Perfect Pizza Bases

MAKES 3 medium-sized pizza bases READY IN: 2 hours, including proving You need to use flour with a high gluten content for an elastic dough. We used organic flour, which is less adulterated and higher in nutrition than processed flour. INGREDIENTS 300-350ml water 500g high-grade flour (organic if possible) 15g fresh compressed yeast (ask your

local baker or supermarket baker), OR 7g dried active yeast 25g olive oil 10g salt METHOD 1 Temperature is important when you’re making dough. Pizza dough should be prepared at 64°C so you need to warm the water. To get the right water temperature for your conditions, take the temperature of the flour and your kitchen and add the two together. Subtract this figure from 64°C to establish the water temperature you need to use. The amount of water will vary depending on the flour used. High-gluten baker’s flour, or high-grade flour, contains more gluten and may require more water. The dough shouldn’t be too soft as you’ll be adding oil – aim for firm but not too dry. 2 Add yeast to water, then combine with flour to make an elastic dough. Test the elasticity by taking a small piece of dough and pulling it; the right elasticity means when you pull it, it stretches instead of breaking. Add olive oil and salt, then knead by hand, or in an electric mixer with a kneading attachment, until the gluten is well developed. To test for development, take a golf ball-sized piece of dough, let it rest for 30 seconds, then slowly, gently pull it out into a square. If well developed, it can be stretched very thinly, until transparent, without breaking. If it’s not ready, it will tear before you can stretch it out. Knead for another minute or two, then try again. 3 Place an oiled bowl on a wood chopping board (to help keep the temperature even), place the dough in it and cover with a wet towel to prove for 40 minutes, until it doubles in size. 4 Poke a damp finger into the centre of the dough. If it springs back, it has not risen enough and needs longer to prove. If the dough collapses, it has over-risen. If it doesn’t spring back or collapse, knock back the dough by gently pushing your hand into the middle to remove the air. Divide the dough into three, evenly-sized pieces. 5 Place the dough pieces in a bowl covered with a clean tea towel for 10-15 minutes, then roll out to about 2mm for a thin, crisp base, or 5-8mm for a thick base. Don’t use too much flour when rolling dough as it will burn in the oven. 6 ‘Dock’ the dough by pricking it lightly all over with a fork to encourage heat to transfer through the dough as it cooks; it also reduces the likelihood of air bubbles, which can cause problems with toppings. 7 Leave the dough to rest while you prepare your toppings. Once toppings are added, cook for 3-5 minutes, depending on the oven temperature and dough thickness.