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I'm really enjoying making this style of pizza.  It is quite filling and one pizza makes two dinners for us.  This time I didn't have my usual all purpose flour so used bread flour.  I also used whole wheat flour this time instead of either spelt or kamut just to try something slightly different.  I don't find that I can taste much difference between the pizzas made with the different flours since the toppings really are the most prominent flavour of the pizza. 

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For pizza on an 17” x 11” pan

Overnight levain

Duration: 12 hours (overnight) at warm room temperature: 74°–76°F (23°–24°C).

In the morning mix the dough when the levain is at peak.  To the bowl of the stand mixer add water, salt, sugar and diastatic malt, stir to dissolve.  Then add the levain, stir to dissolve.  Finally add the flours.  Mix on low speed until there is no dry flour then increase to medium and mix until the dough is moderately developed.  Then slowly drizzle in the olive oil stopping until each addition is incorporated.  Finally mix until good gluten development.

Remove the dough from the bowl and do a bench letterfold.  Transfer the bowl to an oiled bowl for bulk fermentation.  

Do three sets of coil folds at 30 mins intervals and then allow the dough to rest until it reaches 40-50% rise.

Optional cold retard.  Place the dough in the fridge until the next early afternoon.  This is done primarily for convenience.

Allow the dough to continue to ferment at a warm temperature 80°F or so until it reaches 100% rise then shape.

Shaping 

Oil the pan well and brush the bottom and the sides with the olive oil.

Thoroughly flour the top of the dough in the bowl, release it from the sides of the bowl using a bowl scraper then flip it onto the counter.  Flour the exposed dough well with flour and flour the counter around the sides of the dough well.  Using your bowl scraper push some of that flour under the edges of the dough.

Using your hands, get your fingers well under the dough and stretch it out into a rectangle.  Next using your fingers gently press them into the dough to elongate the dough.  Flip the dough over and repeat aiming to get the dough to about 75% of the area of the pan.  

Transfer the dough to the oiled pan by folding it in half and unfolding it once in the pan.  Gently stretch the dough out to touch the edges of the pan.  If it resists stretching, wait 15 mins and try again after the gluten has relaxed.

Aim to bake the pizza once the total rise is 120-125%.  About 1 hour prior to baking pre-heat the oven to 500°F placing your backing steel on the lowest rack of the oven.

Bake the pizza.

Drizzle olive oil onto the dough.  Then using a large spoon, spread a thin layer of pizza sauce over the dough from edge to edge.  Slide the baking pan into the oven on top of the baking surface. Decrease the oven temperature to 425°F (220°C) and bake for 10 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and sprinkle on the grated cheese and any other toppings. Lightly drizzle some olive oil over the entire pizza. Slide the sheet pan back into the oven on the baking surface and bake for 20 minutes more. The cheese should be melted and the bottom crust well colored.

Crushed Tomato Sauce

Makes 4 cups

1 can San marzano tomatoes - squeeze tomato water out of the tomatoes then using a hand mash up the tomato meat.  Keep the canned juice and tomato water mix to drink.

¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp dried basil or 2 tbsp minced fresh basil

1 tsp dried oregano or 1 tbsp minced fresh oregano

1 teaspoon granulated garlic powder

2 tbsp red wine vinegar or freshly squeeze lemon juice or a combination

1 tsp salt to taste

Stir together, can store up to 1 wk.

For less greasy pizza, just place your pepperoni in a single layer on some paper towels and microwave for 30 seconds. This starts to cook the pepperoni, and you'll see some of that fat start to melt out and be absorbed by the paper towel.  I did 30 secs twice.

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My index of bakes.

We had friends over for brunch this past weekend and decided that a savory strata was going to be served.  So of course, I needed to make a challah for this, but didn’t have enough time for a sourdough challah due many other things happening.  So here is my recipe for a IDY fast all in less than a day delicious challah with some whole wheat.

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Procedures

1. In the morning, in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, add the IDY then water, then mix in the 4 eggs, salt, honey and oil then mix until completely combined.
2. Mix in all the flour until it forms a shaggy mass.
3. Knead the dough on the bench or in a stand mixer until it is smooth and there is moderate gluten development. The dough should be quite firm.  Mix until gluten is well developed.
4. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover it tightly. Ferment for about 2 hours. It should approximately double in size. 
5. To make one loaf, divide the dough into two equal portions, and divide each portion into the number of pieces needed for the type of braiding you plan to do, so divide each by 3 to make 1 six strand braided loaf.
6. Form each piece into a ball and allow them to rest, covered, for 10-20 minutes to relax the gluten.
7. Form each piece into a strand about 14” long. (I like Glezer's technique for this. On an un-floured board, flatten each piece with the palm of your hand. Using a rolling pin, roll out each piece to about ¼ inch thickness. Then roll up each piece into a tight tube. Using the palms of your hands, lengthen each piece by rolling each tube back and forth on the bench with light pressure. Start with your hands together in the middle of the tube and, as you roll it, move your hands gradually outward. Taper the ends of the tube by rotating your wrists slightly so that the thumb side of your hand is slightly elevated, as you near the ends of the tube.).  You can consider rolling each rope of dough in two different types of seeds at this point for a decorative effect, or only a few of the strands.
8. Braid the loaves.  Braiding somewhat loosely, not too tight. 
9. Place loaf on parchment paper on a sheet pan. Brush with egg wash. Cover well with plastic wrap (brush with oil so it doesn’t stick to the dough) or place the pans in a food grade plastic bag, and proof at room temperature until the loaves have tripled or quadrupled in volume. About 2 hours.
10. If it's quadrupled and when poked the dough only springs back a little, preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F.  Gauge the dough again. Stick a finger lightly in the dough. If it makes an indentation that doesn't spring back, the dough is ready to be baked. If not, wait a bit more.
11. Pre-heat the oven to 350ºF with the rack in the lower third of the oven about 30 mins before final proof is complete.
12. Brush each loaf with an egg lightly beaten with a pinch of salt.  I do this twice.
13. Optionally, sprinkle the loaves with sesame seeds and/or poppy seeds.
14. Bake until done – 30-40 minutes rotating half way.  If baking as one large loaf may take a bit longer, bake until sounds hollow or reaches 190ºF in the middle.
15. Cool completely before slicing.

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My index of bakes

Another chunk of possible useless information, perhaps, but still an important one. The next phase was to figure out a way of dealing with percentages in a virtually calculator-free way by entering only the weight of ingredients & allowing the spreadsheet to calculate everything else.

• Formulas to calculate each ingredient's weight displayed as a percentage. A way of maintaining percentages throughout when increasing or decreasing Total Dough Weight. (TDW)

One thing found while doing searches was that each recipe was separate from the other. Either on different tabs on a sheet or filed separately. Nothing wrong with that, each to their own as they say.  I was looking for a way of seeing a change and keeping the original in view as and when it happened.

Goal - One recipe, one card, two weights, original and revised. Formulas to convert weights to percentages. Then a set of formulas to convert original percentages pro rata to weights for the revised dough weight. Then added a raft of extra info to the mix. (drop downs selectors for recipe/baker, % total, flour total, active filters) The latter is all part of the “To-Do” list, so not really extra work. 

Yes, the picture here doesn’t show much either. But it’s a condensed version using active filters, removing all items not included in the recipe, or not necessary for bake day.  Depending on the recipe a fuller version includes not only what’s shown but also all of the following

• Weights & Percentages for Soakers, Sourdough Levains, Preferments (Pâte Fermentée, Biga, Poolish, Sponge, etc.), Variety of Flours and wet & dry additions.

Bakers Percent Re-Imagined Part 3a to follow

English muffins baked today. I haven't made EM's before so I used 1/2 recipe from King Arthur site to make 8 muffins. I hand mixed with a Danish whisk. Very slack dough much different from my regular sourdough bread dough and baked in a caste iron skillet on the stovetop. Looking forward to bacon and egg muffin tomorrow morning. Cheers.

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