eatplantz

Directions

For the poolish
1. Add all the poolish ingredients to a mixing bowl and mix until fully combined.
2. Transfer the poolish into a 1.5L (or larger) container and keep at room temperature for 1 hour. I used a 1L container for this once and it wasn’t big enough and I got poolish all through my fridge.
3. After 1 hour, put the poolish in the fridge to ferment for no less than 16 hours and no more than 24 hours.

Fast forward 16 – 24 hours, and your poolish is ready to use.

For the dough

4. Add the water, salt and poolish to a large mixing bowl and mix until combined.
5. Add about half of the flour and mix in until combined. Then add the remaining flour until combined. When pretty much combined, tip the dough out onto a clean bench top and kneading gently to bring it all together until the dough is uniform.
6. Place the mixing bowl over the top of dough and leave to rest for 15 minutes.
7. Once rested, you’ll need to shape the ball of dough so that it is smooth on top. Put some olive oil on your hands so the dough doesn’t stick to your hands. Carefully pick up the dough and gently stretch the dough out and fold it under itself. Repeat this making sure to keep the smooth surface on the top each time until it is nice and smooth. Watch this if you get stuck: https://youtu.be/G-jPoROGHGE?si=z0PVKyEFIOJ0WaEx&t=470
8. Add the dough to a large lightly oiled bowl, smooth side facing upwards, and cover and let rest for another 30 minutes.
9. Once rested, carefully remove the dough from the bowl and place onto your bench top ensuring that the smooth side is still facing upwards. Cut the dough into quarters. Now, flip one of the quarters, smooth side facing downward, and repeatedly bring the corners and edges into the middle of the dough, pinching them together in the middle until your have a round ball. Flip the ball over and you should have a nice smooth ball! Repeat for the other quarters.
Again, if you’re stuck, watch this: https://youtu.be/G-jPoROGHGE?si=cy9ilxIgNVwqGbZD&t=652.
10. Lightly flour a large tray and place each dough ball onto the tray with about a 3 finger gap between them to give them room to rise. Lightly oil the tops of the dough and cover with cling film or plastic wrap and leave to rise for another 2 hours.
11. During this time prepare your toppings and ingredients what ever they may be! More recipes and ideas coming for this soon so watch this space. Here’s a simple but delicious suggestion:
For the sauce – 400g canned tomatoes (blended) – 1/2 tbs fresh basil leaves (torn) – 1/2 tsp salt – 1 tbs olive oil

Toppings – Mozzarella (or your favourite cheese) cut into cubes – Fresh basil leaves

Preheat your oven now for approx 1 hour before cooking to the max temperature! Place a pizza stone or tray into the oven on a high shelf to preheat.

12. Anyway, back to the pizza. Put about a cup of flour onto a plate. Once the 2 hours is up, using a dough scraper or something similar (I made a dough scraper from an old takeaway container lid once), add a little flour around the base of a dough ball and gently slide the scraper underneath, being careful not to move it around too much. Pick up the dough ball and place smooth side down into the flour. Flip to cover the bottom side too and then place onto a lightly flour surface. Watch this: https://youtu.be/G-jPoROGHGE?si=iaFK72lAFix8SBd1&t=907
13. Starting from the middle of the dough ball, press down with flat fingers in the middle of the dough and slowly moving outwards towards the edge, push the air from the inside to the outside so the air is in the crust. Flip and repeat on the other side.
14. Now pick up the dough and clear any excess flour from underneath. If you have a pizza paddle just place dough back down onto the bench with the top side facing up but if not then I recommend tearing off a tray sized sheet of greaseproof and placing underneath so you can easily move it into the oven.
15. Gently stretch out the dough until about 40cm or so in diameter. Watch this: https://youtu.be/G-jPoROGHGE?si=2SRKG7h3XHlehFPR&t=962
16. Add a large spoon of sauce to the middle of the pizza and spread out from inside to outside making sure to leave room for your crust.
17. Transfer the pizza into the oven onto your tray or pizza stone and cook until the crust begin to turn golden. If using greaseproof, I get a seperate tray to slide the pizza onto and then carefully slide it onto the tray in the oven.
18. Remove the pizza from the oven. Add your remaining toppings, drizzle with olive oil and brush olive oil around the crust.
19. Place back into the oven. If you’re using greaseproof you can now slide pizza off the greaseproof and directly onto the preheated stone on tray. Cook until cheese has just melted! While this is cooking you can prepare the next base.

You should now have a bubbley crusted delicious pizzas ready to eat! Huge shoutout to Vito Iacopelli for the method! I have been trying to perfect my pizza dough recipe for a while now but Vito’s method has been a game changer. Definitely worth watching his full video if you’re interested to learn more or need a visual for any of the steps involved.