Follow these tips to make perfect pizza dough every time

If you make your own pizza dough at home, it can't be that difficult, right? You could be surprised to find out that the Italian delicacy requires great manual work for just a few minutes after preparation. Nevertheless, we often continue to bloom to even roll out more mediocre homemade dough. But what can domestic chefs do to seriously improve their homemade pizzas?

Mike Alaridi, head chef by Virgin Hotels Chicago (who happens to make a damn pizza), advises amateur chefs to “just keep it easy and enjoy the process”.

Making pizza dough from scratch may be easy for an experienced pizza chef, but Alaridi assures us that every beginner Pizzaiolo/A, who may have difficulty reaching a golden crust perfection will Master the art of making dough when you follow these seven simple steps.

Use high -quality flour

Regardless of the recipe, you would like to ensure that the most important ingredient – the flour – double zero, alias “00” or “Doppio Zero” is. It is ideal for pizza and made from the soft, white endosperm of a wheat core (without bran and germs), which is rich in protein and strength. “The [also] Helps developing the gluten, “says Alaridi. Gluten creates the elasticity of the dough, which produces its scrapistic structure.

Dissolve salt and yeast beforehand

These are not ingredients that mix them separately or in different moments in the dough. You would like to guarantee an even distribution for a crust that is consistently increasing. Remember to use warm water (between 100 and 110 degrees for active dry yeast) to activate the yeast. If it's too hot, you will kill it.

Goaling on a moist dough

“A moist dough, about 60-75% hydration, can lead to a more air-rich crust,” says Alaridi. To achieve this texture, simply add more water in small volumes. And if you are good in math, divide the kitchen scale and use the formula “weight of the water weight/weight of x 100” to calculate the exact percentage of the hydration.

Knead the dough by using the stretch-and-fold technology

This helps to develop the above -mentioned gluten. Mix your surface, grab a cutting edge and carefully pull the dough up. Bring this stretched section back to you and fold it in the middle. Turn the dough and repeat this process until you have hit it out of all angles. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes after the end before sharing it in balls. This will relax gluten and the dough rises.

Allow fermentation

Pizza dough should not be cooked immediately. Allow at least at least 12 hours of fermentation before use. For many chefs, including Alaridi, cold fermentation is always the preferred method. “Leave it in the fridge 24-72 hours to improve the taste and texture,” he recommends.

Pay attention to toppings and temperature

Avoid overloading the dough because too many toppings weigh it and make it moist. “Try to use your hands to open and shape the dough (instead of using a roller pen) for a more authentic texture,” says Alaridi, who also reminds the amateur chefs to use only cooled dough balls as soon as you have returned to the room temperature.

Don't be afraid to experiment

The failure is usually no result when it comes to introducing new pizza flavors. (Except if you add pineapple. Joke … type of.). Zhuzh up your favorite recipe by integrating unique ingredients into your dough, such as Alaridi's personal favorites of fresh herbs and different types of yeast (such as: Rapid rise yeast or Pizza crust). An inspired cook is often an assisted cook. Have fun – it's pizza!