Kent wrote:
> "Giusi" > wrote in message
> .. .

>> Pizza is one of those things that isn't improved by screwing around with
>> it. A simple dough, raised a long time-- 12 hours is a benchmark--
>
> Questions, or Preguntas:
> What kind of flour do you use?
> How much yeast for three cups flour?
> Do you use a pre-ferment? If so what? Yesterday's dough, a poolish, or biga?
> Do you rise once, or twice?
> What is your oven temp?
> What kind of cooking surface do you bake on?
>
> Kent

I am not a pizzaiolo, but with advice from the ones I like, I make a
decent pizza for home cooked. There are limits.

I use ordinary soft wheat Italian 00 flour here. I have no idea how
many cups, because we weigh here. So 500 g of flour uses one 7 g packet
of dry "beer" yeast, which is identical to dry yeast in the US. Hard
wheat flour is available, but so far I've found no one who uses it for
homemade pizza.

No biga or pre-ferment.

I also use about a tablespoon of oil in the dough, and salt, and enough
warm water to make a soft, pillowy dough. It is kneaded in the FP or by
hand, or made looser so that it doesn't need kneading.

I put it into a large Ziplock bag, in the fridge and ignore it for 12
hours or more. It can be punched down and shaped immediately.

I preheat the oven to MAX, which is above 500° F or 250° C.

I form the pizza on parchment paper on a baking sheet without sides, and
use that as a peel to slide the paper and pizza directly on the superhot
oven grate. It cooks very quickly, but not as fast as in a real stone oven.

I am currently restoring my outside stone oven so I can achieve those
750°F and up temperatures. It's not in bad shape for 400 years old, but
hasn't been used in 40 years, so needs a little TLC. Then the whole
neighborhood will have a baking day of everything you can cook at the
various temps the oven achieves over a day.

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