Using a rolling pin, start rolling out a circle to match the pizza baking tray. It should be springy, so you'll also need to hand stretch it
4) Once it's to size, scatter polenta across the work surface, and press the dough into it on both sides5) Place the pizza on the baking tray
6) Top as you see fit (traditionally tomato sauce, toppings, then cheese)
7) Place in the oven for 8-10 minutes
8) Slice and eat