Perfect Pizza Dough
Making the perfect pizza dough is a time honor tradition and is a far cry from easy to do. The Neapolitan's were the first to create pizza with cheese, tomato, herbs and spices as we know it today, but there are countless variations that exist worldwide using leavened and unleavened flat bread dough recipes.
The perfect dough in a Neapolitan's eye is a dough that is unbelievably tender once cooked and deliciously yeasty. The tenderness of the dough comes from the amount of time it has been allowed to rise and then kneaded as well as the high protein flour they use in Naples.
Sources state that the genuine Neapolitan pizza dough consists of wheat flour, brewer's yeast, salt and water. For proper results, strong flour with a high protein content must be used. The dough must be kneaded by hand and after the rising process is complete, the dough must be formed by hand without the help of a rolling pin and may be no more than 3 millimeters (0.12 in) thick.
This is where the tradition of tossing the pizza dough originated. The pizza must be baked for one minute to one minute and a half in a 485 °C (905 °F) wood-fired pizza oven with an oak-wood fire as established by the Association Verace Pizza Napoletana (The True Neapolitan Pizza Association).
French bakers have a technique that allows the bread for a baguette to rise for 36 hours. This yields a dough that is quite elastic and extremely flavorful. It makes for delectable pizza dough as well as bread.
That being said, the Neapolitan dough is a far cry from the "pizza al taglio" (pizza by the slice) dough that's found in Rome and many other Italian cities. It's a thicker, more bread-like dough and these pizzas, more similar to a focaccia, are baked on long metal baking sheets.
To many though, this is the perfect pizza dough! American New York Style Pizza is far more reminiscent of the original Neapolitan version of pizza because of its thin crust that you can fold. Chicago Style Pizza on the other hand, otherwise known as deep-dish pizza, resembles the bread dough used for the Roman "pizza al taglio".
The one place you'll never find the right pizza dough however, is at the supermarket in the frozen food section. The fact of the matter is that dough hates being cold. Imagine how freezing it makes it feel! It's a living thing that needs to be warm to rise and give way to incredible flavour.
Pizza dough needs to be nurtured and treated with care. You'll be rewarded if you make your dough at home, be patient and use the best strong flour and brewer's yeast you can find. Simply preheat your wood-fired oven and smoker once the dough has risen, prepare your toppings and off you go. Perfect pizza dough every time no matter what style of pizza you prefer.
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