Urgent query: Calling dough and bread experts

neuro-praxis

Hi folks.

Pizza issue.

Tomorrow night I am hosting a party. I want to serve home-made pizza. However I am in work tomorrow from 9am til 9.30pm so I can't do any of the prep tomorrow. I have done almost everything I can today. (I do have a two hour gap in my day tomorrow when I can assemble the pizzas).

My question is this, if I make the dough now and leave it to prove in a warm place overnight, will it be ok tomorrow? Or should I allow it to prove for just an hour, then knead it and put it in the fridge?

Any advice welcome. And asap!

CJhaughey

I would prove it, knock it back and wrap it in oiled clingfilm.
Then make sure you take it out in good time to warm up tomorrow.
Do you have a breadmaker? My one has a dough program and it only takes 1hr30 to make enough for 2 12" pizzas.

neuro-praxis

Cheers. No, no breadmaker, but that has its pluses as well as minuses. Thanks!

CJhaughey

When you take the dough out of the fridge unwrap it as soon as possible and let it rest on a warm well floured surface, that will help it heat and start to get nice and soft again. once it starts growing you're in business!

Magic Monkey

Proof 1 hour, knock back, divide into the amount of pizzas you want, shape into balls. Put onto a tray and cover, or individually wrap each one loosely in cling film. Refrigerate overnight.

Next day, for assembling the pizzas, just take the dough balls out straight from the fridge, dust with flour, flatten with your fingertips into a flat & thick circular disc, and roll with a rolling pin to your desired thickness. You can then stack them on a dinner plate with layers of baking paper and refrigerate them, covered, until needed. They won't proof excessively in the fridge to distort the shape.

Then before dinner, take them out, leave for 30-60 mins to come to room temperature, assemble the sauce/toppings, and bake them.

Jimmy Garlic

Is it a good idea to add olive oil to the dough mixture?.

CJhaughey

Its part of the recipe that I use, most pizza doughs will use oil.

neuro-praxis

I always put oil in mine.

I decided it was too late to begin the process last night.

I will go home today at 12, make the dough, allow it to prove for an hour, knock it back, refrigerate it and return to work.

I will have to assemble the pizzas tonight but sure it won't kill me.

Thanks for the advice, noted for future reference.

neuro-praxis

For the record, the pizzas were fantastic and went down a storm. There wasn't a crumb left. My recipe for anyone who wants it:

Makes 4 12 inch pizzas (you might get 5 if you rolled them extremely thinly)

650g strong white flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 sachets fast action yeast (14g)
1 pint warm water
1 teaspoon sugar
Half teaspoon salt
Half teaspoon dried basil
Half teaspoon garlic powder

Put yeast into a jug with sugar and one in one quick motion, pour the warm water on top of it and whisk for 3 seconds with a hand whisk. Leave to form a bubbly, beer-smelling froth on top.

Sift flour into a large bowl and mix with the salt, basil and garlic powder. Make a well and add the olive oil and yeast mixture. Using your hands form a soft elasticy dough, adding a little more flour if it's wet. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for a few minutes. Transfer to an oiled bowl. Cut a cross in the top of the dough and smear lightly with olive oil. Top with a warm damp tea-towel. Put in a warm place to prove for an hour or so (I use my hot press).

After an hour or so your dough should have doubled in size. Preheat your oven to its highest setting. Remove dough from the bowl to a floured surface and knock the air out of it. Knead well for a couple of minutes. Cut in four and form your pizza bases with a combination of rolling pin and your hands. Transfer to pizza trays.

Top with tomato sauce, mozzarella and your favourite combination of toppings (last night I used onion, sweetcorn, ham, salami and mushroom) and bake until risen, golden and bubbling. Devour!

antoniosicily

No oil. Do it the day before. Store it in the fridge.

It should be simple enough

the beer revolu

I agree with anto!

After kneading, I divide the dough into portions and keep in the fridge, loosely wrapped, for one to four days. When you want to make pizza, take dough out of the fridge and leave to warm up at room temp for a few hours. Doing this greatly improves the flavour of the dough.

I found that a pizza stone gives great results although it can be somewhat frustrating getting the knack of getting the raw pizza onto a scorching hot stone in your oven (semolina helps - a lot).

I differ from Anto in that I put oil in my dough and lightly oil the dough portions to stop them drying out.

biddywiddy

neuro-praxis wrote: »

For the record, the pizzas were fantastic and went down a storm. There wasn't a crumb left. My recipe for anyone who wants it:

Makes 4 12 inch pizzas (you might get 5 if you rolled them extremely thinly)

650g strong white flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 sachets fast action yeast (14g)
1 pint warm water
1 teaspoon sugar
Half teaspoon salt
Half teaspoon dried basil
Half teaspoon garlic powder

Put yeast into a jug with sugar and one in one quick motion, pour the warm water on top of it and whisk for 3 seconds with a hand whisk. Leave to form a bubbly, beer-smelling froth on top.

Sift flour into a large bowl and mix with the salt, basil and garlic powder. Make a well and add the olive oil and yeast mixture. Using your hands form a soft elasticy dough, adding a little more flour if it's wet. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for a few minutes. Transfer to an oiled bowl. Cut a cross in the top of the dough and smear lightly with olive oil. Top with a warm damp tea-towel. Put in a warm place to prove for an hour or so (I use my hot press).

After an hour or so your dough should have doubled in size. Preheat your oven to its highest setting. Remove dough from the bowl to a floured surface and knock the air out of it. Knead well for a couple of minutes. Cut in four and form your pizza bases with a combination of rolling pin and your hands. Transfer to pizza trays.

Top with tomato sauce, mozzarella and your favourite combination of toppings (last night I used onion, sweetcorn, ham, salami and mushroom) and bake until risen, golden and bubbling. Devour!

I tried this recipe out last night and it was great! The dough was really manageable, and easy to roll out. Success! Thanks for the recipe!

unkel

Glad it worked out

For future reference, you could make your dough and bake it in the oven for 5 minutes (no toppings). Then freeze it.

When needed, take it out of the freezer, add toppings and oven bake it for 12-15 minutes from frozen. Works well!