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I grew up making homemade Pizza and Calzone with my Neapolitan Father most Saturdays and it is one my passions in in the kitchen! I remember sneaking (or thinking I was sneaking) a piece of the raw dough into my mouth and savoring all the yeasty doughiness while I dimpled, pressed, and rolled out the light and fluffy dough with my Father's hands behind me showing me how it was done. I would look up at his big blue green eyes for approval at my "dough skills "as he explained in his thick Italian accent, " Remember Annuccia, you want to be gentle with the dough not force it, capito?" I love the smell, feel, and pure pleasure of baking my own pizza, calzone, foccaccia, and stromboli at home and desire to pass this art on to others, so here is my recipe from my Buona Cucina to yours!
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| ~My Dad (right) and cousin Gianetto in my Zia's Cucina, Naples, Italy~ |
Tools: kitchen scale for preciseness and best results or use traditional measuring cups
Ingredients
This is for 3 personal size, 2 regular size, 6-8 Calzone, 1 large Focaccia, or 1 large Stromboli.
1/4 teaspoon yeast (that's all you need with a longer ferment)
This is for 3 personal size, 2 regular size, 6-8 Calzone, 1 large Focaccia, or 1 large Stromboli.
1/4 teaspoon yeast (that's all you need with a longer ferment)
12 ounces OR 1 1/2 cups slightly warm water
500 grams OR 3 3/4 - 4 cups 00 flour or All Purpose Flour Unbleached (If using a measuring cup Fluff the flour, then spoon it into the cup and scrape off the top with flat end of knife and always start with only 3 3/4 cups
1 teaspoon salt
Directions
Kitchen Aid Method: Mix yeast & warmish water until foamy on medium high speed (proofing)and than turn it to 2 on the speed button. Add the 500 grams or 3 3/4 cups flour, knead a minute If not weighing it and it's too wet add the flour starting with half of the 1/4 remaining cup at first and knead a few seconds then add rest if still wet, knead for a total about 1 minute.
Kitchen Aid Method: Mix yeast & warmish water until foamy on medium high speed (proofing)and than turn it to 2 on the speed button. Add the 500 grams or 3 3/4 cups flour, knead a minute If not weighing it and it's too wet add the flour starting with half of the 1/4 remaining cup at first and knead a few seconds then add rest if still wet, knead for a total about 1 minute.
Walk away for 20 minutes allowing it to rest.
Sprinkle lightly with flour and mix on #2 for 1 minute.
Cover with plastic and rest 1 1/2 hours.
OR
Hand Method:
Mix the flour and salt and make a well. Add the yeast and liquid into the well. Stir the liquid and yeast together gradually adding in the 500 grams of flour ( If measuring then start with 3 3/4 cups adding more if its still too sticky). It will be messy at first. Eventually you will have a very sticky ball of dough, it will still be messy at this point. Using your hands and a bench scraper or spatula start scraping the dough up and slapping it back down on to the counter, do this continually for about 10-12 minutes. Until it's smooth and elastic.
Mix the flour and salt and make a well. Add the yeast and liquid into the well. Stir the liquid and yeast together gradually adding in the 500 grams of flour ( If measuring then start with 3 3/4 cups adding more if its still too sticky). It will be messy at first. Eventually you will have a very sticky ball of dough, it will still be messy at this point. Using your hands and a bench scraper or spatula start scraping the dough up and slapping it back down on to the counter, do this continually for about 10-12 minutes. Until it's smooth and elastic.
Place in a lightly floured bowl and cover with plastic in a warm place for 4-6 hours. (I use my microwave)
Proceed Here For Either Method
Flour counter lightly and cut, weigh (for even sized pizzas) and form 2-5 tight balls, depending on the sizes you need, lightly flour and cover with a light cloth while you preheat oven.
NOTE: You can freeze or refrigerate the lightly floured balls at this time individually in gallon size baggies at this point.
Directions For Baking in Home Oven
Preheat a pizza stone on the middle rack of a regular oven or on 2nd to last rack in a convection oven at 550 for 30 minutes.
Press out pizza balls into circles with hands leaving an edge all around turning the dough in a circular motion as you form a pizza.
Place sheet of parchment on a pizza pan and transfer dough to parchment and cut the parchment to leave an edge all around.
Add toppings.
Slide the parchment with the pizza onto stone with the parchment staying underneath, bake 6 minutes, Slide out parchment form underneath the pizza very quickly and bake the pizza directly on to the stone for another 2-4 minutes.
Or use a pizza screen as seen in photo.
Remove pizza using the pizza pan sliding it underneath the pizza and pulling out. Top with Basil after removing.
Proceed with the recipe you desire to use the dough in or try one of mine: Pizza/Focaccia/Calzone/Stromboli 101
2 comments:
So - I used this recipe this week and made calzones. OH MY - WONDERFUL! My family licked up every morsel. We loved the texture and flavor of the dough. Perfection!
I am using it again today to make pizza.
I love your blog! Felicity and I enjoy reading it together and looking at the pictures of your family. Well done.
I can't wait to try this recipe! Do you know if the dough would still come out if I mixed it in a breadmaker on the dough setting? Thank you!
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