Pizza Dough

Pizza Dough

There are thousands of different recipes for Pizza, each region of Italy not only are there regional variations, even further each cook will have a different technique in making dough. Many Italian cooks will tell you they vary the quantities of each ingredients according to the weather, on days with low air pressure the dough is said to need less yeast to rise, on humid and high pressure days more yeast to lift the dough. This recipe always seems to work, but never say never.

250 Tipo "00" pasta flour, or strong-white bread flour

1tsp salt

1 x 7g yeast sachets

1tsp sugar

2tsp olive oil

150ml lukewarm water

Sieve the flour on to work surface and make a well in the middle. Mix the yeast, sugar and olive oil into the water and leave for a few minutes, then pour into the well. Gradually mix the together to form a dough. Knead until you have a smooth, springy dough.

Place the ball of dough in a large flour-dusted bowl and flour the top of it. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and place in a warm room for about an hour until the dough has doubled in size.

Remove the dough to a flour-dusted surface and knead it around a bit to push the air out.

Either use it immediately, or keep it, wrapped in clingfilm, in the fridge (or freezer) until required. If using straight away, divide the dough up into as many little balls as you want to make pizzas – this amount of dough is enough to make about one 14 inch pizza.