Simon Gunzelmann

Simon has been with BLUE since 2014. He is a Dad who loves baking and cooking – and travelling.
This recipe is one of his favorites because he enjoys preparing the dough and then seeing – and tasting! – the result. This pizza works our really well at home. It is way better than any frozen pizza or bought dough and (almost) tastes as good as at your favorite Italian restaurant. Good quality ingredients are important, though!!

PIZZA DOUGH
1kg Italian pizza flour (Tipo 00)
600ml lukewarm water
5g dried yeast (pref. beer yeast)
30g salt (approx. 3 tbsp)
2 tbsp Italian olive oil

Put 600g flour into a large bowl.
Have the lukewarm water ready in a measuring jug. Stir the yeast and salt into the water.
Add the water to the flour and stir together lightly with a fork.
Cover with a damp kitchen towel and leave to rest for 20-30 minutes. (This step is very important for good pizza dough as first protein chains are formed during this resting time.)

Then knead the dough with dough hooks on the lowest setting for about 3 minutes.
Add 2 tbsp olive oil.
Then gradually add the remaining 400g flour while continuing to mix. This process should take about 5 minutes.
When all the flour has been worked into the dough, knead for a further 2 minutes. This time at the highest setting of your mixer.
Divide the dough into 2 portions, 800g each, and roll into a smooth shape. Place each portion into a floured bowl and cover with a damp towel. Leave to rest for at least 6 hours, or even better: 24 hours.
Then keep in a cool and dark place, e.g. the fridge.
For the pizza:
Per pizza you will need 270g of the prepared dough. Take it out of the fridge 1-2 hours before you want to use it so that it can reach room temperature.
Scatter plenty of flour or semolina onto your working surface. Roll the dough into a ball and flatten it. Using your hands, shape into a round, thin pizza base by pushing out from the center. Make sure you always have enough flour/semolina under the dough.
DO NOT use a rolling pin, as this ruin the fluffiness of the dough will prevent it from rising nicely in the oven!
When the dough has reached a nice round shape, you can pull up the sides and turn it like a ‘steering wheel’ (its own weight then pulls it apart almost automatically).
The pizza base should have a diameter of about 30cm and be nice and thin.
Scatter a pizza board or baking tray with plenty of flour or semolina and pull the pizza base onto it.
Now you can add toppings to your liking.
TIP: Buffalo mozzarella (Mozzarella di Bufala Campana) tastes best and is easily just pulled into pieces and scattered onto or the pizza.

Bake your pizza in a hot oven, min. 250°C. The higher the temperature, the better the result. Depending on the topping, your pizza will take about 12-15 minutes until it is deliciously crisp.