I've been making quite a bit of pizza lately. Sometimes you just get a hankering for something and keep going with it. Since I am making so many batches of dough, I'm also able to let it proof for a little bit longer. As fun as a 6 hour proof is, we're getting to the colder season where proofing dough in the windowsill doesn't have the same effect with snow on the ground and the windowpanes freezing. I've been doing an hourlong proof at room temperature and then 2 days in the refrigerator with Pizza Dough w/ All-purpose Flour and Barbecue Pizza Dough w/ All-purpose Flour.
How This Batch of Pizza Dough Holds Up
Some of these batches were better than others. It looks like my living room has been a little bit too warm with the initial proof and then the refrigerator has been too cold for the rest of the proof. I have an older refrigerator that almost set my kitchen on fire once (it melted the outlet inside of my wall and everything smelled like burning fish). My refrigerator is incredibly cold, though. There's only one dial to adjust the temperature and, if I want the freezer to freeze, the top half of the refrigerator also freezes.
I put the dough in the middle of my refrigerator because that's the only place that a bowl this large can fit with my current setup, but the dough did get better over time and didn't look like it was fully proofed until the last batch 9 days later (and the crust is beautiful by then). Nine days is an exceedingly long proof time, though. The yeast would ordinarily die around 3-5 days (this causes little black spots and is totally fine to eat; it happens all of the time in restaurants).
This dough, in particular, looks like it over proofed in my living and then collapsed in the refrigerator. That's, obviously, not exactly what I'm looking for. But the dough did eventually proof and had a cross between a flatbread and a cracker crust. I'll probably try this recipe again with a slightly different proofing method. Although, the great thing about pizza dough is that, pretty much no matter what you do, it's still going to make pizza dough! It might just be more or less fluffy.
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What to Make w/ All-purpose Flour Pizza
I've made an abundance of pizza over the last couple of weeks. If you're looking for any kind of fall favorite, it would be amongst these pizzas here. Although, you can always mix and match your own favorite ingredients to make it your own. The avocado and roasted garlic pizza is the second to last batch made with this dough and it that crust is beautiful.
7g.sugar(or 2 tsp. brown sugar, maple syrup, or honey)
625g.all-purpose flour(5 c.)
2tsp.salt
2tbsp.olive oil
Instructions
Proof Dough
Combine warm water, yeast, and sugar. Let rest for 15 minutes, or until the yeast begins to bubble.
Meanwhile, whisk together whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, and salt in a large bowl.
After the yeast has proofed, stir yeast mixture into the flour. Mix until roughly incorporated and the dough has a shaggy appearance.
Add in the olive oil and mix until all of the ingredients are combined.In a mixer with a dough hook attachment, this only takes a minute or two. By hand, this takes about 5 minutes. It's a no-knead bread recipe, so you're not necessarily looking for soft and pliable dough. Really, you just want all of the ingredients to be mixed thoroughly at this point! Which does make it a great recipe to make by hand if you prefer or don't have a mixer.
Cover dough and let proof for 6 hours, or until doubled in size. Alternatively, place in the refrigerator for 1-3 days.A quick pizza dough proof can be done in about 6 hours. Ideally, the dough is made 2 days ahead of time and proofed in the refrigerator for that time. However, I almost never know that I'm going to make pizza 2 days ahead of time! And 6 hours is perfectly adequate.
Cook Dough
Preheat the griddle (optional) in the oven to 550 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes.
Divide the dough in half. Lightly flour a large, flat surface and roll out each dough until roughly 1/4 inch thick.I like to do this on a pizza peel because they're relatively large and mobile. Any cutting board or flat surface that is mobile helps. Otherwise, you can roll out the dough on your countertop, lightly flour a plate, and transport it that way.
Carefully pick up the dough and drop it onto the griddle.There is no great way to do this. If you have a pizza peel, you can tilt the peel at about a 30 degree angle and shimmy it slightly as you pull the peel out from under the dough. For anyone who's never done this before, it's easier said than done! And dough is not forgiving at this stage. If it doesn't slide onto the grill smoothly, you really only had one shot at it!So, I suggest getting both of your hands under the dough with your fingers outstretched, holding it in as much of a flat, round shape as possible. Letting it hover just above the grill and then gently, but swiftly, pulling both of your hands out to the right and left side at the same time.This sounds complicated, but you're really just doing your best to plop the dough evenly on the grill! You don't want it rolling under itself, stretching into oblong shapes, or slipping between the grates. Do whatever method helps you achieve this.
Cook until the dough just begins to rise. This takes about 3-5 minutes in the oven.
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