Italian Pizza Dough

Submitted by Sweetcurry

"From The Best of Fine Dining: Real Italian. Always good, even when I am screwing stuff up. :) If weighing use 1 lb of flour. Also you can substitute honey for the granulated sugar."

 

• Ready In: 30mins
• Ingredients: 5
• Yields: 4 Pizzas

ingredients

• 3 1⁄2 cups flour, unbleached bread flour and more as needed
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 1⁄2 table salt or 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 1⁄4 teaspoons instant yeast
• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons olive oil, more as needed EVOO

directions

1. Combine the flour, sugar or honey, salt, yeast, and olive oil in a large bowl or in the bowl of an electric mixer. Add 11 fl. Oz or 1 1/4 cups plus 2 tbs cool 60-65 water. With a large spoon or the paddle attachment of the electric mixer on low speed, mix until until the dough comes together in a coarse bowl, 2-3 minutes by hand or 1-2 minutes in the mixer. Let the dough rest, uncovered, for 5 minutes.
2. Knead the dough. If using an electric mixer, switch to the dough hook. Knead the dough for 2-3 minutes, either by hand on a lightly floured work surface or with the mixer's dough hook on medium-low speed. As you kneed, add more flour or water as needed to produce a ball of dough that is smooth, supple, and fairly tacky but not sticky. When poked with a clean finger, the dough should peel off like a Post-it-note, leaving only a slight residue. It may stick slightly to thew bottom of the mixing bowl but not to the sides.
3. Chill the dough. Lightly oil a bowl that's twice the size of the dough. Roll the dough in the bowl to coat it with oil, cover the top of the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 8 hours and up to 3 days. It will use slowly in the refrigerator but will stop growing once completely chilled. If the plastic bulges, release the carbon dioxide buildup by lifting one edge of the plastic wrap (like burping it) and then reseal.
4. To freeze the dough -- After kneading the dough, divide it into four parts for pizza or calzones or two parts for Stromboli. Freeze each separately in their own freezer bags. They will ferment somewhat in the freezer and this counts as the rise. Before using, that completely in their bags overnight in the fridge or at room temperature for 2-3 hours. Then treat the dough exactly as you would regular or overnighted dough, continuing with the directions for making pizzas, calzones or stromboli,.
5. My recommendation -- a very simple use for leftover chicken breast is a BBQ inspired pizza. Use BBQ sauce, fresh parmesan cheese, fresh basil, tomato slices and tons of garlic cloves. Yummmmm.