White Wood-fired Neapolitan Pizza (double fermented poolish dough) (Edit recipe)

Pizza is one of my favorite foods, and for years I've been chasing the perfect gluten-free pizza recipe, based solely on memories of living in Italy before I was gluten free. Recently I decided to take the plunge and make some "real" pizzas with Italian wheat flour, and the result was totally delicious. It was nice to remember what these pizzas were like, in the pursuit of making a better Gluten-free pizza! In addition to making an amazing White pizza, we also made some margheritas, and even a pepperoni pizza too, so you'll see pictures for those in this recipe as well. We made this recipe utilizing Vito Iacopelli's base dough recipe for a double fermented "poolish" pizza dough. The poolish is a pre-ferment that helps advance the texture and flavor of the pizza dough. This recipe is an excellent starting point for anyone wanting to explore making traditional neapolitan wood-fired pizzas. The dough is easy to work with, even for first timers, and the Caputo flour is easy on the stomach, especially in this double-fermented method. I suggest starting the process of making the poolish 48 hours ahead of when you want to be making pizzas. The process is long but so worth it!
48 hours
1 hour
Difficulty:
Advanced
Show nutritional information
This is our estimate based on online research.
Calories:348
Fat:5 g
Carbohydrates:61 g
Protein:12 g
Cholesterol:13 g
Sodium:1041 mg
Fiber:3 g
Sugars:1 g
Calculated per serving.

Serves: 12

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Ingredients

Poolish (pre-ferment)

Pizza Dough Ingredients

Pizza Toppings

Process

Note, these instructions are written assuming the standard serving size, since you have modified the number of servings, these steps may need to be modified for best results

To make the poolish

  1. In a large bowl, combine the water, honey and yeast. Stir until the yeast is dissolved, then rest for 3 minutes.
  2. Add the 300 grams of the flour into the water, mix until combined with a spatula.
  3. Cover the bowl (plastic wrap or lid) and rest for 1 hour at room temperature.
  4. After 1 hour at room temperature, transfer to the refrigerator for 16-24 hours.

To make the dough

  1. Remove the poolish from the refrigerator 30-60 minutes before starting to make the dough, allowing it to come up to temperature.
  2. Prepare a large mixing bowl with 400 ml of water. Put all of the poolish into the water and stir until thoroughly incorporated. Add the salt and mix.
  3. Add the flour, and mix well.
  4. Scrape out the dough onto a stone slab or clean countertop. Work and knead the dough by hand and with a bench scrape. Fold and press with your right hand, trying to make as smooth a ball as possible (the dough will be quite sticky). Add the olive oil directly on top of the dough ball, and continue to work the dough until incorporated..
  5. Leaving the dough on the work surface, cover and let rest for 15 minutes.
  6. Using a little olive oil on your hands, resume working the dough. Knead into a tight and smooth ball.
  7. Grease a large bowl with a little olive oil, and place the dough ball (keeping the smooth top side UP) in the bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 16-24 hours (second fermentation).
  8. Remove the dough from the refrigerator 30 minutes before working it.
  9. Lightly flour your work surface, and gently dump the dough out (the top side will be down now). Cut the dough into 6 equal portions and ball it up, keeping the top side (which is down on the surface) on the outside of the ball. This is the area the gluten is being developed and will help keep the air inside the dough balls as they continue to ferment.
  10. Flour an air tight container like a large tupperware or proofing box. Place the dough balls in the container a few finger widths apart, and allow them to ferment at room temperature another 2. I use this time to heat my pizza oven and prepare toppings.

Making the pizzas

  1. Generously flour the work surface with semolina flour (this helps the crust get crispy, and helps it not stick to things). Work the dough balls with the top side up, pressing gently out from the center to the edges. Continually check that the dough is not sticking to the surface.
  2. Once you have the dough the size you want, move it to a wooden pizza peel (this is the most foolproof way to launch the pizzas. I have tried metal peels, and I have a lot of trouble having the pizzas stick). Add the toppings to the pizza, keeping them on the lighter side (don't use too much sauce or cheese).
  3. Bake the pizza in the pizza oven, turning it periodically so that all sides get cooked evenly.
  4. Slice, serve, and repeat!

Notes

I strongly suggest watching Vito Iacopelli's youtube video explaining the process of making the dough before beginning! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7Hd6ZzKgBM

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