Η συνταγή και στα ελληνικά στο τέλος της ανάρτησης!
As I have mentioned to you before, I always try and retry a certain recipe before I post it here. Also, during every week I am searching and get inspired so as to make something not all the times uniqu,e but at least very tasty.
Apart from my weekly appointment with you and my search for delicious sweet and savory treats, there are several other ongoing projects in my kitchen. I am in a continuous search, trying to find the best recipes about everything.
For two years now I have been trying to find the best pizza dough recipe. One that would be exactly the same as those we eat in good quality Italian restaurants and one like those I have tasted in my trips to Italy. That was an ongoing project running parallel to my other activities in my kitchen. I have tried quite many recipes from the net, from books, from friends etc. I must say that pretty much all of them were good and correct and made a nice pizza. You can see some of my experiments here and here. Nevertheless, something was missing. They were good domestic pizzas, not restaurant style ones. I mean, everyone who ate them, immediately understood that the pizza was made at home. I wasn’t satisfied with that.
Thus, my eternal endeavor was keep going, behind the scenes simultaneously with all the other dishes I was preparing. Until last week! I can finally say that my quest is officially over.
Last week I made a tomato sauce of my own suitable for pasta, for pizza or as a marinara and I wanted to test it. I forgot to tell you that I am a total sucker for pizza. Although, I am on a constant diet I can very well eat a whole darn pizza on my own. That’s why I avoid this thing, cause I simply cannot resist. Anyway, as I was saying, I wanted to test my sauce and I found out this dough in King Arthur’s site. They were promising that that dough was the best ever.
To be honest with you I was kinda reluctant because I have tested and tested several other best pizza dough recipes and although they were good, tried and true, tasty and right they weren’t exactly what I was looking for. So, I tried the dough and while it was baking, I immediately understood it was exactly what I was looking for.
The dough was tasty on its own and had that crusty exterior all restaurant pizzas have. Also, there were bubbles inside it, exactly as the ones professional pizzas have. It was out of this world. If you, like me, have this enormous love for pizza and you want a crust that is bread wise, crusty, bubbly and tough then that’s the right thing for you. I urge you to give it a try; you will definitely be satisfied with the results. My tomato sauce was also terrific exactly what a dough like this wanted, thick not runny to dampen the dough and packed with Mediterranean flavors. You can put the leftovers in a jar in the fridge and use it even after a week.
I apologize for the pictures but once my family tried the first one, they couldn’t wait for me to take proper pictures for the second one. These photos were taken the moment the pizza was out of the oven in the pan and seconds before it was served.PIZZA DOUGH PROJECT COMPLETE! Time to complete my other ongoing works as well!
- 250 gr. all-Purpose Flour (approximately 2 cups + 1 tbsp)
- ⅛ tsp dry yeast
- 2 gr. granulated sugar (1/2 tsp)
- 8 gr. salt (1¼ tsp)
- 185 gr. lukewarm water (3/4 cup + 1 tbsp)
- 800 gr. / 1.7 lb tomatoes in their juice
- 1 beef stock, the jelly one
- 1 to 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- Salt, pepper
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 3 tbsp of olive oil
- You have to start 24 hours before the time you will make the pizza.
- In a glass bowl mix all the dry ingredients and then add water.
- Stir until just combined.
- The dough may seem dry and lumpy but that’s all right.
- It will get wet as it matures.
- Cover with a cling film and let it rise at room temperature.
- Now the dough is all wet and fluffy.
- Flour your counter really well and with a bowl scraper throw the dough on your floured counter.
- Cut the dough in half.
- Make sure you use enough flour because the dough is really sticky.
- Flour both pieces on their tops.
- Now I will quote the exact same words from King Arthur’s so as to make you understand how we do it: “Stretch and fold, as follows: Holding onto the dough at two ends, pull one end away from the other, then fold it back onto itself. Repeat on the other side. Τhe dough will likely be sticky – don’t worry about it looking neat as you fold. Be sure to keep your hands floured as you work. Repeat this process for the other side of the dough, so that all four corners of the dough have been stretched and folded.”
- Flour your hands again and shape the dough as a ball by pulling the dough under itself until the top is smooth and the seams are into the bottom of the dough.
- Repeat the exact same procedure for the other half of the dough.
- Put them in two separate glass bowls, cover them and let them stay at room temperature for 45 minutes to an hour.
- In the meantime, make the tomato sauce.
- Place the tomatoes in a separate bowl and squeeze them to take out the runny juices.
- Reserve this runny part of the tomatoes for another use.
- In a skillet pour the olive oil and sauté the garlic in medium heat just until fragrant.
- Throw the squeezed tomatoes and the thick juice they were in, not the runny juice from the squeeze, and the rest of the ingredients including the stock jell without dissolving it in water.
- Bring to boil and reduce heat to low and let it simmer for about 45 minutes.
- Remove and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 200° C / 400° F.
- In a well-floured counter place the first bowl of dough and start, by using your fingertips to depress it so as to make a round disk.
- Be careful not to touch the outer part of the dough.
- This will give you a nice bubbly outer crust.
- Take the dough carefully and place it in a pan covered with parchment paper.
- Spread 2 to 3 spoonfuls of the tomato sauce and add whatever ingredients you like.
- I wanted a plain one, because of my diet, so I added mushrooms and cheese only.
- But you can put just about anything.
- Bake until the bottom of the crust is ready and the top has taken a beautiful dark brown color.
- Repeat for the second ball of dough.
- 250 γρ. αλεύρι για όλες τις χρήσεις
- ⅛ κ.γ. μαγιά
- 2 γρ. ζάχαρη
- 8 γρ. αλάτι
- 185 γρ. χλιαρό νερό
- 800 γρ. ντομάτες στο χυμό τους
- 1 ζωμό βοδινού σε ζελέ
- 1 με 2 σκελίδες σκόρδο, λιωμένες
- 1 κ.γ. ξερή ρίγανη
- 1 κ.γ. ξερό βασιλικό
- Αλάτι, πιπέρι
- 1 κ.σ. ζάχαρη
- 3 κ.σ. ελαιόλαδο
- Θα πρέπει να ξεκινήσετε 24 ώρες πριν από την ώρα που θα κάνετε το πίτσα.
- Σε ένα γυάλινο μπολ ανακατέψτε όλα τα στεγνά υλικά και στη συνέχεια προσθέστε το νερό.
- Ανακατέψτε τόσο όσο να ενωθούν.
- Η ζύμη μπορεί να σας φανεί στεγνή και με γρομπαλάκια, αλλά είναι εντάξει.
- Θα γίνει υγρή καθώς ωριμάζει.
- Σκεπάστε με μια μεμβράνη και αφήστε τη να φουσκώσει σε θερμοκρασία δωματίου.
- Τώρα η ζύμη είναι υγρή και αφράτη.
- Αλευρώστε τον πάγκο που θα δουλέψετε πολύ καλά, και με μια σπάτουλα αδειάστε τη ζύμη πάνω σε αυτόν.
- Κόψτε τη ζύμη στη μέση.
- Βεβαιωθείτε ότι χρησιμοποιείτε αρκετό αλεύρι, γιατί η ζύμη είναι πραγματικά κολλώδης.
- Αλευρώστε τα δύο κομμάτια ζύμης.
- Πάρτε το ένα κομμάτι ζύμης και τεντώστε το όπως κάνετε με ένα λάστιχο.
- Φέρτε και διπλώστε τα δύο άκρα στο κέντρο και ενώστε.
- Επαναλάβετε την ίδια κίνηση και από τις πλευρές που δεν έχουν τεντωθεί.
- Καθώς δουλεύετε τη ζύμη βεβαιωθείτε ότι τα χέρια σας είνα καλά αλευρωμένα ώστε να μην κολλάει η ζύμη πάνω τους.
- Κάνοντας αυτές τις κινήσεις όλες οι πλευρές της ζύμης έχουν τεντωθεί και διπλωθεί.
- Αλευρώστε τα χέρια σας και πάλι και πλάστε την ζύμη σαν μια μπάλα.
- Επαναλάβετε την ίδια διαδικασία για το άλλο μισό της ζύμης.
- Βάλτε σε δύο ξεχωριστά γυάλινα μπολ σκεπάστε τα και αφήστε τα σε θερμοκρασία δωματίου για 45 λεπτά έως μία ώρα.
- Εν τω μεταξύ, κάντε τη σάλτσα ντομάτας.
- Τοποθετήστε τις ντομάτες σε ένα ξεχωριστό μπολ και πιέστε τις να βγάλουν τα υγρά τους.
- Κρατήστε αυτό τον υγρό χυμό για μια άλλη χρήση.
- Σε μια κατσαρόλα ρίξτε το ελαιόλαδο και σωτάρετε το σκόρδο σε χαμηλή φωτιά, ακριβώς μέχρι να μυρίσει.
- Ρίξτε τις ντομάτες και τον χυμό που υπήρχε στην κονσέρβα, όχι το χυμό από τις ντομάτες που πιέσαμε, και τα υπόλοιπα υλικά όπως το ζελέ του ζωμού χωρίς χωρίς να το διαλύσουμε σε νερό.
- Βράστε για ένα λεπτό και μειώστε τη θερμοκρασία στο χαμηλό και αφήστε να σιγοβράσουν για περίπου 45 λεπτά.
- Βγάλτε από τη φωτιά και βάλτε τη στην άκρη.
- Προθερμάνετε το φούρνο στους 200° C.
- Αλευρώστε τον πάγκο σας και τοποθετήστε την πρώτη μπάλα ζύμης πάνω του.
- Αρχίστε, χρησιμοποιώντας τα δάχτυλά σας να πιέζετε έτσι ώστε να αρχίσει να σχηματίζεται ένας δίσκος.
- Να είστε προσεκτικοί να μην αγγίξετε το εξωτερικό μέρος της ζύμης.
- Αυτό θα σας δώσει ένα ωραίο φουσκωτό γύρω γύρω.
- Βάλτε τη ζύμη προσεκτικά σε ένα ταψί καλυμμένο με λαδόκολλα.
- Απλώστε 2-3 κουταλιές της σάλτσας ντομάτας και προσθέστε ό, τι υλικά θέλετε.
- Εγώ την έφτιαξα απλή, λόγω δίαιτας, έτσι πρόσθεσα μανιτάρια και τυρί μόνο.
- Αλλά μπορείτε να βάλετε ότι θέλετε.
- Ψήστε μέχρι να πάρει χρώμα το κάτω μέρος της πίτσας και το από πάνω να έχει πάρει ένα όμορφο σκούρο καφέ χρώμα.
- Επαναλάβετε το ίδιο για τη δεύτερη μπάλα ζύμης.
