Happy National Pizza Day, pizza enthusiasts!
Today we are sharing a stellar pizza crust recipe that demands a bit of planning but promises a delightful end result. This crust is light, crispy, and easy to digest, thanks to two key techniques: biga and autolyse.
For the biga, mix flour, water, and yeast a day ahead, allowing it to rest for 16 hours. Autolyse involves resting flour and water for 45 minutes, accelerating gluten development for a lighter dough. Though time-consuming, the hands-on effort is minimal.
Now, onto toppings! We are opting for a classic sandwich combo: stracchino and mortadella. Stracchino offers a soft, creamy texture, complemented by the delicious flavor of mortadella.
To elevate the pizza, add truffle-infused honey for a touch of luxury and pistachios for sweetness and crunch. With this unique crust-topping combo, you're in for a gourmet pizza experience. Happy National Pizza Day! 🍕✨
Difficulty: Medium
Time of Preparation: 22/23 hours
Time of Cooking: 10-15 minutes
Doses for: 4/5 pizzas
Biga
375g flour
180g water
1g yeast
Dough
375g flour
382g water
18.5g salt
18.5g olive oil
1g yeast
Semolina flour for dusting
Toppings for one pizza
100 grams Stracchino
100 grams Mozzarella
5 slices mortadella
½ tablespoon truffle honey
½ tablespoon crushed pistacchio
1.To start make the biga. Add the yeast (1gr) to 180g of room temperature water. Let the yeast dissolve and set aside for a couple of minutes.
2. Measure 375g of flour in an air-proof container. Add the water/yeast mixture and combine for 3 minutes making sure to not form a dough. Mix until all the water is absorbed.
3.Close the lid tightly. It needs to be an air-proof container otherwise the biga will dry out and will not ferment properly. Let it rest at room temperature for 16 hours.
4.At the 15-hour mark, you can start preparing the autolyse. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a hook, add 375g flour with 382g of water. Mix on medium speed to combine for 2-3 minutes. Wipe down the sides of the bowl with a spatula and run the mixer for 3 more minutes. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let it rest for 45 minutes.
5. After 45 minutes, add the biga and the yeast (1gr) and run the mixer at medium-low speed to form a dough. After 3 minutes add the salt and run for 3 more minutes. Then slowly add the olive oil and run the mixer on medium speed until the dough is all combined and very smooth.
6. Move the dough in another container, drizzle with some olive oil to prevent the dough from sticking too much. Cover tightly and let it rest at room temperature for 90 minutes.
7.At this point (after 90 minutes) you have to divide the dough. I like to use the scale and divide the dough in 5 balls, 250g (more or less) each.You can put them in the same container you had the dough before. Cover it and let it rest at room temperature for 4 hours.
8.Pre-heat the oven at 550F. While making pizza it helps if you have a pizza stone, otherwise you can use a baking tray. It also helps to have a pizza peel to get the pizza in and out easily from the oven.
9.Dust a good amount semolina flour on the counter. Move one pizza ball on the flour and dust more semolina on top to cover. This will help the stretching process.
10.Flatted the dough into a disc without pressing too close to the border. You want to leave at least one inch of crust. Use the middle three fingers on each of your hands to press the dough out from the center, widening that flat disc into a large circle about 6 inches across. Carefully pick up the dough and hold it with both hands on one edge of the dough, letting the rest of the dough hang down. I like to have the top of my pizza dough facing towards me to keep an eye on thickness. Gravity is going to do some of the stretching work as you gently rotate the dough in one direction like turning a wheel. Slowly pull the dough from hand to hand as the dough hangs down. Working quickly, stretch the pizza until it’s about 11-12 inches in diameter and about 1/3 of an inch thick.
11.Carefully move your stretched pizza dough to your prepared pizza peel or sheet pan.
12.Top the pizza with the cheese . You can slice the stracchino or spoon it into the pizza.
13.Add the sliced mozzarella.
14.Bake in the oven for 5-6 minutes. You want the cheese to completely melt and the crust to get some nice golden-brown color. Some bits of the crust, the ones with more air bubbles will burn just a little bit and it is completely fine because you want that extra flavor.
15.Take the pizza out of the oven and top it with the slices of mortadella. Drizzle the honey and finish with the crushed pistachio.
16.Buon appetito!
