Pizza Dough - Gennaro Contaldo's Recipe

Ingredients

• 500 g all-purpose flour (type 00 or strong bread flour recommended)
• 325 ml warm water (lukewarm)
• 7 g dry yeast (or 25g fresh yeast)
• 10 g salt (about 2% of flour weight)
• 20 g flour (for dusting the work surface)
• 30 g semolina (for dusting the tray/work surface)

Steps

1. 1

   Measure 325 ml of lukewarm water into a bowl. Add the dry yeast (or crumbled fresh yeast) and mix well with a teaspoon until dissolved.

2. 2

   In a large mixing bowl, combine 500 g of flour and 10 g of salt. Mix them together thoroughly.

3. 3

   Pour the water and yeast mixture over the flour. Stir until a rough dough forms.

4. 4

   Dust your work surface with a small amount of flour (no more than a tablespoon). Turn the dough out onto the surface.

5. 5

   Knead the dough using the 'stretch and fold' method. Flatten the dough into a vertical strip, anchor the end closest to you with your left palm, and use your right hand to stretch the free end away from you, then fold it back over. Rotate the dough and repeat this operation about 4 times until smooth.

6. 6

   Weigh the total dough (should be approximately 850 g) and divide it into 4 equal portions of about 212 g each.

7. 7

   Shape each portion into a ball. Flatten a piece with the palm of your hand into a 1 cm thick disc, then bring the edges toward the center. Flip the ball over and tuck the edges underneath to create tension (shaping).

8. 8

   Prepare a large tray by dusting the bottom with semolina. Place the 4 dough balls on the tray, leaving plenty of space between them as they will expand significantly.

9. 9

   Cover the tray with a clean kitchen towel and let the dough rise at room temperature for 2 hours until doubled in size and showing small bubbles on the surface.

10. 10

    Preheat your oven to its highest setting (ideally 250°C / 480°F). If using a pizza stone, place it in the oven during preheating.

11. 11

    Stretch the dough by hand (do not use a rolling pin) into a thin circle. Transfer to a baking sheet or pizza peel dusted with semolina or lined with parchment paper.

12. 12

    Add your desired toppings, starting with a thin layer of tomato sauce, followed by cheese and other ingredients.

13. 13

    Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 7 minutes at 250°C until the crust is golden and crispy and the cheese is melted.

Notes

Do not grease the baking tray with oil, as this will fry the bottom of the dough rather than baking it; use semolina or parchment paper instead. The dough can be frozen or proofed overnight in the fridge for better flavor development. For the best results, use a high-protein flour.

Nutrition per serving

• pizza
• main course
• vegetarian
• baking
• authentic
• italian
• dough