How to make Italian pizza dough

How to prepare an authentic homemade pizza dough , Italian style.

A  recipe for dough ,  Italian pizza dough , as Luca Arrigoni taught me.

Making pizza dough is easy and quite fun. The truth is that it has nothing to do with what I have used during these years. Since I have made this pizza dough with Luca there is a before and after.

And of course, I share with all of you, a very elastic pizza dough, finite and reminiscent of Neapolitan pizzas. 

.instagram-follow img{width:100%;height:auto;} @media screen and (min-width: 1000px) {.instagram-follow {display:block;clear:both;float:right;width:50%;margin-left:1em;}}

This recipe has no milk, egg or sugar, almost a sin for an Italian, rather it is a bread dough made with force flour that is quite fine.

Baking is just the right thickness, in the style that we can taste in any pizzeria in Rome or Venice. In this dough base we can even play with other white flours or add some aromatic herb. As the Italians say: ” Italian pizza, where gluttony is not a sin ”

I remind you that in addition to the dough, the baking and the surface where we place the pizza are just as important, as I explain in the definitive guide to preparing pizza at home .

About two months ago I bought a baking stone and am delighted with it. The difference is evident when baking pizza, bread or empanadas. It has no comparison with the oven plate, it is like going back to the wood oven. The bottom is not soft or undercooked. Do you prepare the dough differently?

Typical preparation for pizza dough

1. In a large bowl we introduce part of the  wheat strength flour. We leave about 4 tablespoons of flour separate to fatten the dough.
2. With a spoon we make a hole in the center of the bowl and pour the yeast dissolved in the water.
3. Beat with a wooden spoon from the center outwards and gradually mix with the flour.
4. Add the extra virgin olive oil and salt. It is important that the salt and yeast do not come into direct contact to avoid problems in the fermentation process.
5. We continue removing what begins to be the dough, for now it will be a sticky but firm mixture.
6. We prepare the area where we are going to knead, for example the kitchen counter is perfect.

Kneading pizza dough and storage

1. We fill the area of ​​the counter with flour, remove the dough from the bowl and begin to work the dough with your hands. It is very important to refine the dough to make it more elastic and rise better.
2. To refine it, we must stretch the dough like a churro and spiral it several times. At the end we put together and knead again for about ten minutes. This is the trick that makes dough amazing.
3. After those 10 minutes, we can manipulate the dough more quickly, it will remain elastic and homogeneous.
4. The correct flour measurement is ” until the flour sticks to your hands “, but it should not be abused either.
5. I have put 1 kilo in the ingredients although in fact I used about 100 grams more. Everything depends on the flour because they do not always come from equal millings, nor is the wheat the same.
6. We are turning the dough into a ball. We take the previous bowl and flour it.
7. We introduce the dumpling into it. We cover the bowl with a cotton cloth for about 45 minutes-1 hour.
8. To know the time that the dough should be left to rise, use the following trick: if you press it with a finger and the dough returns to its original position it will be ready to prepare.

And here we have the dough to start preparing the pizza with the ingredients that you like the most.

Do not stop preparing any of the pizza recipes that we have on the blog. You can see all the photos of the step by step in the  recipe for homemade pizza dough . Do not miss any detail and it will be perfect.

Tips and recommendations for a perfect pizza dough

• They seem like many steps but in the end you will realize that it goes fast, from the moment you start in the bowl until you have it ready it takes about 20 minutes.
• Have ready the salt and oil ready, since as soon as you start the job and your hands are sticky, it is difficult to measure the ingredients, so it will be much easier for you.
• To bake the pizza, put it on the oven tray in the hottest part. We must preheat the oven to the maximum about ten minutes so that it has the appropriate temperature.
• In Italy wood-fired pizza ovens can go up to 400º C, although the recommended temperature is 300º C. For your home’s electric oven, 250º C.
• On some occasions I have left the dough softening in the fridge overnight, you can do it if you have time. The result is much better because the mass softens very slowly and the bubble is very fine.
• When it comes to kneading the dough, it is much easier to work, since it stretches like a professional dough. Try at least once to leave this dough in the fridge for about 30 hours and you will see what a pizza past. In the pizza dough video with Luca you can see perfectly what the end result is.
• If at the time of kneading you don’t get the dough you can use a little more virgin olive oil instead of flour. It will be much easier to knead although it will be more greasy.
• I remind you that if you have excess you can freeze the rest of the dough. Wrap it in plastic wrap and remember to write the date with a marker. You can use it on another occasion by leaving it to defrost in the fridge the night before.

Top 5 Homemade Pizza Recipes at Yummy Recipes

• A delicious  homemade four cheese pizza
• The always successful  Capricious Pizza
• Our traditional  Neapolitan Pizza
• A choice of  Vegetable Pizza
• And our Galician proposal, the  Lacón Pizza with turnip tops and Arzúa-Ulloa cheese

What yeast do I have to use to make doughs?

• When we use yeast for sourdoughs like bread, pizza, empanadas or buns. Used baker ‘s yeast, pressed or commonly called fresh .
• Bakery yeast is a living, indispensable and fundamental product for the manufacture of doughs. among them is pizza. It is the key ingredient that provides volume, fluffiness and an incomparable flavor to our dough.
• It comes in the form of cubes. They sell it in supermarkets (I have bought it in Mercadona, Eroski or in Ahorra Mas) in compact, crumbly and slightly moist 50 gr (2 x 25 g) taquitos.
• You will find it in the refrigerated products section (near the butters and creams). Ask the super employees and they will kindly indicate you in which zone it is.
• It is essential that once at home you store it in the refrigerator so that it preserves its properties between 3 ° and 8 ° C.
• The one I usually use is from the Levital brand. It is very easy to use. We mix it with a little warm or lukewarm water that will help a better dispersion in the dough. Or by crumbling it with your fingers on top of the flour that we are going to use.

What is baker’s yeast, pressed or fresh? Does Royal type yeast work?

• The yeast has the ability to provide more flavor to the pizza since it allows the flour to develop all its flavors. Yeast also contributes to the crisp, golden color of the crust.
• The main function is to transform sugar or starch (the main component of flour) into carbon dioxide and alcohol. Which will evaporate during cooking.
• Carbon dioxide, gas present in the air. It is distributed throughout the mass and creates small air pockets that grow, giving volume to it.
• Important: To make doughs you should not use Royal baking powder . This is a gasifying agent, different from yeast.
• They are chemical yeasts that only act during the baking phase. So the dough will not grow in either of the two fermentation phases. It is ideal for cakes, not for doughs.