Pizza Dough – No Knead

No-knead pizza dough - throw it together the night before and have a chewy-crispy pizza within no time

I have these phases where I just crave one particular food. I have had periods where I hungered for green beans, or buckwheat pancakes with spinach, or prawns. Unfortunately my current craving is not quite as healthy:  pizza!To tell you the truth I have weak spot for flatbreads in general, but its only been for  the last couple of months that I have been getting tunnel vision where pizza is concerned.

If tested a few types of dough since. None of them are close to what my favourite pizza place can make, but this recipe is a happy medium between effort and result.

This dough is easy to make: you just throw it all together and let it rise overnight. Then the next day, when you come home from work, you split the dough into balls and let it sit for another hour. This means that by the time you have changed and settled into your evening, the pizza is ready to be piled high with your favourite ingredients. 

Ingredients
(from Jim Lahey for “Bon Appetit” found on the blog “Some Kitchen Stories”)
Makes 4-6 pizzas

1kg (7 and 1/2 cups) of all-purpose flour (plus more for dusting, shaping dough)
4 teaspoons of fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon of active dry yeast
675ml (3 cups) of water

 

Recipe

1. First combine flour, salt and yeast.
2. Using a wooden spoon incorporate water.
3. Once it has come together use your hands to form a ball. Do not overwork.
4. Transfer to a bowl that is large enough to allow it to double in size.
5. Cover in cling film and allow to rise at room temperature in a draft free place for 18 – 24 hours (in the oven for example).
6. Transfer dough to slightly floured work surface. Divide dough into 4-6 balls. (At this point you can wrap the individual balls in cling film and store in the fridge for up to three days).
7. Take each piece of dough and gently work into a ball.
8. Dust with flour.
9. Cover with cling film (if your room is drafty) or turn the bowl upside down on top of the dough. Let the dough rest for 1 hour.
10. Preheat oven to its hottest setting.
11. Heat baking sheet (I do not own a pizza stone. I have included the instructions from the blog I got this recipe from under “Tips  &Variations).
12. Dust work surface.
13. Place dough on work surface and gently start stretching it into a circle. Do not flatten the dough.
14. Place the topping on the pizza and cook about 15 minutes. (It will still be relatively pale  – be sure not too cook it too long to avoid it from getting too hard)

 

Tips & Variations
I have made this pizza with two of my go-to toppings:

• Tuna:
  • 12 ice cubes of Quick Pizza Tomato Sauce, defrosted.
  • a tin of water-based tuna.
  • 1 onion, cut in rings.
  • 2 tsp capers.
  • 250g-300g mozzarella cheese, diced.
  • once cooked sprinkle with roughly chopped basil.

• Mushroom:
  • 12 ice cubes of Quick Pizza Tomato Sauce, defrosted.
  • 1 onion in rings, cooked in a little oil until just translucent,
  • 300g mixed mushrooms (shitake, oyster, chestnut, Portobello etc.). Fried very briefly until just tender.
  • 125g mozzarella cheese, diced.
  • 100g Tallegio cheese, diced.
  • once cooked toss a few rocket leaves ontop.

Earthy mushroom, caramelised onion and Tallegio pizza

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• bread
• main meal
• vegetarian