Biga Pizza Dough plus Bonus 45-Minute Pizza Dough Recipe
Celebrate National Pizza Party Day, Friday May 16th, at home with Bruno Di Fabio’s signature dough recipes.
Biga Pizza Dough
plus Bonus 45-minute Pizza Dough Recipe
Biga Pizza Dough
Author:
Ingredients
- [b]Ingredients for Phase1:[/b]
- 1 ½ teaspoon dry yeast
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 4 ounce warm water (95 to 100 degrees)
- 2 cups of water (room temperature or cool)
- 2 lbs. of high-gluten flour (not all-purpose)[br][br]
- [b]Ingredients for Phase 2:[/b]
- 2 lbs. high-gluten flour
- 2 cups water (cold)
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt
- 4 Tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- [b]Phase 1:[/b]
- Add the dry yeast to the warm water. Stir slightly. Let stand for 2-3 minutes.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the 2 cups of water, the yeast water, and the sugar and mix until the sugar is dissolved
- Add the 2 lbs of high-gluten flour and mix only until the ingredients are blended. The mix will feel slightly dry and lumpy; this is OK.
- Place a dish towel or cheese cloth over the bowl to completely cover it.
- Let stand for 15-18 hours at room temperature. The dough will triple in size and give off an amazing aroma. This is now referred to as your biga.[br][br]
- [b]Phase 2:[/b]
- Uncover your biga and add the remaining 2 lbs of flour and the 2 cups of cold water. Mix until all ingredients are incorporated.
- Make a well in the middle of the dough and add salt and mix until incorporated.
- Make a well in the middle of the dough and add olive oil and mix until incorporated.
- Let the biga rest for 10 minutes covered. This should yield about 5 pounds of dough.
- Divide the dough into sections to about a pound each and roll them into balls.
Notes
Keep each dough ball in its own container that is slightly coated with olive oil and covered. Refrigerate for 3 days before using. This two stage fermentation room temperature, and cold rise fermentation process allows the dough to develop great flavor. It yields a crust that is very light, airy, and crisp. This is also a crust that will be very digestible with the yeast having broken down complex starches in the flour.[br][br][br][b]Cooking Options (after dough is made)[/b][br]1. Gas Fired Home Deck Oven : On lightly dusted work surface stretch out your dough by evenly pressing with your finger tips over entire surface until dough is about 9 or 10 inches in diameter. Then pick up dough and extend it between your hands, and rotate five to ten times until dough is roughly 15 inches in diameter. Do not over think this method, the stretching of this dough should be fun and the dough does not have to be perfectly round. Remember if it isn’t perfectly round it is rustic, which is a cool culinary term constantly over used, but perfect in this situation. Place stretched dough on semolina dusted pizza peel. After the pizza is topped, slide onto the brick deck and cook for 9 to 12 minutes until evenly browned. (oven should be preheated to 500 degrees oven)[br][br][br]2. Home Oven : Using a teaspoon of olive oil, evenly coat a cookie sheet (at least 14″ square) and dust with flour. This is your alternative to using a pizza peel and pizza stone. This method is just as effective. Then on lightly dusted work surface stretch out your dough by evenly pressing with your finger tips over entire surface until dough is about 9 or 10 inches in diameter. Then pick up dough and extend it between your hands, and rotate five to ten times until dough is roughly 15 inches in diameter. Then place your stretched dough on cookie sheet, add your toppings, and cook for 9 to 12 minutes in a preheated 500 degree oven until evenly browned.
45-Minute Pizza Dough
Author:
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 tsp. dry active yeast (should be one super market packet)
- 2 1/2 cups warm water (between 95 – 115 degrees)
- 2 pounds all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp. sugar
- 1/2 tsp . salt
- 1 ounce olive oil
- additional flour to apply to work surface after dough has risen
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl add warm water and yeast, mix gently, let rest for five minutes.
- Add sugar and gently mix yeast water to insure that all of the sugar has dissolved
- Add flour and mix by hand until there are no more traces of flour residue (or mix on low speed, with dough hook, for 5 minutes)
- Remove dough onto a lightly dusted work surface, make well in the dough and add salt. Aggressively fold or knead dough until salt is incorporated ( or mix on low speed, with dough hook, for 2 minutes)
- Make well in the dough and add oil, and aggressively fold or knead dough until the dough is smooth and not slick with the oil. (or mix on low speed, with dough hook, for final 2 minutes or until dough is not slick with the oil)
- Divide the dough mix into 3 dough balls and roll into round forms
- Let dough rest in a large bowl lightly coated in olive oil and covered with a cheese cloth for 30 minutes or until double in size.
Notes
This is a dough that should be used only if time is a factor. While this will create great tasting pizzas, there are other dough recipes in this booklet that will yield more flavorful, crispier crust, with better crumb. The warmer water temperature and slightly higher amount of yeast is used to facilitate rise, and primary fermentation. This dough is made for the “day of” and is not recommended to keep for the next day. This is also a tackier dough that may be a bit more difficult to handle. If there is a difficulty in handling just use a little bit more flour on the table as you are stretching your dough. [br][br][br][br][b]Cooking Options (after dough is made)[/b][br]1. Gas Fired Home Deck Oven : On lightly dusted work surface stretch out your dough by evenly pressing with your finger tips over entire surface until dough is about 9 or 10 inches in diameter. Then pick up dough and extend it between your hands, and rotate five to ten times until dough is roughly 15 inches in diameter. Do not over think this method, the stretching of this dough should be fun and the dough does not have to be perfectly round. Remember if it isn’t perfectly round it is rustic, which is a cool culinary term constantly over used, but perfect in this situation. Place stretched dough on semolina dusted pizza peel. After the pizza is topped, slide onto the brick deck and cook for 9 to 12 minutes until evenly browned. (oven should be preheated to 500 degrees oven)[br][br][br]2. Home Oven : Using a teaspoon of olive oil, evenly coat a cookie sheet (at least 14″ square) and dust with flour. This is your alternative to using a pizza peel and pizza stone. This method is just as effective. Then on lightly dusted work surface stretch out your dough by evenly pressing with your finger tips over entire surface until dough is about 9 or 10 inches in diameter. Then pick up dough and extend it between your hands, and rotate five to ten times until dough is roughly 15 inches in diameter. Then place your stretched dough on cookie sheet, add your toppings, and cook for 9 to 12 minutes in a preheated 500 degree oven until evenly browned.
These great dough recipes come to us courtesy of Bruno DiFabio!
