THICK PIZZA DOUGH RECIPES

Steps:

• 1. Sieve the flour/s and salt on to a clean work surface and make a well in the middle.
  2. In a jug, mix the yeast, sugar and oil into 650ml of lukewarm water and leave for a few minutes, then pour into the well.
  3. Using a fork, bring the flour in gradually from the sides and swirl it into the liquid. Keep mixing, drawing larger amounts of flour in, and when it all starts to come together, work the rest of the flour in with your clean, flour-dusted hands. Knead until you have a smooth, springy dough.
  4. 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.
  5. Now remove the dough to a flour-dusted surface and knead it around a bit to push the air out with your hands – this is called knocking back the dough. You can either use it immediately, or keep it, wrapped in clingfilm, in the fridge (or freezer) until required.
  6. 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 six to eight medium pizzas.
  7. Timing-wise, it’s a good idea to roll the pizzas out about 15 to 20 minutes before you want to cook them. Don’t roll them out and leave them hanging around for a few hours, though – if you are working in advance like this it’s better to leave your dough, covered with clingfilm, in the fridge. However, if you want to get them rolled out so there’s one less thing to do when your guests are round, simply roll the dough out into rough circles, about 0.5cm thick, and place them on slightly larger pieces of olive-oil-rubbed and flour-dusted tin foil. You can then stack the pizzas, cover them with clingfilm, and pop them into the fridge.

Steps:

• (9:00 a.m.)Add the ingredients to a mixing bowl or stand mixer. Mix until medium development (the dough should be smooth, but still a little shaggy, and elastic. Transfer the dough to a bulk fermentation container and cover.
• (9:15 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.)This dough will need 3 sets of stretch and folds during bulk fermentation, at 30-minute intervals.
• (Overnight, 11:45 am to 11:00 a.m.)Remove the dough from the bulk fermentation bowl and lightly oil the interior with olive oil. Tighten the dough on the counter into a ball and transfer back to the oiled bowl, seam side down. Cover the bowl and transfer to the refrigerator overnight.
• (11:00 a.m.)Divide the dough into two 290g pieces. Shape the dough into a very tight ball with no seam on the bottom. Transfer to a pizza dough tray or baking sheet and cover.
• (11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.)Proof the dough out on the counter at around 75°F (23°C) for 5-6 hours. When fully proofed, the dough will have relaxed outward and be soft to the touch. If using the dough soon, preheat your oven, alternatively, you can place the dough back into the fridge until the next day.
• (5:30 p.m.)Preheat your oven with Baking Steel inside, one or two rungs from the top, to 550°F (285°C). Shape a dough piece into a large circle on a piece of parchment paper. Switch oven to Broiler setting, top your pizza dough, and slide the dough onto the Baking Steel. Spritz the inside of the oven a few times with a handheld water sprayer. Bake for 1.5-2 minutes with the broiler on, then turn the oven back to Bake setting at 550°F (285°C). After 1 minute, rotate the pizza in the oven. Bake for another 4-5 minutes until done to your liking. Repeat for the other piece of dough.