HappyCook80's Recipe

Pizza Dough From Naples

Category: Recipes

Pizza Dough From Naples

1 envelope dried yeast
1 cup warm water
4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup warm water

In a 2 cup glass measure, with a table fork, dissolve the yeast in
the 1 cup of warm water. Stir in 1/2 cup of the flour, cover with a
clean dish towel and let it stand until the mixture foams up to about
double, to 2 cups, about 30 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine 3 1/2 cups of the flour with the salt. Stir
in the yeast mixture and the remaining 1/2 cup of warm water. Stir
until the dough masses together. Gather the dough into a ball and
turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead, folding and
turning the dough onto itself, then pushing it away from you with the
heel of your hand, about 10 to 12 minutes, adding, little by little,
just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking. Be careful not to
add too much flour, or too much at one time. When you have finished, the dough should not stick to the board, it should be smooth, silken, slightly damp on the surface and very elastic. Dust the dough lightly all over with flour and place in a bowl to rise, covered with a clean dish towel, for about 1 hour, or until it has slightly more than doubled in bulk.

While the dough is rising, and at least 30 minutes before baking,
place an oven rack on the lowest level, preferably holding a pizza
stone, and preheat the oven to 500 degrees.

Punch down the dough and divide into 4 parts. Alternately, if you intend to use only a portion of the dough immediately, form each fourth into a smooth ball and let those to be used immediately rise on a floured board, a couple of inches apart, covered with a dish towel. Refrigerate or freeze the remaining balls in plastic bags.

To form the dough into a pizza, flatten the ball of dough into a thick disc. On a lightly floured board, rotating the disc as you go, flatten the center of the pizza with your fingertips or heel of your hand. When a ridge of dough starts appearing on the perimeter of the disc, lift the dough up with both hands, and holding on to the ridge, let gravity and the weight of the dough stretch the circle. Keep turning the dough to get a relatively even 10 inch circle. Keep pulling the ridge slightly so the circle gets larger. Be careful not to make the center too thin or the ridge more than 1/2 inch deep.

At some point the pizza will become too flimsy to handle. Now spread the formed pizza dough onto a large baking sheet or wooden peel that has been lightly dusted with flour.

Top as desired. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes.
Yields 4, 10 inch pizza's.