Pappardelle Pasta

I've made Pappardelle twice before, once using my mom's homemade pasta recipe and another time using a similar recipe that has some helpful photos and even a video. I like making Pappardelle because it's simple - make the dough, roll the dough, and then cut it with a knife and you're done! It pairs perfectly with a thick bolognese sauce.

For pasta recipes like this one, I like to use my Marcato Atlas 180 pasta roller. I bought this pasta machine without any cutting attachments, specifically just for rolling out pasta sheets. It is wider than the more well-known Atlas 150 so it's perfect for lasagna noodles and sheets of pasta for ravioli or hand cutting. I also have a KitchenAid pasta roller, although I have not used it in a long time - when making small amounts of pasta I really prefer to hand crank them.

The recipe below is the one I used most recently and it yields the perfect amount for my small family of 4. As always, make sure your eggs are room temperature before you start mixing your pasta dough.

Pappardelle Pasta

Recipe courtesy Emilie Raffa

 

Make homemade pappardelle pasta from scratch with only two ingredients: whole eggs and 00 flour. Hand-cut for wide, silky ribbons that pair perfectly with Bolognese, mushroom ragù or basil pesto. 

 

For timing, the process is broken up into 3 parts: making the dough, rolling the dough into pasta sheets, and cutting the pasta into noodles. Tips shared below for using a Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer, food processor and doing it by hand. 

 

300 g Tipo 00 Flour*

3 large eggs, room temperature* 

1 large egg yolk, room temperature

Olive oil*

Semolina flour, for dusting

 

*Note: For the Tipo 00 flour, I recommend Molino Grassi or Caputo. For the eggs & yolk, the total combined weight (cracked) should be 185 g. Because egg size varies, make up the difference, if needed, with an extra egg yolk or olive oil. Olive oil makes the dough more soft, supple and satisfying to work with. 

Step #1: Make The Dough

There are 3 different ways to make pasta dough: by hand, in a stand mixer or with a food processor. Choose one of the following options below.

The Traditional Way (by hand):

1.     Add the flour to a large bowl. Make a well in the center; add the eggs and yolk.

2.     Whisk together with a fork, and then combine with the flour. When the texture becomes stiff, finish by hand to form a rough dough. If dry bits of flour remain after a few minutes of mixing (be patient, it’s a dry dough) add a few drops of water or olive oil to bring the dough together. 

3.     Form the dough into a ball, cover with an upturned bowl or with plastic wrap, and let rest at room temperature for 10-15 minutes- it will be easier to knead.

4.     Knead the dough for 5-7 minutes. Do this by folding the dough over itself, pushing it forward with the heel of your hand, turning slightly as you go. I literally rock the dough back and forth (watch the video). The texture will be very stiff at first- it’s not bread dough. But rest assured, by the 2 minute mark it will start to soften. Keep kneading until the dough is soft, malleable and has a talcum-like finish. It should “bounce back” slowly when poked.

5.     Form the dough into a ball, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Stand Mixer Instructions:

Fit the machine with the dough hook. Add the flour and eggs to the bowl. Mix until combined. Knead on speed #1 or #2, about 4-5 minutes. Form the dough into a ball, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Food Processor Instructions:

Add the flour and eggs to the bowl. Pulse several times until the dough comes together. Remove the dough to your work surface and let rest for 1 minute. If the dough is a bit sticky after resting, add a sprinkle of flour. Knead by hand for 1-2 minutes (the food processor does most of the kneading for you). Form the dough into a ball, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Step #2: Roll The Dough Into Pasta Sheets

This can be done using a KitchenAid stand mixer with the roller attachment, with a hand crank pasta machine or by hand with a rolling pin.

1.     Dust your work surface with semolina flour. Cut the pasta dough into 4 pieces. Working with one piece at a time, flatten the dough into a 6-8inch oval patty. Keep the remaining doughs covered in wrap otherwise they will dry out. 

2.     If using a KitchenAid stand mixer, set the pasta roller to #1 which is the lowest/widest setting. With the machine running, send the dough through the roller. Now, send it through again (so, 2x total). Note: if using a hand crank pasta machine instead, refer to the manufacture’s specific instructions for rolling the dough (the settings might differ but the rolling process is the same). You can also use a rolling pin to roll the dough as thin as you can, about 1/16 inch (1-2 mm).

3.     Continue to roll the dough through settings #2-4, (2x) on each setting. Do not pull on the sheet as it comes through the roller; just guide it along gently. If at any point the dough becomes sticky, dust with semolina flour. I keep my work surface dusted with semolina at all times. This way I can coat both sides of my pasta sheet easily and quickly while I work.

4.     Your pasta sheet is ready when it’s beautifully thin and somewhat translucent (you should be able to see your hand underneath). Don’t worry if the ends are not perfectly straight; you can always trim them with a knife.

5.     To finish, dust the pasta sheet generously with semolina, fold it in half, and place onto your floured sheet pan. Cover with a kitchen towel. Repeat the rolling process for the remaining 3 doughs.

Step #3: Cut Pappardelle Pasta 

1.     Before cutting, I like to dry my pasta sheets ever so slightly. This firms up the final texture giving the strands a more “leathery” finish, rather than a soft and doughy feel (this will prevent the pasta from sticking together later on). 

2.     To Semi-Dry: drape the pasta sheets over the back of a chair for about 10-15 minutes or so. Keep your eye on the time; you don’t want the sheets to dry out completely. You will be able to feel the difference.

3.     To Cut: take a pasta sheet and cut it in half. Trim the ends, if you like. Run the sheet through your desired pasta cutter attachment to create strands. Alternatively, cut the dough by hand.

To Store: Arrange the pasta flat on a sheet pan dusted heavily with semolina flour. Doing so will keep the pappardelle’s broad and flat shape- it won’t curl. Cover with plastic wrap and hold at room temperature if cooking within 1-2 hours. Alternatively, refrigerate until ready to cook, up to 12 hrs. It’s best to cook homemade pasta on the same day it’s made, otherwise it might oxidize, discolor and stick together if chilled past 24 hrs.

To Freeze: Allow the pasta to air-dry, uncovered, for up to 20 minutes before freezing. This helps to prevent sticking. Portion into Ziploc bags and freeze, up to 1 month. Cook directly from frozen, no need to defrost first.

To Cook: Add the pasta to a large pot of boiling water. Make sure to generously salt it first. Cooking time will depend on the pasta’s thickness. For pappardelle, plan on 5-7 minutes for al dente (soft but with a bite), but taste it first to be sure it’s ready. When finished, use tongs to transfer the pasta directly into the sauce.

Easy Homemade Pizza Dough

I've been making Giada's pizza dough recipe for years ever since my cousin Christine told me she makes it. I recently asked her if that's what she still makes, and she said she mostly makes the Sally's Baking Addiction pizza dough recipe these days, as well as the Stromboli recipe which uses the same dough. I finally gave it a try today and it was really good!

I used active dry yeast and let the dough rise for 1.5 hours, then punched it down and let it rise another 1.5 hours before I divided it and spread it in pans. The recipe doesn't say to punch it down, but I had the extra time and I'm used to doing that. I also used Caputo 00 Flour instead of all-purpose.

This recipe makes two 12" pizzas. I like making 3 pizzas because that perfectly uses up one 16-ounce block of mozzarella that I slice up (I never use shredded mozzarella on my pizzas). Since I had never made this recipe before, I did 1.5 times the recipe which worked out fine for 3 pizzas. My pans are 14" big, so next time I think I will double the recipe and see if I like it more with a slightly thicker crust.

Since it's a Friday in Lent, my topping options were limited. One of my sons will only eat cheese pizza, so I made two cheese pizzas with sauce and one "white" pizza with ricotta. I have not made a ricotta pizza in a very long time so I just experimented and I thought it came out pretty good. I like to use ricotta with simple ingredients like the Galbani Double Cream version or Galbani Classic version. I lightly sautéed a few cloves of chopped garlic in olive oil and spread that over the sliced mozzarella. Then I mixed about 8 ounces of ricotta with salt, pepper, oregano and some Romano cheese and spread that on top of the mozzarella and garlic/olive oil mixture and then put more grated Romano cheese on top. Next time I'll put the mozzarella on top of the ricotta to see which way I like better.

This recipe was really good. My husband and sons seemed to enjoy the extra crunch from the cornmeal (my mom has used cornmeal on her pizza pans for years but I usually just use olive oil on my pans). I'm happy to have another delicious pizza dough recipe to use so I'm not always making the same one!

Easy Homemade Pizza Dough

Recipe Courtesy Sally’s Baking Addiction

 

Follow these basic instructions for a thick, crisp, and chewy pizza crust at home. The recipe yields enough pizza dough for two 12-inch pizzas and you can freeze half of the dough for later. Close to 2 pounds of dough total. This recipe is also in my New York Times best-selling cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.

 

1⅓ cups (320ml) warm water (about 110°)

1 Tablespoon (13g) granulated sugar

2¼ teaspoons (7g) Platinum Yeast from Red Star instant yeast (1 standard packet)*

3½ to 4 cups (438–500g) unbleached all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled), plus more as needed

2 Tablespoons (30ml) extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing 

1 teaspoon salt

Sprinkle of cornmeal, for dusting the pan

 

Whisk the warm water, granulated sugar, and yeast together in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook or paddle attachment. Cover and allow to rest for 5 minutes. If you don’t have a stand mixer, simply use a large mixing bowl and mix the dough with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula in the next step.

 

Add the flour, olive oil, and salt. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

 

Knead the dough: Keep the dough in the mixer and beat for an additional 5 full minutes, or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 5 full minutes. If the dough becomes too sticky during the kneading process, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of flour at a time on the dough or on the work surface/in the bowl to make a soft, slightly tacky dough. Do not add more flour than you need because you do not want a dry dough. After kneading, the dough should still feel a little soft. Poke it with your finger—if it slowly bounces back, your dough is ready to rise.

 

Rise: Lightly grease a large bowl with oil—just use the same bowl you used for the dough. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat all sides in the oil. Cover the bowl with aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or a clean kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 60–90 minutes or until double in size (see note at the bottom of recipe for rise time depending on which yeast you use).

 

Preheat oven to 475°. Allow it to heat for at least 15–20 minutes as you shape the pizza. (If using a pizza stone, place it in the oven to preheat as well.) Lightly grease baking sheet or pizza pan with olive oil. Sprinkle lightly with cornmeal, which gives the crust extra crunch and flavor.

 

Shape the dough: When the dough is ready, punch it down to release any air bubbles. Divide the dough in half. (If not making 2 pizzas, freeze half of the dough for another time. See freezing instructions below.) On a lightly floured work surface using lightly floured hands or a rolling pin, gently flatten the dough into a disc. Place on prepared pan and, using lightly floured hands, stretch and flatten the disc into a 12-inch circle, about 1/2-inch thick. If the dough keeps shrinking back as you try to stretch it, stop what you’re doing, cover it lightly for 5–10 minutes, then try again. Once shaped into a 12-inch circle, lift the edge of the dough up to create a lip around the edges. I simply pinch the edges up to create the rim. If using a pizza stone, place the dough directly on baker’s peels dusted with cornmeal.

 

Cover dough lightly with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and allow to rest for a few minutes as you prepare your pizza toppings.

 

Top & bake the pizza: Using your fingers, press dents into the surface of the dough to prevent bubbling. Lightly brush olive oil over the top of the crust (optional). Top with the toppings of your choice and bake for 13–15 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.

 

Slice hot pizza and serve immediately. Cover leftover pizza tightly and store in the refrigerator.

 

NOTES:

Freezing Instructions: This recipe yields enough dough for two 12-inch pizzas, a little less than 2 pounds (900g) total. After the pizza dough rises and you divide the dough in half (step 5), you can freeze one of the balls of dough to make pizza at a later time. Or you can simply freeze both balls of dough separately. Lightly coat all sides of the dough ball(s) with nonstick spray or olive oil. Place the dough ball(s) into individual zipped-top bag(s) and seal tightly, squeezing out all the air. Freeze for up to 3 months. To thaw, place the frozen pizza dough in the refrigerator for about 8 hours or overnight. When ready to make pizza, remove the dough from the refrigerator and allow to rest for 1 hour on the counter. Preheat the oven and continue with step 5, punching down the dough to release air if needed.

 

Overnight/All Day Instructions: Prepare the dough through step 3, but allow the dough to rise for 8–12 hours in the refrigerator. (If it needs to be in the refrigerator for longer, use cooler water (about 70°) in the dough, which will slow the dough’s rise and allow for more time.) The slow rise gives the pizza dough wonderful flavor! When ready, continue with step 4. If the dough didn’t quite double in size overnight, let it sit at room temperature for 30–45 minutes before punching down (step 5).

 

Yeast: Red Star Platinum yeast is an instant yeast. You can use active dry yeast instead. The rise time will be at least 90 minutes.

Gaines Family Chili

Last month I was craving chili and found this very simple recipe (a printable version is here). The only thing you need to chop is one onion, so this is the perfect weeknight recipe since it comes together so quickly. All of the flavor comes from the canned tomatoes and beans which are already seasoned. Two 26-ounce cans of beans sounded like a lot to me, so I used two 15-ounce cans instead and I thought that was perfect. I had never seen or heard of Ranch Style Beans before but luckily our commissary had them. I used mild Rotel but if you like more heat, use original or hot. I did not use Fritos but I left it in the recipe.

I was skeptical about this recipe but I was surprised at how good it was. I'm so used to making a big recipe of chili that uses ground beef and ground pork and requires chopping peppers, onions and garlic and using various spices and then having it cook for several hours. This recipe only takes about 45 minutes. I made cornbread to go with it (and spaghetti because I love spaghetti with chili) and this was the perfect fall dinner. This fits perfectly in a 4-quart dutch oven (pictured below), or has a little room to spare in a 5.5-quart dutch oven.

If you are new to cooking or running low on time, this is the recipe to make!

Gaines Family Chili

Recipe from Magnolia Table, Volume 1 Cookbook

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 large white onion, finely chopped

2 pounds ground beef (80% lean)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Two 10-ounce cans mild diced tomatoes and green chiles, such as Ro*tel, undrained

Two 26-ounce or 15-ounce cans Southwestern-style beans, preferably Ranch Style brand, undrained

One 10.25-ounce bag Fritos

2 cups grated sharp Cheddar cheese (about 8 ounces)

In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat until hot. Add the onion and sauté until translucent and tender, about 8 minutes.

 

Add the beef and a couple of pinches each of salt and pepper and cook, stirring often to break up the meat, until it loses its pink color, 6 to 7 minutes.

 

Stir in the tomatoes and beans with their juice. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

 

Ladle the chili into bowls. Serve topped with Fritos and grated Cheddar and accompanied by cornbread.

 

Store leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

 

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Zuppa Toscana

I recently came across this soup recipe and made it tonight - it was so good! I don't think I have ever put potatoes in soup before (I always add pasta), but this was delicious and is the perfect recipe for anyone who is gluten-free. Apparently this soup is served at Olive Garden, which I do not go to so I've never had it. There are many copycat recipes out there and most have bacon and kale in them but this one was more appealing to me. This recipe is very straightforward and easy and I much prefer spinach over kale. Sadly I can't have heavy cream but I found a Country Crock dairy-free alternative that I used, which worked well (this Silk one is even better). It would have tasted just fine without it though (if you leave it out, replace it with a bit more broth). I really love the addition of flour which makes the broth thicker than most soup recipes. I did find that it needed more salt and pepper so I increased those amounts below, and I still added more of both at the end of cooking. Otherwise I followed the recipe and wouldn't change a thing next time.

This recipe did not make that much but it was enough for my use tonight, so depending on how many people you are cooking for you might need to double or even triple the recipe. My husband wasn't home but I had 2 bowls of it, one of my sons had a very small bowl of it and I gave the rest to a friend who isn't feeling well. I also made bread this morning and dipping the toasted crusty bread in this soup was amazing.

This is a delicious, hearty soup - a great fall and winter recipe that I'll be making again very soon!

Edit: This soup was so good that I made it again the following night when my husband was back home. He loved it! This will be in our dinner rotation for sure.

Zuppa Toscana

Recipe from Once Upon a Chef Blog

 

Make delicious Zuppa Toscana at home with this easy recipe! It’s filled with sausage, potatoes, and spinach in a creamy broth that feels like a satisfying meal on its own. 

 

1 pound Italian sausage (mild or spicy, depending on your preference), removed from casings

1 medium yellow onion, diced

2 medium carrots, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

4 cups chicken broth

1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, diced into ½-inch pieces

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional, for more heat)

2 cups baby spinach, stems removed, packed

½ cup heavy cream

3 tablespoons grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano cheese, plus more for serving

 

In a large pot or Dutch oven, cook the sausage over medium heat, breaking it up into small pieces as it browns, 5 to 7 minutes. Once browned, use a slotted spoon to transfer the sausage to a colander in the sink to drain, leaving about 1 tablespoon of the drippings in the pot for sautéing the vegetables.

 

Add the diced onion and carrots to the reserved drippings (if the pot seems dry, add a bit of oil). Sauté over medium heat until softened, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly, until fragrant. Do not brown. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir until fully incorporated, about 1 minute.

 

Gradually pour in the chicken broth, and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the potatoes, salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes (if using). Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer. Stir occasionally to prevent the potatoes from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Cook until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.

 

While the soup simmers, transfer the sausage to a paper towel-lined plate. With more paper towels, blot the sausage to absorb any excess grease.

 

Add the baby spinach and cooked sausage to the soup. Simmer until the spinach is wilted, a few minutes. Stir in the cream and cheese and continue to simmer until everything is warmed through. Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning if needed. Serve hot, passing more cheese at the table.

 

Serves 4.

 

Notes:

Make-Ahead Instructions: You can prepare the soup up to 2 days in advance. After cooking, let it cool to room temperature, then store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. When ready to serve, reheat the soup gently over low heat, stirring occasionally, until warmed through. You may need to add a splash of broth or water if the soup has thickened too much.

 

Freezing is not recommended.

 

This soup is endlessly adaptable, so don’t be afraid to play around with ingredients depending on what you’ve got on hand. A few ideas:

·       Swap the sausage: Use turkey or chicken sausage in place of pork.

·       Toss in extra veggies: Diced bell peppers or mushrooms would be great; just sauté them first. If you want to swap out the spinach, kale or Swiss chard would work well. (Because they’re both sturdier than spinach, add them a little earlier so they can soften up.)

·       Add beans for heartiness: White beans (like cannellini or great northern) give the soup one more layer of texture and add a creamy bite.

Before adding the cream in

Ooni Cold-Proof Pizza Dough

This year we had our fourth annual 4th of July pizza party. Last year I made 4 recipes (16 12" pizzas) and made all of the pizza dough the morning of the party. It worked out fine, but this year I wanted to invite more people which meant more pizzas, so I wanted to try the Ooni cold-proof pizza dough. This is basically the same Ooni pizza dough recipe I have always made but with less yeast, and it proofs in the refrigerator for 24-72 hours (rather than on the counter for 2 hours), then you divide it into individual dough balls before the final 5-hour rise (rather than 1 hour) where it comes to room temperature before stretching the dough and topping and baking the pizzas. This is the perfect recipe to use if you can plan ahead and don't want to do all of the work in one day, which is ideal when making so many pizzas.

I highly suggest weighing the ingredients for accuracy - I weighed everything but the yeast, only because my scale doesn't have decimal weights for grams.

Since my party was on a Friday, I made 6 recipes of dough (two triple recipes in my Ankarsrum mixer, which is enough for 24 12" pizzas) on Tuesday, and then took them out of the fridge around 12:30pm on Friday and divided the dough into 24 250-gram dough balls and put them in Pizza Dough Proofing Boxes (you can also use Silicone Dough Proofing Containers). It would help next time to separate the second batch into dough balls 30-60 minutes after the first batch, so that dough doesn't over proof by the time I use it. My last dough ball was only about 165 grams, but my husband used it to make a dessert pizza so it worked out well. I started making the pizzas around 5:30pm and it took about 2 hours of pizza making before they were all finished baking. We had 5 pizzas left over, which was great because it meant I didn't have to cook the following night! I gave one to my brother-in-law who was working and sent some leftovers to my brother, so we fed 25 people in total.

This was my first time making this much dough in my Ankarsrum mixer, which I bought last year right after we had our 4th of July party (last year I made 4 recipes the morning of our party, one at a time, in my KitchenAid mixer, which took over an hour and strained the motor). This new mixer didn't struggle at all with 3 recipes in each batch! I mixed each batch of dough for about 15 minutes, so it took me almost half the time as last year to make a lot more dough. I realized that I need some bigger bowls to proof the dough in the refrigerator, but other than that this worked out much better than last year, and the dough was much easier to stretch and work with too.

This year I kept it simple with the toppings, because last year when I had onions and peppers and fresh tomatoes I hardly used them - everyone just kept asking for cheese, pepperoni and sausage pizzas. So I mostly made those three again this year, but I also made some with pepperoni and sausage, sausage and olives, and two with fontina cheese, prosciutto and arugula (my personal favorite).

Once the first pizza was in the oven and I took a picture of it, I didn't take any more pictures since I was busy making pizzas. My husband took a few photos of the baked pizzas which I included below.

From now on, as long as I can plan at least 24 hours in advance, I'll be making this recipe instead of the regular recipe, because this dough was so much easier to work with, and the pizza was the best I've made yet!

A few more notes from my cousin Michael who regularly makes pizza. When trying to determine how many pizzas to make, he figures 3 kids per pizza and 3/4 pizza for each adult (or 1 pizza per adult, but expect leftovers). He used to make enough for 1 pizza per person but they always had way too much dough left. It also depends on if you are serving anything else with the pizza (wings, salad, etc.).

Michael also said the pizza tastes best when you make the dough 2 nights ahead of time, refrigerate it for 24 hours in a big ball, then separate it into smaller dough balls, put them in the proofing boxes and refrigerate them overnight again. Take them out of the refrigerator about 5 hours before using and let the dough come to room temperature. If you take it out too early, the dough will overproof. This is also a great way to prep everything ahead of time if you're taking the dough somewhere else, like camping, or if you want minimal work the day of your pizza party. Remember to always keep your dough covered until you are ready to stretch the dough and make the pizzas or it will dry out.

Ooni Cold-Proof Pizza Dough

Recipe Courtesy Ooni

 

Good things come to those who wait, and pizza dough is certainly no exception. Cold-proofing, also known as cold rising or cold fermentation, is a great technique for anyone who wants to up their pizza-making game. The dough goes through a simple process (just leave it in the fridge!) of slow fermentation – usually 24 to 96 hours – and that extra time brings several tasty benefits:

enhanced flavor development, improved texture and structure, and dough that is easier to handle.

 

Although cold-proofing requires a bit more time and planning, the technique is super accessible, and the results are well worth the wait. Note: don’t wait too long, as there is such a thing as over-proofing! (Three to five days is generally the longest you’ll want to go.) Just mix the ingredients together, cover, then pop the pizza dough in the fridge, and let the yeast work its magic. Soon enough, you’ll have a more flavorful (and enviable) pizza to dig into.

 

This recipe is similar to our Classic Pizza Dough but with the quantity of yeast adjusted for cold-proofing.

 

1½ cups plus 1 tablespoon (368 grams) lukewarm water

⅓ teaspoon (1.6 grams) active dried yeast, or (scant ½ teaspoon) 1.4 grams instant dried yeast or ½ teaspoon (4.1 grams) fresh yeast

5¼ cups (613 grams) “00” flour, plus extra for dusting

3 teaspoons (18 grams) sea salt

 

Tip: We recommend using your Ooni Dual Platform Digital Scales for maximum accuracy.

 

Note: This recipe takes time. For the best-tasting pizza dough, be sure to set aside 24 to 72 hours for the cold proof before you begin cooking. We always suggest checking the activation instructions on your yeast packets and testing accordingly. 

 

Add the water and yeast to a large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer) and whisk until thoroughly blended. Combine the flour and salt in a medium bowl, then add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients.

 

If using a mixer: Fit the mixer with the dough hook and place the flour in the bowl. Turn the machine on at a low speed and gradually add the yeast mixture to the flour. Once combined, leave the dough mixing at the same speed for 5 to 10 minutes or until the dough is firm and stretchy. Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap (cling film).

 

If mixing by hand: Place the flour in a large bowl and pour the yeast mixture into it. Stir with a wooden spoon until a dough starts to form. Continue mixing by hand until the dough comes together in a ball. Turn it onto a lightly floured surface and knead with both hands for about 10 minutes, until it is firm and stretchy. Return the dough to the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap (cling film).

 

Place the covered pizza dough in the fridge to cold-proof for 24 to 72 hours. When the dough has roughly doubled in size, remove the dough from the fridge.

 

Divide the cold-proofed dough into 3 or 4 equal pieces, depending on what size you want your pizzas to be, either 12 inches (30 centimeters) or 16 inches (40 centimeters) wide. Shape each piece into a ball, and place each pizza dough ball in a separate bowl or tray. Cover with cling film and leave to rise for 5 hours on your kitchen counter so they can come up to room temperature and double in size.

 

Once the second proof is complete, preheat your oven to between 850°F and 950°F. Use the infrared thermometer to quickly and accurately check the temperature of the middle of the stone.

 

Place your first dough ball on a lightly floured surface, flour your hands and use your fingertips to press the dough into a small, flat disc. Working from the center, push the dough outwards while spreading your fingers, making the disc slightly bigger. Pick up the dough and gently pinch it all around the edge, allowing gravity to pull it downwards into a 12-inch (30-centimeter) circle. Neapolitan-style pizza bases are very thin, so you should be able to see through the base when you hold it up to the light. Take care when doing this – you don’t want it to tear.

 

Once the dough is fully stretched, lightly flour your pizza peel and lay the base on it. If you see any small holes in the dough, gently pinch them back together.

 

Once you’re happy with the base, add your toppings and bake in the oven according to the recommended temperature given in your recipe of choice.

 

Yield: Four 12-inch (30-centimeter) pizzas (for 250-gram dough balls) or three 16-inch (40-centimeter) pizzas (for 330-gram dough balls)

Triple Recipe (12 12-inch pizzas):

1104 grams lukewarm water

1 teaspoon (4.8 grams) active dried yeast

1839 grams “00” flour, plus extra for dusting

54 grams sea salt

Triple recipe of dough ready to be refrigerated for 3 days

Triple recipe of dough ready to be refrigerated for 3 days

Triple recipe of dough ready to be divided into 12 250-gram dough balls

Triple recipe of dough ready to be divided into 12 250-gram dough balls

24 250-gram dough balls (6 recipes of dough)

Sitting at room temp for 5 hours before using

Ready to start stretching and topping

First pizza in the oven

Sausage pizza

Cheese pizza

Pepperoni pizza

Fontina pizza (topped with prosciutto and arugula after baking)

Sausage & olive pizza