Rich says, "I’ve been testing the brand new Regenerative Pizza Flour for a few months now, and I’m incredibly impressed. I’ve been searching for that sweet spot that makes it accessible for the home user to use for the first time and get amazing pizza dough. I have settled on 58% hydration. This gives you a fantastic dough, super extensible, easy to handle, and bakes up a treat in a pizza oven. I love it so much I’m going to continue using this flour for all of my standard Neapolitan style pizza bakes going forward."
- Baker: Rich Payne / Dough and Behold
- Makes: 6 x 270g dough balls
- Prep time: 20 hrs room temp total proving time
- Bake time: 60-90 seconds in an Ooni pizza oven
- Flours used: Matthews Regenerative Pizza flour
To make the pizza dough:
Top tip: start mixing at 8pm the day before to bake between 4-6pm the following day.
- Crumble your fresh yeast into a mixing bowl with 90% of your water and whisp gently to dissolve. Add all of the flour. Mix on a slow speed until the ingredients combine and add some more water, but not all of it.
- Once there are no dry bits of flour, cover the bowl and let it rest for 45mins. This allows the dough to absorb the water properly and gluten to develop.
- After 45 mins, add your salt and the remaining water and mix on slow until the salt and water has mixed in, then on medium speed until the dough becomes smooth. Stop the mixer and let the dough rest for 10 mins.
- Then give the dough one more mix for around 5 mins. If your dough feels nice and smooth, take it out. If it's still a bit lumpy, let it rest and repeat the process.
- Take the dough out and shape it into a ball on your surface. Place this dough ball into a lightly oiled container with a lid and leave out at room temp overnight to prove.
- The next morning empty the dough from your container out onto a work surface and divide it into 6 x 270g dough balls. To shape the dough balls, grab it in one hand and fold it into itself a few times to make a tight, smooth ball.
- Place the balls back into the container with a lid, or breakfast bowl with cling film covering the top, and leave them out at room temp for another 5 hours.
To make the pizza:
Top tip: preheat your pizza oven on full flame for 20 mins prior to baking to heat up to 430ºc.
- Take one of your dough balls and stretch it out to around 10 inches.
- Add your tomato sauce and spread evenly over the base.
- Grate a little Grana Padano on top.
- Add your mozzarella. Add a drizzle of olive oil.
- Slide your pizza onto a 12 inch pizza peel and give it a final reshape, stretching it out to the very edges of the peel and then launch into your oven and watch those crusts puff up!
- After around 60-90 seconds at 430ºc your pizza will be ready. I normally turn my pizza around halfway through for an even bake.
- Place the pizza onto a wire rack to cool.
- Garnish with fresh basil and a sprinkle of sea salt.
