This past weekend I got to teach an amazing new group of students about the wonders of DOUGH. This is an extremely fun class, because the dough we make is very versatile. The first, was a focaccia dough, which students got to customize with toppings of their choice. The result is savory, drenched in EVOO, and a perfect addition to any meal. The second dough we made was a classic pizza dough, that can be used to make stromboli, fried dough, and of course, pizza. Students got to make their own personal pan pizzas and take them home.
After class, everyone shared in a great feast! It was an awesome way to spend a Saturday afternoon, and I hope my great gang of guests had as a good of a time as I did. Check out some pictures of the class below, and in case you want to try your hand at dough at home, here are the recipes we worked with.
Focaccia Dough
Ingredients
Bread Flour 16 oz
Warm Water 13 oz
Yeast 1/2 tsp
Salt .5 oz
Sugar .5 oz
EVOO 2 oz, plus 1 oz
Chopped Rosemary 1Tbsp
Method
- Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Bloom Yeast in warm water.
- Add Sugar and 2 oz of EVOO whisk and allow to sit for 5 min or until you begin to see small bubbles.
- Add bread flour and salt and mix by hand till dough comes together. Dough will be wet and sticky.
- Transfer Dough to an 8X10 quarter sheet tray with remaining 1 oz of EVOO and allow to proof for 30 minutes or doubled in size.
- Top with Chopped Rosemary (or topping of your choosing) and coarse salt and bake for 20 minutes or until focaccia is golden brown.
- Remove from oven and drizzle with more EVOO and cool.
- Focaccia should be light and airy with lots of fresh EVOO flavor.
Pizza Dough
Ingredients
All-purpose flour 16 oz
Water 10 oz
Salt .5 oz
Sugar .5 oz
Yeast ½ tsp
Method
- Bloom the yeast: add the yeast and sugar to warm water, whisk and let sit for five minutes, or until bubbles begin to form on the surface. This means the yeast is activated and ready to use.
- To the yeast, add the all-purpose flour, and salt, and mix until the dough just starts to come together.
- Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight.
- When you’re ready to bake, pull the dough from fridge and divide into three pieces. Shape the dough into balls.
- To make a round pizza you need to start with round balls; it’s important to remember this as you shape the dough for proofing.
- Let the dough proof for one hour.
- Pre-heat the over to 400 degrees F.
- Form dough to the pizza pan, sauce, and top the pizza with toppings of your choice.
- Bake in the oven until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted. About 10-12 min
