Pizza from Pizza Oven

Mix the dough

1. Put the flour in a large (the dough will still rise!) Bowl – if possible with a lid – mix with the salt. Make a well in the middle and fill it with some of the water. Crumble in the yeast and dissolve in it by stirring, including the sugar. Now pour in the rest of the water and stir with the dough hook of the mixer. Of course, everything can be done by hand, but it takes longer and is more strenuous. Knead the dough until it becomes nice and smooth and begins to separate from the edge of the bowl (with the mixer, it is estimated that about 10 minutes).
2. Close the bowl or cover it well with cling film and refrigerate for 24 hours (in the refrigerator or I had the dough outside at the current 5-10 ° C air temperature). The yeast works anyway! Just slower than in warm temperatures, and that’s a good thing. Because then the dough does not taste dominantly yeasty, but rather fine-bread-like, and it becomes finer-pored. You can even let the dough rise for a few days. It then becomes more and more sourdough-like.

Shape the dough

1. About an hour before baking, scrape the dough out of the bowl onto a floured work surface and divide it into pieces that are as even as possible. I shape the dough into a sausage as thick as an arm and prick or cut it into 5 parts. The dough can be a little more humid than in the photos. Grind the dough into round balls and let rise a little.
2. Shape into pizza cakes. I no longer roll them out with a rolling pin, but shape them by hand. It’s much more sensitive and, above all, I don’t squeeze the air bubbles out of the dough.

Top the pizza dough

1. Place two to three dabs of tomato sauce in the middle of the pizza dough and use the spoon to distribute it in a spiral outwards, leaving the edge free. Spread some grated cheese over it – the “raw pizza” is ready. It can now be occupied as desired. Classics are e.g. mozzarella and basil (“Margherita”) or salami and / or (cooked) ham. The grated cheese is then often sprinkled on top instead of underneath. Only top it lightly, otherwise the topping will be too heavy and the pizza will no longer rise nicely! That’s why I leave every frozen pizza there!

Baking

1. In the pizza oven, the pizza can bake at up to 450 ° C, almost like an Italian. Mine is then ready after about 8 minutes at slightly more moderate temperatures, nice crispy base and still juicy. If you don’t have a pizza oven: bake in the oven at 200 ° C for about 20-25 minutes. What is also possible with thin pizza: Preheat the oven to full capacity, then bake the pizza at the bottom for 4-5 minutes and then at the top for 4-5 minutes.

Topping and seasoning

1. Spicy Italian herbs, e.g. oregano and thyme, should be placed in or on the tomato sauce. And always a pinch of sugar to neutralize the tomato acid. Drizzle a few dashes of olive oil over the finished pizza to enhance the taste. Garnish the margherita, or others if you like, with fresh basil. Enjoy your meal!