Pizza with less effort, what’s not to like? A long rise time results in a deeper flavour.
Mechanic
Adapted from my traditional and very knead-y pizza dough, which we discovered by accident that one time when we somehow left it in a cupboard for a few days. It turns out we weren’t the first ones to discover this, and it’s a fantastic way of making doughs in general.
Many recipes use weights for ingredients … this one does not. It is a lazy dough that can take as little as 10 minutes if you work at it. It also produces one of the nicest pizza and focaccia doughs I’ve ever made.
Ingredients
- 6–7 cups flour, ideally 00 pizza flour, then bread flour, then all-purpose
- 710 ml (3 cups) warm tap water
- 2 tsp (10 ml) instant yeast
- 3 tsp (15 ml) salt
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil (optional), plus 1 tsp for the container
- 2 tbsp sugar (optional); home-style pizzas usually have a sweeter crust, and it helps browning at lower temperatures
Method
Whisk 3 cups of the flour, the yeast, and the salt into the warm water in a large bowl until combined. Add the oil and sugar now if you’re using them.
Stir in the remaining flour ½ cup at a time with a spoon or spatula, until a very wet, sticky ball forms.
Grease a container with 1 tsp olive oil. Form the dough into a ball, turn it to coat, and cover. Leave at room temperature until doubled, 2–3 hours. For more flavour, move it to the fridge for 1–5 days.
Divide the dough into 4–6 balls, depending on the size of your pizzas. Cover and let them come to room temperature, 1–2 hours, until soft and puffy. Stretch and top.
Notes
- See also The Aldersons’ epic 12 days of pizza, our family’s 12-pizza Christmas marathon.