Finally, a pizza base I am happy with

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Finally, a pizza base I am happy with

Postby johnfb » Sun Mar 13, 2011 10:47 pm

So after years of messing around with different recipes for pizza base I have finally decided on this one as my final and best one:


25 grams of cornmeal
175 gram of strong flour
1 TBS olive oil
1 tsp fast acting yeast
150ml tepid water
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar.

Do the usual. After the first proof knock back and roll out, in cornmeal, not flour.
Bake on pizza stone.


The best I have eaten so far.


John
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Postby grisell » Sun Mar 13, 2011 11:58 pm

Hmm. Intersting. :)

I have heard about the thing with the cornmeal. May I ask what you think is the advantage of using olive oil in the dough? Do you prefer a softer texture? And the sugar?

NB No criticism, I'm just curious!
Last edited by grisell on Mon Mar 14, 2011 3:08 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Postby wheels » Mon Mar 14, 2011 12:09 am

John

The recipe looks great but...

...what do you mean by cornmeal? Polenta, cornflour, semolina?

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Postby MikeF » Mon Mar 14, 2011 3:00 am

I always use semolina when I make pizza, it gives it a nice texture and taste.
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Postby Snags » Mon Mar 14, 2011 5:24 am

Semolina gives you ball bearings to roll the pizza into the wood fired oven.

For my dough I use
3 cups flour 00
2 teaspoons dry yeast
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/4 Tsp Sugar
1 and bit cups (nearly a half) of room temp water, it varies on the flour and the humidity and my eye.
Knead for about 4 or 5 minutes in a machine

Grease a bowl with EV Oilive Oil (not much)
Glad wrap and put in the fridge
next day
1 hour before ready for pizza
take out and knock down
Cut into 2 ball
Put on grease proof paper when at room temp push out to form pizzas
I rarely use more flour but sometimes if too sticky will (semolina would work here if you want.
The flavour is as good as I have ever tried in Italy or in the best of the best in Australia.
yet to take the plunge still researching
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Postby johnfb » Mon Mar 14, 2011 10:57 am

grisell wrote:Hmm. Intersting. :)

I have heard about the thing with the cornmeal. May I ask what you think is the advantage of using olive oil in the dough? Do you prefer a softer texture? And the sugar?

NB No criticism, I'm just curious!



Hi Grisell

The recipe called for everything in the list. I didn't invent this one myself but rather found it in an old recipe book of mine...it gives a result the same as the ones from Pizza hut for example. I still make my more doughy ones but will stick with this as my staple one from now on.

The sugar is used for feeding the yeast
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Postby johnfb » Mon Mar 14, 2011 11:04 am

wheels wrote:John

The recipe looks great but...

...what do you mean by cornmeal? Polenta, cornflour, semolina?

Phil


Hi Phil,
I have to tell you the pizza turned out brilliant, and on instruction from the missus and the brats I have to make these ones from now on. :lol:

It is polenta, but I buy lots of stuff at my local Indian foodstore and they sell cornmeal there so that's what I bought.

Trust me, give this style a spin if you like that Pizza-hut type of base.

I prick the base all over with a fork to prevent rise before placing in my pizza oven, an electric stove top with a pizza stone in it. Superb results.

But the trick to doing it is to roll the pizza in the cornmeal...and not flour before cooking.

Here is what I mean...two videos showing the rolling in cornmeal...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4xwnz0L ... re=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlWJV6M3 ... re=related

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Postby wheels » Mon Mar 14, 2011 2:08 pm

Many thanks John.

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Postby mitchamus » Mon Mar 14, 2011 9:10 pm

The evil trinity of pizza!

1) The Rolling Pin
(why bother proofing if you are going to knock all the air out?)

2) The Docker
(base texture should be like that of Turkish bread, with large air bubbles)

2) Pizza trays
(Bake directly on a stone, or in a wood oven)
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Postby shanew » Wed Apr 13, 2011 10:34 pm

i use the same recipe, for more of a pizzahut style base replace the water with 50/50 water and milk and add 1/4tsp each of garlic and onion powder to the base, also brush the edge with melted butter or oil. not the horrid aerosol spray butter they use.
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Postby homer » Tue Aug 23, 2011 7:00 pm

sorry to drag up old threads..BUT

just done johnfb dough recipe and gotta say best one ive ever made!
seems the search for the perfect pizza dough recipe is over here also

i love this forum :lol: :lol: :lol:
Other half moaned on about me finding new hobbies ..found this site..now she's sorry!!
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Postby penllawen » Mon Sep 05, 2011 3:30 pm

I made a lot of second-rate pizza[1] before settling on the Cook's Illustrated NY-style pizza dough recipe, which is a 48-hour cold fermented deal. It's wonderful. I don't use the sauce from that recipe though, I do something different.

Also, I strongly agree with mitchamus about 1) don't roll it 2) don't prick it and 3) bake it on a stone.

Also also, hello group!

[1] I still ate it. Obviously.
My food blog: Objection: Salad!
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Postby mitchamus » Wed Sep 07, 2011 11:18 pm

here is my recipe, not VPN, but the one I like, needs to be done the day before though...

1kg bread flour
650ml luke warm water (65% hydration)
2 tsp ADY
2 TBSP of dark brown sugar (yes tablespoons - sue me :))
4tsp salt
1/3 cup olive oil

add the water sugar yeast into a jug, mix and allow to stand.
once the yeast is doing it's thing, dump the oil on top.

put half the four in a bowl & mix the salt through.

add the water and mix into a sponge/batter/ very wet mess.

gradually mix in half of the remaining flour.

let it autolyse (rest) for 20mins.

dump the remaining four in a pile on the benchtop, and use this to knead the dough for about 7-10mins depending on your ability.
Do not add any more flour into the mix!!!

return to the bowl to prove for 1 hour.

punch down

prove for another hour.

knock down and make into 5 300g dough balls.

place these into individual snap-lock bags and leave in the fridge overnight.

remove the bags from the fridge, about 30mins before you need to use then to come up to room temp before hand stretching.

Use course semolina for shaping & on the peel.
Last edited by mitchamus on Wed Sep 07, 2011 11:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Postby wheels » Wed Sep 07, 2011 11:30 pm

There's some great recipes here, but it depends on what you think is a pizza!
I'm guessing that it depends on your background as to what you think is the 'best' recipe.

I've met people that think that pineapple and ham on top of a bread dough is actually a pizza. :evil:

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Postby mitchamus » Wed Sep 07, 2011 11:35 pm

..that think that pineapple and ham


Hawaiian pizza!!! it's an Australian institution!

Just about every pizza place in Australia has it.... much to the chagrin of our Italian mates.

Ham pineapple & prawn is good too. :wink:
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