- 2 1/4 cups warm water
- 2 Tbsp Sugar
- 1 Tbsp instant or active dry yeast
- 1 Tbsp Salt + 1/2 tsp. Salt
- 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 5 1/2 – 6 cups AP flour or bread flour (625g to 750g or so)
INSTRUCTIONS
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In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the water sugar and yeast. If using active dry yeast, let the mixture bubble and foam before proceeding (this can take 3-5 minutes). If using instant yeast, proceed with the recipe (no need to let the yeast activate).
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Add the salt, oil and 3 cups of flour and mix. Add in 2 1/2 to 3 more cups of flour gradually. The dough should clear the sides of the bowl and form a soft ball that doesn’t leave a lot of dough residue on your fingers. Knead for 2-3 minutes until the dough is smooth. If the dough starts to cling to the sides of the bowl, add 1/4 cup of flour at a time until a sturdy but soft ball of dough forms.
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Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl and cover with a towel or greased plastic wrap. Let the dough rise until doubled, about an hour or so.
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Turn the dough onto a lightly greased surface and divide in half. Pat each section into a thick rectangle. Roll the dough up starting from the long edge, pressing out any air bubbles or seams. Arrange seam side down on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
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Cover with greased plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let the loaves rise until noticeably puffy and nearly doubled in size, about an hour. If dough falls after 2nd prove it was over proofed. To test, gently poke the dough, if the dent springs back slowly and partially, it’s ready.
- Score the bread.
- Place a pan with a few ice cubes in the bottom of the oven.
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Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and bake for 25-30 minutes until golden and baked through. Repeat with the 2nd loaf (or if you have convection setting, the loaves can bake at the same time).
More detailed instructions and pictures can be found here.
- To make pizzas with the dough, after the first rise I set half aside and wrap it up and put in the fridge. Then I’ll make pizza the next night for dinner. When you take the dough out of the fridge, you need to give it an hour or two to come up to room temp or else it’s too difficult to shape.
- When cooking the pizza, heat to 425 convect. After about 5-6 min, cover the top with aluminum foil to prevent too much browning. Cook time will be approx. 15min total. Check bottom of the dough for doneness by lifting up with a spatula.