A Hands-On Experience
As a pizza enthusiast looking to elevate my homemade pizza game, the hands-on class my husband Michael and I attended at the delightful White Labs Kitchen and Tap was a great experience.
Located in the heart of Asheville, NC., this immersive 2.5-hour session was a journey through the art of crafting the perfect pizza dough, complete with invaluable tips and techniques shared by the expert instructors.
Back at home
While we couldn’t cook the pizza dough on the spot (it requires a cold ferment of three to four days for optimal flavor), we left with newfound knowledge on shaping dough balls (including slapping it back and forth between our hands) and transforming them into delectable 10-inch rounds that form the canvas for pizza. We left with 2 balls each which yielded four 10inch pizzas that had to be used within 4 days.
The pizza dough is truly flavorful but it takes time and practice to achieve. We baked ours at home. We dipped our dough into a mixture of very fine cornmeal and flour, shaped it, and topped with pizza sauce, cheese and basil. It was done in about 7 minutes cooked on a pizza stone in a 550F oven (287 degrees Celsius.) The crust is very thin, so we didn’t overload with toppings.
Pizza Dough Perfection
The pizza dough and proofing recipe is courtesy of the White Labs Brewing Pizza Making Test Kitchen Class.
Ingredients
- •350 grams water (12.35 ounces)
- •75 grams poolish (equal parts water & 00 flour) (2.65 ounces)
- •20 grams liquid yeast (White Labs' ale yeast strain) (0.71 ounces)
- •525 grams 00 flour (18.52 ounces)
- •90 grams spelt or whole wheat flour (includes germ) (3.17 ounces)
- •16 grams small grain kosher salt (0.56 ounces)
Note: The yeast is brewer’s yeast – it is the yeast strain that White Labs uses to brew ale. The strain of yeast that is specific to that recipe and procedure is WLP518 Opshaug Kveik Ale Yeast. This recipe will not work with dry active yeast.
The poolish must be made a day in advance to making the dough as it needs time to naturally ferment. It functions similarly to a sourdough starter. It aids in the cold fermentation of the dough.
Spelt is whole wheat – the germ is included.
Preparation
Begin by adding all wet ingredients to the mixer bowl. Ensure the wet ingredients are added first.
Gradually add the flour (excluding salt) while mixing for approximately 1 minute. Be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl to ensure a basic incorporation of wet and dry ingredients. Avoid over-mixing at this stage.
Allow the mixture to rest for a minimum of 30 minutes.
With the mixer on low, incorporate the salt and mix for 6-8 minutes, or until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
Remove the dough from the bowl and use a pastry cutter to divide it into four balls, each weighing around 9-10 ounces.
To achieve a smooth and shiny texture, fold the dough ball multiple times using your fingers. Rotate the ball as you fold, maintaining a gentle touch.
For uniformity, place the smooth and shiny side of the dough ball in your palm. Use your other hand to gently pinch and twist the opposite side to eliminate air pockets, resulting in a uniform ball.Arrange the four dough balls on a sheet pan, ensuring there’s at least 2 inches of space between them. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and allow the dough to proof at room temperature for 1-2 hours.
Transfer the sheet pan to the refrigerator. While you can use the pizza dough the following day, the ideal flavor and texture develop after 3-4 days of refrigeration.When ready to use the dough, remove it from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for about an hour. Lightly coat the dough ball with a mixture of flour and spelt (or fine cornmeal).
Gently press your fingers into the dough, creating a ring about 1 inch from the edge. This forms a thicker crust at the pizza’s edges, leaving a flat, thinner portion for toppings.With one hand cupped, position your palm just inside the 1-inch ring. Press down and, with the other hand, gently stretch, pull, and turn the dough four times.
Now, lift the dough in one hand and alternately slap it into your other hand, repeating this motion 4-5 times. Drape the dough over your knuckles and rotate it hand over hand. Gravity aids in stretching the dough, which should reach close to 10 inches in diameter. This process takes about a minute.
