This wonder comes from Carla, it's full of tips and tricks. I'm starting simply noting down her advices and teachings, and I am adding bits and pieces from my research - this is work in progress as I will make edits documenting various testing.
Ground Rules and Basic Information:
Flour: Pizza, Focaccia and Bread need a flour that contains enough gluten to trap the air bubble during the dough leavening. Not enough gluten, not enough air bubbles: the dough might rise seemingly well thanks to the yeast, but then will flop and collapse.
Gluten is a protein, so the % of protein shown on the label of the flour packet will give the indication of the strength of the flour: the more the protein, the stronger the flour.
Theoretically it's possible to add gluten (you can find it in powder form, as it's used to make franfurters etc) to the flour to change the flour strength - but neither Carla nor I know exactly how much gluten to add to how much flour to obtain a given result, so I'll leave it at that
TIP: Bran also provides protein, so wholemeal flour would show a higher content of protein. However, the protein provided by bran is of no use to you to trap the air bubbles. Basically, a wholemeal flour packet might indicate a protein % that suits your purpose, but as you don't know how much of it comes from bran or how much from gluten, you cannot really tell if that flour is strong enough. (Once I'll master white flour pizza, focaccia and bread I might attempt wholemeal varieties, so I guess testing will give me some indication and I'll document it all here).
Pizza, Focaccia and Italian bread need a strong flour: around 13% of protein content (from gluten)
Heavy leavening dough, such as the Italian Christmas Panettone or Pandoro, or the Easter Colomba, require an even stronger flour: around 15-16% of protein content
TIP: At the end of this post, I'm going to add information that Carla found around the place in order to obtain the correct % of protein of the flour when it's difficult to find it in the shops - basically you'd mix a couple of different types of flour to reach your 13gr of protein for Pizza, Focaccia, and Italian bread, or your 15gr of protein for your Panettone, Pandoro, or Colomba.
Oil: always use extra virgin olive oil. Adding the oil is the difference in this dough between pizza and focaccia (with oil) and bread (without)
Yeast: dry yeast is perfect here. If using fresh yeast, triple the quantity. There is no real difference nor advantage between dry and fresh yeast.
TIP: if using a smaller amount of yeast from a packet, the remainder should be resealed very well and kept in the fridge for a week at the maximum, otherwise it would loose its leavening power
Water: always use water at room temperature
This method requires 75% of water (against the flour quantity). Reducing the amount of water to, for example, 60%, would mean having to work the dough for much longer, while increasing the amount of water over 80% requires advanced skills that I haven't mastered at all yet, therefore I cannot document - plus it would require a professional oven that heats up well above the 250 degrees of the normal household ovens
NOTE: using this much water means that the dough will be very, very wet
Temperature: the temperature of the kitchen is very important throughout the full process: the warmer the room, the quicker the leavening. Quicker does not necessarily mean better though - there are times when a slower leavening process is needed. I'm referring here to a kitchen that is at around 18-21 degrees C
The temperature of the fridge is also important, and for the same reason. I'm referring here to a fridge that is at around 5-6 degrees C
The temperature of the oven is essential: bakers would use ovens that reach 500 degrees C. I am referring here to a normal household oven that reaches 250 degrees C
Salt: this is of course to taste. Keep in mind that Italian Tuscan bread is also made with salt, so we don't limit its use to pizza and focaccia only
Ingredients, Quantities, and Notes
Ingredients:
Flour
Water
Yeast
Salt
Oil (not used for bread)
Lard (only used to butter the baking tray as it's a lot easier to lift the cooked item from the tray once it's cooked)
Semolina (only used to dust the kitchen counter for Pizza or Focaccia)
It stands to reason that quantities depend on how big is your baking tray. The quantities below would make a pizza or focaccia that is quite thin in a bigger tray, and a little thicker in a smaller tray.
Bigger tray dimensions: 43.5cm x 35cm
Smaller tray dimensions: 38cm x 27.5cm
400gr strong flour @ 13% protein
300gr water
6-10gr salt (I'll use 7gr for my first attempt)
10-15gr oil (I'll use 12gr for my first attempt)
2gr dry yeast (or 4gr fresh yeast)
Time:
This is a work of love that will take a lot of time, most of it being waiting times for the dough to rise. See the table below for an approximation, so you can plan your efforts accordingly. Per my calculation it would take in total a minimum of 695mins (11hrs and 35mins) and a maximum time of 1415mins (23hrs and 35mins).
In order to work out when to start the full process, I am using the maximum times, and bunching together the working, resting, and baking times it comes out you need to dedicate 2 hrs 10 mins, then up to 18 hours (but within this time you only have 8 hours "free", as you need to keep an eye on the dough for the remainder of the time), then you need to dedicate 3 hrs and 25 mins.
In reality this is the most complex of the things here - basically you need to have all of this time available!!!
Working Time | Resting Time | Baking Time |
Making the dough = 10m | ||
Working the dough = 30m | Rest 1, 2, and 3 = 90m | |
Rest 4 = 6-18 hrs | ||
Folding the dough = 20m | ||
Shaping the dough = 15m | ||
Rest 5 = 30m | ||
Stretching the dough = 20m | Resting the stretched dough = 40m | |
Rest 6 = 60m | ||
Dressing the dough = 5m | ||
Cooking (Pizza & Focaccia) = 10-15m; Bread = 60 mins | ||
Total = 1 hr and 40 mins | Total Minimum: 580mins = 5 hrs and 40 mins Total Maximum: 1300mins = 21hrs and 40 mins | Total = 10-15 mins |
Method:
Pour the flour and the yeast in a big enough bowl and mix them well
Slowly add the water to the flour mixing with a fork (this is a gradual addition, the water must be well absorbed between additions)
Add the salt and the oil at the end
Rest 1: once all combined and mixed well, cover it tight with cling film and rest it on the counter for 30 mins
Uncover the bowl, then using now a rigid spatula start developing the gluten. You do this by mixing the dough with the spatula in a very specific manner: insert the spatula along the edges of the bowl down to the center of the bottom, then lift the dough up along the edge of the bowl a bit further down and folding it back towards the center (pretty much in the same way that you'd use to add flower to firmly whipped eggs)
Using the above method, fold it 3 to 5 times at the maximum
Rest 2: cover the bowl with clingfilm and let it rest on the counter for another 30 mins
Uncover the bowl, then fold it as per above using your spatula 3 to 5 times
Rest 3: cover the bowl again and let it rest for a further 30 mins
Uncover the bowl, then again fold it as per above using your spatula 3 to 5 times. You will notice that the dough is now much firmer to the touch
Rest 4: cover the bowl and let it rest until it doubles in volume (mark the container so that you can properly judge it). It is very important to pick up the dough as soon as it doubles in volume, therefore it should rest as follows:
If your kitchen is below 25 degrees C, and if it is daytime and you can keep an eye on it, let it rest on the kitchen counter for 6 up to 18 hours (it will depend on the ambient temperature, so keep an eye on it)
If you intend to pick it up in the morning and let it rest overnight, or if the kitchen temperature is above 25 degrees C, put it in the fridge for 8-18 hours (again, from 8 hours onwards, keep an eye on it)
Work the dough: once rested and doubled in volume, lightly dust your kitchen counter with semolina (for Pizza or Focaccia) or with flour (for Bread) and pour the dough on it: flatten it out using your hands, then delicately stretch it from below (do not tear it) to reach a rectangular shape
Pick up the long edge and fold it over until you reach two thirds of the width, then pick up the opposite long edge and fold it over the other one so that you'd have a much smaller rectangle: much like when you fold an A4 sheet of paper to put it into an envelope
At this point, pick up the short edge of that smaller rectangle and fold it over until you reach two thirds of the length, then pick up the opposite short edge and fold it over the first part
Second time: flatten the dough again using your hands to a bigger rectangular shape, and proceed as above. Long edge first to obtain your A4 sheet folded in 3, then short edge folded in three
Third time: exactly like the second time. Note that according to the flour and the temperature, the dough might be too solid to be worked a third time. Give it a try, but if it is too solid and you risk tearing it apart leave it and don't do it.
Shape the dough into a ball (i.e. "pirlatura"): your starting point here is where you left it per above: the smaller, thick square obtained by folding in three your smaller rectangle. The objective is to obtain a ball so that the gluten will form a sort of a skin during the further rising. In order to do this, using both hands work your square vertical sides towards the bottom, turning the square (which will quickly shape as a ball) while you do it. Eventually all the bottom edges will seal and you'll have your perfect shape.
TIP: as the dough might still be a little sticky, wet your hands with water (shaking off the excess) when "caressing" your dough into shape. Wetting your hands in oil will not work as well, contrary to what you might have heard.
Rest 5: butter your baking tray with lard, then place the ball of dough in the middle: cover it with a big round container (you could use a salad bowl) and let it rest for 30 mins
Spread the dough into your baking tray using your hands: take very good care not to tear it apart. It is quite likely that you won't reach the tray edges on the first try, in that case leave it as stretched as you can get it, cover the tray with cling film and let it rest for 10 mins
Make a second attempt to stretch the dough into the tray further, with the same care. It is likely that in these 10 mins the dough retreated somewhat, but don't get discouraged and continue to stretch it carefully into the tray as much as possible
Again, it may be possible you won't reach the edges or the corners of your tray, so again cover it all with clingfilm and let it rest another 10 mins
NOTE: you may have to work in this way 4 to 5 times until you reach all edges and corners of your tray
Rest 6: once the dough is fully stretched into your baking tray, cover the baking tray again with cling film and let it rest for another 30 to 60 mins
Preheat your oven to the very maximum: household ovens get usually up to 250 degrees C
Dressing your Focaccia: if you are making the focaccia, drizzle olive oil all over and spread it well with your hands, then make a good few dents with your knuckles or the tips of your index and middle fingers and sprinkle with coarse salt. According to your taste, you can then sprinkle some fresh rosemary leaves, or oregano, or ground black pepper
Dressing your Pizza: spread your tomato sauce (at room temperature) first in a thin layer - note that you'd have made the tomato sauce previously.
Any other topping should be added after 7 mins of baking (do NOT open the oven before then), keeping in mind that if you use mozzarella, it should be added after the tomato sauce and before any other topping
TIP: if you like to use a lot of toppings, you are better off using the smaller tray (see above for the dimensions of the two trays) so that the base is thick enough to handle them
Baking: there is a final rise of the dough that occours during the first 5 min of baking in the oven, so to be on the safe side never open the oven door before 7 mins have passed
The total baking time for both the Pizza and the Focaccia is between 10 and 15 mins: you need to play by ear and judge it yourself by the colour of the dough
Preparing the Bread for baking: Shape the bread in a round shape, then place it into a dutch oven (a very heavy terracotta large pot, uncovered) which you'll put in the middle of the oven. Note that it's also possible to place the bread onto a normal big baking tray
Bread baking temperature: the oven will need to be slighly cooler than for the Pizza or Focaccia - 230 degrees C for the first 15 mins, then 210-220 degrees for the following 45 mins
SUPER TIP: When it's difficult to find the right flour around, you can mix 2 different types to reach your desired strength.
In order to use the calculator form linked below, you need to know the W of each flour. This is indicated in the two tables below:
As this all is in Italian, I'll provide you with the translation of the basic bits so that you can still make use of this all thing.
The CALCULATOR site is this
W = this stands for the strength of the flour
The form is divided in 2, you will fill in only the first part:
Forza (W) Farina 1 = Enter the W of your first flour
Forza (W) Farina 2 = Enter the W of your second flour
Forza (W) che si desidera ottenere = Enter the W of the flour you want to use
Quantità di farina totale della ricetta in gr. = Enter the number of grams of flour that is required by your recipe
The second part provides you with the results:
% Farina 1 = The calculated % of your first flour
% Farina 2 = The calculated % of your second flour
Grammi Farina 1 occorrenti = The number of grams of your first flour that you will need
Grammi Farina 2 occorrenti = The number of grams of your second flour that you will need
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