Montegatta Farm pizza dough recipe!
So many of you who are here following Montegatta Farm know Amy for her tomato sauce and pizza sauce recipes. And hopefully all of the tomato grow articles have been helpful too!
But there never would have been a pizza sauce recipe if it hadn’t been for the dough!
Before we get too far in with the pizza dough recipe, there are a few things you should know before you even start.
My Tips for Improving your results:
1. A good pizza dough starts with the flour. And one of the best flours for pizza is 00. That’s what we call double-oh flour. It is made in Italy, and it is known to be a finer grind and is higher in gluten proteins, which results in greater elasticity. You can find double-oh flour on Amazon. The most familiar producer is Caputo.
2. Always start your grill or oven before you start working your dough. Especially a grill will need that much time to get up to the correct temperature.
3. You can use a bread machine or you can make the dough by hand. You can also use a stand mixer with dough hooks. Whichever method you choose, the goal is to end up with soft, smooth dough balls which aren’t sticky.
4. Don’t use too much cornmeal, which is often recommended for increased slippage. However I have found that the cornmeal will transfer to the cooking surface and tend to burn the crust. This is true whether you are using an oven or a grill. Instead, as you work the dough, keep a bowl or container of flour near your working surface and add more to the surface several times as you work it to keep a good non-stick surface. This will increase the dryness of the dough, which will prevent “stickage” and reduce the need for cornmeal.
5. Don’t roll the dough. Form your pizzas by hand. Rolling will over-compact the dough and will result in a crust that is too dense. Be careful not to overstretch the dough. You don’t want it too thin or else it will be very difficult to transfer. Also very thin dough is more easily punctured. And it is almost impossible to repair a hole on pizza crust.
6. Lastly, don’t add too much sauce, and don’t add too many toppings. At least not until you start perfecting your crust game! Too much of either will moisten the crust making it hard to transfer, and too many toppings will prevent the pizza from cooking through in the center.
Pizza Pan, Pizza Steel, or Pizza Stone – which is best?
I have tried using pizza stones, steel, racks, and pizza pans. As to my favorite, I go back and forth between the steel and the stone. I rarely use pans except when making deep dish pizza. For performance, right now I really like the steel. That said, I still use both steel and stone for a variety of reasons; not the least of which is that we like to cook multiple pizzas at the same time.
Pizza stones take a longer time to get to temperature, so be sure to allow your grill or oven to fully come to temperature prior to cooking your pizzas.
When making multiple pizzas in a row, the pizza stone has a tendency to cool in between pizzas, whereas the steel will not. So if you are using a stone for multiple pizzas, you may want to allow the stone to get back to temperature prior to cooking subsequent pizzas.
Thin pizza stones can break when you put the cool moist dough on a hot stone. Thicker, higher quality pizza stones, in my experience, don’t break, and they also maintain heat better.
Oven or grill?
Both will work for pizzas. If you are using your oven, be sure to set it to the highest temperature. Allow sufficient time for the oven to get up to temperature. If using your grill, you’ll want to get it above 500 degrees. For comparison, many commercial pizza ovens can reach up to 1000 degrees Fahrenheit. Some charcoal or kettle style grills can achieve much higher temperatures than gas grills, so those are preferable.
However on a gas grill you can get closer to a true pizza oven experience with an add-on pizza oven kit. What this is is an insert you can use on your grill that will help increase and concentrate the heat to the pizza stone, creating an environment more like a professional pizza oven.
The Pizza Dough Recipe – Ingredients
500 g Flour, 310 g Water, a teaspoon and a half of yeast, 2 teaspoons kosher salt, 1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil. And yes, I weigh the flour and the water.
There are many other recipes available depending upon the moisture content you’re looking for. And there is always some discussion on the addition (or not) of oil and amounts – we like to use it for a little extra flavor.
The Pizza Dough Recipe – Instructions
There are four steps to making a good pizza. I’ll get into each one in more detail below.
- Make the pizza dough
- Work the dough
- Apply toppings
- Cook your pizzas
Making the pizza dough
Put all dry ingredients and the olive oil if you are using it into a large bowl. Add the water gradually. You can use a bread machine or you can make the dough by hand. You can also use a stand mixer with dough hooks. Whichever method you choose, the goal is to end up with soft, smooth dough balls which aren’t sticky. This initial processing should take about 5-7 minutes.
Apply the flour to both your work surface and your hands. Dust the dough as you process and divide the dough into your appropriate portions. Then form each portion into smooth dough balls to rest for at least 15-20 minutes.
Place in a covered container. I use a covered casserole dish. Space evenly. Put the dough balls in the refrigerator to ferment overnight, between 24 – 48 hours prior to working the dough. This resting period produces a much more flavorful dough with a chewy texture.
Working the dough
Take the dough out of the refrigerator 2-3 hours prior to when you intend to make your pizzas. They should be at room temperature when you start working them.
When you are ready to make the pizzas, first turn on your oven or grill to the highest temperature possible. Next, take the dough balls out of the pan and place them on a heavily floured surface, such as a large wood cutting board or solid surface countertop. Work your dough by hand. You may need to add some additional flour to prevent “stickage”. Keep a small bowl near your work surface and dust as needed.
To form your pizzas, start with your dough in your nicely shaped ball. Press in the center with your finger tips and start to form the ball into a circle. Try to maintain even thickness throughout. You’ll gradually start forming a larger circle. At that point you can pick up the circle and gently stretch it with your knuckles and fists. Using the fist will prevent making holes. Allow the weight of the dough to do some of stretching.
On a heavily floured surface, you can also stretch the dough by placing your hands on opposite sides and stretching while turning. Be careful not to overstretch the dough. You don’t want it too thin or else it will be very difficult to transfer. As you get a feel for the dough, you can try tossing it like you see in pizza parlors and in videos.
Applying toppings
Choose your pizza sauce. Use a large tablespoon and spread the sauce with the back of the spoon. Be cautious with the amount of sauce you use. You do not want the dough to get too moist. A good thick sauce is best, and also you will want to work very quickly with toppings once the sauce has been added to the crust. This is why it is important to have the oven/grill already at temp once you start applying toppings. You definitely do NOT want the pizza dough getting wet while you wait for the oven to heat up.
A thin layer of sauce works – you tend to need less sauce than you may think you do. Add your toppings of choice. We like to have a large variety of toppings available and let everyone build their own personal pizza to their taste.
Try not to add too many toppings to your pizza. Or at least, spread the toppings out to the outer edges of the pizza. Too many toppings in the middle will make the center of the crust soggy and prevent a good cook. It will also increase the chance that the pizza will slip when transferring it to the stone or steel.
Cooking your pizzas
Your grill or oven should be at temperature; ideally 500 degrees or above. The hotter the oven, the shorter the amount of time the pizzas need, and you’ll typically get better results. Keep a close eye on your pizzas and pull them out when the top outer edge has your desired doneness, and the center is fully cooked.
If using a grill with a pizza insert, this could be anywhere from 2-5 minutes, and you may need to rotate the pizza a few times. If you are using the oven, it could take 5 to even 10 minutes, and you may or may not need to rotate depending upon how evenly your oven cooks.
Good luck and have fun making your pizzas!
