Pizza dough

Italian pizza is famous for its unique flavor, crispy crust and always fragrant filling. The highlight of the dish is the base, which is prepared in a special way and baked for exactly one minute in a wood-burning stove. How to make pizza dough at home, if based on a classic Italian recipe?

The peculiarity of this pizza from Italy is the thinnest dough, which after baking is soft and tender. It consists of the most "elementary" ingredients: flour from durum wheat as finely ground as possible, live yeast, water and first cold pressed olive oil. And no additives for softness and flavor enhancers! Milk and eggs are not used: it is believed that these components aggravate the dough and deprive it of elasticity. As for the filling, it is customary for it to combine a maximum of four ingredients, while cheese among them must be necessary.

Over time, the original recipe has changed. Currently, in Italy itself, there are over 2 thousand types of pizza, and there are thin and lush options. Therefore, the modern housewives, nothing prevents the retreat from the traditional ingredients and the rules of cooking this dish.

The classic pizza base recipe

Despite the yeast, the finished base is very thin. It has not a pronounced taste, it turns out very soft and plastic.

Ingredients:

• 500 g of flour;
• 300 ml of water;
• 8 g of high-speed dry yeast;
• 10 g of salt;
• 3 tbsp. l olive oil;
• 1 tbsp. l Sahara.

Cooking:

1. High-speed yeast does not require pre-activation, as their dry active "colleagues." They are most suitable for making the basics. The dough is put on the dough once, and it turns out not too fragrant - as required, so that the aroma and taste of the filling would not be interrupted. Instant yeast can be immediately combined with the remaining dry ingredients.
2. Mix flour (be sure to sift it through a sieve), yeast, sugar and salt.
3. Put the dry mixture of low pyramid on the working surface.
4. Heat water to 40⁰C, not more. Portionally pour it into the center of the dry mix.
5. Add butter.
6. Knead the dough only with your hands, carefully collecting from the outer edges of the flour slides.
7. Knead the mass no more than 10 minutes. It should become supple, soft and not stick to hands.
8. Sprinkle dough with flour and leave to warm up and reach full readiness. Be sure to cover him with a towel, otherwise the top will wear out. In order for the base to rise well, it will take about 1.5 hours.
9. Roll out the dough very thin. Do not worry, it will not be tough. Bring to readiness in a hot oven at standard temperature (180⁰C) 10 minutes.
10. The base is ready. If you bake the raw dough immediately with the filling, increase the time to 30 minutes.

The dough for Italian pizza, as in pizzerias

Chefs rarely add milk to the dough, because they believe that it makes it heavier, and the wrong proportions of the dairy product can make the foundation very rigid. According to this variant of the recipe, you will prepare a delicacy, as in a real pizzeria: thin, with a crust, very soft.

Ingredients:

• 250 g of flour;
• 10 g of live pressed yeast;
• 1 tsp. Sahara;
• 180 ml of warm water;
• ¼ tsp salts;
• olive oil for greasing pan.

Cooking:

1. Crush the yeast and stir in 2 tbsp. l heated water (ideal temperature around 40⁰WITH). It should be a homogeneous substance. The most important thing is not to overheat the water, otherwise the bacteria will die and the dough will not rise. Leave the yeast mass to stay warm for 15 minutes.
2. When the time is up, add sugar and 2 tbsp to the yeast. l flour, stir.
3. Now the opara should rise, so put it in a warm place, covered with a cloth on top. Do not use the film: the mass must breathe. The access of oxygen to the dough is necessary for it to turn out lush and quickly rise. Be sure to note that any yeast base does not tolerate drafts.
4. Pour the remaining flour on the table. At the very center, pour in the matched brew, the remaining water, add salt.
5. Intensively knead the dough so that it no longer sticks to your hands. Do everything quickly. When you achieve the desired consistency, stop kneading, otherwise the mass will become "rubber".
6. Leave the dough to warm for 1 hour.
7. Roll into a thin layer and bake with the filling (30 minutes) or without it (10 minutes).
8. If desired, the edges of the pizza can be smeared with yogurt diluted with water - this will make the crust more crisp.

Delicate and thin yeast-free pizza base

It is best to cook a thin base on the water: when using dairy or dairy products, there is a high probability of getting too tough and unappetizing dish.

Ingredients:

• 100 ml of warm water;
• 1.5 Art. flour;
• 4 tbsp. l vegetable or olive oil;
• 1 tsp. baking powder;
• 0.5 tsp. salt.

Cooking:

1. First mix the dry ingredients: salt, baking powder, flour. Sift it through a sieve to break up lumps.
2. Put the dry mass into the pyramid and add water and oil to the very center.
3. Stir the dough with gentle movements for no more than 10 minutes. As soon as it stops sticking to your hands, stop mixing.
4. Clean the dough for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
5. After half an hour, make a thin base, lay out any stuffing, bake for 30 minutes. If you sprinkle cheese on top of the pizza, make sure that it does not turn into a brown crust. In a real pizza, it should be a bit melted.

Cooking lush pizza

The dough for lush Italian pizza can be cooked with milk, but always with an egg. The base is soft, delicate, with amazingly crispy sides, not too thin, but not too thick.

Ingredients:

• 300 g of flour;
• 6 g dry yeast;
• 225 ml of heated milk;
• 1 egg;
• ½ tsp salts;
• 2 tbsp. l olive oil (can be replaced by sunflower).

Cooking:

1. Mix the flour with yeast and salt.
2. In the center of the dry mixture in small portions pour the liquid mass of eggs and milk.
3. Knead the dough so that it is no longer sticky.
4. Cover it with a cloth and leave to reach 30 minutes.
5. Roll up the rising base into a thin layer. Bake separately or immediately stuffed. You can bake a few pizza basics: one with a filling, and others to store in the freezer.
6. Despite the fact that the composition of the ingredients is completely uncomplicated, the taste is ideal: unobtrusive, pleasant, remarkably complementary to any filling.

The main secret of making real Italian pizza is to knead the dough with your hands and not spend more than 10 minutes on this process. The base is the most important part of the dish, it can either successfully emphasize the taste of the filling, or completely interrupt it. But, observing all the subtleties and nuances of making the "right" dough, you can easily make a real pizza - like from Italy.