Neapolitan Pizza Dough & Sauce

Pizza tastes better at the Bowden Bear Lake cabin

SIMPLE PIZZA DOUGH

What started with our little Ooni oven at the Gordon house has expanded to our Gozney oven at the Waterway house. We can’t get enough wood fired pizza.

From Ooni 

Makes 3 x 330g Doug balls or 4 x 250g dough balls 

INGREDIENTS

12.8oz (364g) cold water

4 tsp (18g) salt

20g fresh yeast (or 9.2g active dried yeast, or 7g instant dried yeast) *amend yeast quantities depending on proving time—* 4.1g fresh yeast (or 1.8g active dried yeast, or 1.4g instant dried yeast for cold proof)

21.4oz (607g) “00” flour, plus extra for dusting

DIRECTIONS

Place two-thirds of the water in a large bowl. In a saucepan or microwave, bring the other third of water to boil, then add it to the cold water in the bowl. This creates the correct temperature for activating yeast. Whisk the salt and yeast into the warm water.

If mixing by hand: Place the flour in a large bowl and pour the yeast mixture into it. Stir with a wooden spoon until a dough starts to form. Continue mixing by hand until the pizza dough comes together in a ball. Turn it onto a lightly floured surface and knead with both hands for about 10 minutes, until it is firm and stretchy. Return the dough to the bowl. Cover with cling film and leave to rise in a warm place for about 2 hours or until doubled in size.

If using a mixer: Fit the mixer with the dough hook and place the flour in the mixer bowl. Turn the machine on at a low speed and gradually add the yeast mixture to the flour. Once combined, leave the dough to keep mixing to at the same speed for 5-10 minutes, or until the dough is firm and stretchy. Cover the dough with cling film and leave to rise in a warm place for about 2 hours or until doubled in size. 

When the dough has roughly doubled in size, divide it into 3 or 4 equal pieces, depending on what size you want your pizzas to be (either 12 inches or 16 inches wide). Place each piece of dough in a separate bowl or tray, cover with cling film and leave to rise for another 30 - 60 minutes, or until doubled in size.

Kneading and stretching the dough: Our top tip is always to start with a perfectly rounded ball of pizza dough as this helps to keep the shape of the pizza base circular during the stretching process. Place the ball on a lightly floured surface, flour your hands and use your fingertips to press the dough into a small, flat disc. Working from the center, push the dough outwards while spreading your fingers, making the disc slightly bigger. Pick up the pizza dough and gently pinch it all around the edge, allowing gravity to pull it downwards into a circle. Neapolitan-style pizza bases are very thin, so you should be able to see through the base when you hold it up to the light. Take care when doing this – you don’t want it to tear.

Once the pizza dough is fully stretched, lightly flour your pizza peel and lay the base on it. If at this point you see any small holes in the dough, gently pinch them back together. Once you’re happy with the base, add your toppings and bake in your pizza oven as indicated in your chosen recipe.

**Cold-proving or cold rising is a technique that slows down the fermentation process by placing the dough inside your fridge as it ferments, allowing the yeast to work on the sugars in the flour for a long period of time. 

A 24- to 72-hour prove time helps the dough to develop a complex structure, creating a deeper flavor and added texture. Shaping the dough into balls while they’re cold also prevents excess air from escaping, resulting in beautifully bubbly crusts when cooked. Although it requires a bit of forward planning, the technique itself is super simple, and the results are well worth the wait. Just mix the ingredients together, then pop the pizza dough in the fridge and let the yeast work its magic! 

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SIMPLE PIZZA SAUCE

INGREDIENTS

• Makes enough sauce for 8 x 12” pizzas
  2 tbsp olive oil
  2 garlic cloves, crushed or finely chopped
  4 cups (800g) canned whole plum tomatoes (we like San Marzano)
  2 heaped tsp sugar
  1 tsp salt
  Handful of basil leaves, roughly chopped
  Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
  

DIRECTIONS

Place the oil in a pan over a medium heat. When warm, add the garlic and fry until softened but not brown.

Pour the can of plum tomatoes in the pan and use a masher or fork to crush them down.

Add all the remaining ingredients, then simmer on a low heat for 20 minutes, or until the flavor has deepened and the sauce has thickened slightly.

This sauce can be used straight away, or placed in an airtight container and stored in the fridge for up to a week, ready to be used as required.

Wood fired chocolate chips cookies are the best treat as the oven cools down when we are done with pizza

Back at Gordon. Nothing better than being surrounded by family and friends making amazing food together.