When Megan asked for a guest post while she and her husband are off on their honeymoon in Italy, I knew exactly what I wanted to make. There's a pizza dough recipe from my boyfriend's trip to Italy that I've been meaning to make ever since he told me about it. I mean, if he liked it enough to ask for the recipe, it's gotta be good, right?
There's just one catch. It was in Italian. Luckily I've got some amazing friends who were able to translate it for me (thanks Michelle and Luca!). The original recipe called for 1kg of flour... which I'm pretty certain would make 3-4 pizzas, so I scaled it down. I also kept the toppings simple- just as I had them when I was in Italy, hand crushed tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella and torn basil. Buon appetito!
Pizza Dough
roughly translated/adopted from Dany House Hostel
yield: 1 pizza (serves 2-3)
250kg Italian-style 00 flour
1/2t sea salt
pinch sugar
6g beer/brewers yeast (I used an English Ale yeast from our local brew shop)
lukewarm water (6-8oz)
Add flour to a bowl and make a well in the middle. Add salt, sugar and yeast to the well in the flour. Start adding water to the flour, about 1/2c at first and stir well. Add water, ~2T at a time, until the dough starts to come together (there shouldn't be any loose flour nor should the dough seem too wet).
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until the dough is homogenous, soft and not sticky. Transfer to a bowl that has been sprayed with nonstick spray and cover with a towel. Keep in a warm place for 1-1.5hrs (mine had doubled).
Preheat oven to 350deg.
Transfer dough to a baking sheet greased with olive oil. Depending on your preference, either press the dough out to fit your pan (a rectangular cookie sheet, resulting in a thin crust), or very lightly until it's an even layer of dough (for a thicker, doughier crust). The dough is pretty fragile, so work carefully. Any holes that form can be pinched back together.
Season to your liking and add your favorite toppings. This time I went with some hand-crushed heirloom tomatoes and sliced buffalo mozzarella. Bake for 20-25min, until browned and crispy. I also added some torn basil once the pizza came out of the oven. Slice and serve!
Congrats Megan and Jeff!! May you have many years filled with love, happiness and pizza :)