Utility Pizza Dough

This is a simple and approachable entry-level dough. Kneading by hand is a fun and connecting process, but use a stand mixer if you prefer.

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Instructions

1.	In a large bowl, whisk the yeast into the water.
2.	Mix in all the flour with your hand or a spoon, then cover and rest the dough for 30 minutes (this hydrates the flour to reduce active kneading time).
3.	Transfer the dough to the workbench, pat it down to a rough square and sprinkle the salt evenly over the surface.
4.	Begin kneading by hand to incorporate the salt.
5.	Use the heel of your dominant hand to push down firmly through the dough, pushing it away from you, while your other hand folds and rotates it between strokes.
6.	Find your rhythm, dance a little; the aim is to make parts of the dough touch that were not touching before. Continue kneading for 5 minutes, then take a 5 minute rest – you’ve earned it.
7.	Continue kneading for a further 4-5 minutes until the dough has some shine and is nearly smooth with a slight tackiness – this shows strong gluten development. The temperature of the finished dough should be 21-25°C.
8.	Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover and rest for 3 hours at room temperature. It will grow, but doesn’t need to double.
9.	Cut the dough into three even pieces, around 270g each. Shape the dough into smooth, round, well-sealed balls. For this technique and hand stretching the dough, YouTube is your friend.
10.	Place the dough balls on a lightly floured baking sheet or dough tray, spaced out to allow for growth.
11.	Lightly oil the tops, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate: overnight is good; two days is great.
12.	On pizza day, take the dough out of the fridge to warm up for at least two hours before stretching.
13.	BAKING A ROUND PIZZA
14.	Heat the oven to its hottest setting. If using a domestic oven, it is essential to use fan bake with a preheated pizza stone/steel on the middle rack.
15.	Set up all your toppings in a logical order before working with the dough.
16.	Flour the dough ball well, then hand stretch or roll it out to your desired size (30-35cm) and thickness.
17.	Gently place the dough on a lightly floured peel, keeping the top side on top.
18.	Add the toppings quickly, shuffling the pizza occasionally to prevent it from sticking.
19.	Transfer the pizza from the peel onto the pizza stone/steel. A quick Hail Mary always helps.
20.	Bake to your preferred level of doneness, rotating as required for an even colour.
21.	If the top needs more colour, finish using the fan grill oven setting.
22.	Cool on a rack, garnish, slice and dig in.