Prep. Time: 2h 20′ Cooking Time: 35′ Yields 2 pizzas
Ingredients:
For the Dough:
- 400g strong flour
- 100g corn flour
- 300 ml lukewarm water
- 1 packet (8g) dry yeast
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 3 tbsp melted butter
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp dried basil, thyme, oregano(optional)
For the Sauce:
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- Salt
- Ground pepper
- 3 balls fresh mozzarella (125g each) or mozzarella sticks
- 4 tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated
- 2 rustic sausages (without the casing), finely chopped
Instructions:
For the Dough:
- In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, corn flour, sugar, and yeast.
- Dissolve the salt in lukewarm water and add it to the bowl.
- Attach the appropriate dough hook to your mixer and knead at low speed for 1 minute to get the dry mixture wet.
- Increase the mixer speed and knead for 5-6 minutes until the dough comes off the walls.
- Add the melted but cooled butter and knead for 1 minute until it’s incorporated into the dough.
- At this point you should have a soft and elastic dough.
- In an empty bowl add a few drops of olive oil and coat the entire surface.
- Transfer the dough on your work surface and knead slightly with you hands. Fold all flaps below and shape into a ball.
- Place the dough ball into the oiled bowl. Cover with kitchen wrap.
- Allow the dough to double in size (will take about 50 minutes to 1 hour and 15 minutes depending on the temperature of the room).
- Once the dough has risen, place it on the work surface. Do not add any flour!
- Roll out the dough to a size of approximately 35 by 45 cm.
- Spread softened (not melted) butter by hand or with a soft spatula over the entire surface of the dough, leaving a 1-1/2 cm border around it.
- Tightly roll your dough, keeping the seam facing down on the work surface.
- Cut the roll in half, and fold each piece like an envelope with 3 turns.
- Fold any flaps below and place the both pieces back into the oiled bowl.
- Allow the dough to chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour to let the butter set.
For the Sauce:
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat and add the onions.
- Cook until the onions become translucent.
- Add the garlic, and tomato paste, and sauté for 1 minute while stirring.
- Pour in the tomatoes, sugar, herbs, salt, and pepper, and bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat and simmer with the lid on for about 30 minutes until it thickens.
- In the end, add fresh basil and oregano, salt, and pepper, and stir. You can also add some Parmesan if you want.
- If you want sausage in your pizza, finely slice and sauté them in a dry pan for a few minutes. Set them aside until you fill the pizza dough.
Time to assemble:
- Grease a 24cm pan.
- Roll out the fluffy pizza dough with a rolling pin to cover the base and sides of the pan. The height of the dough walls should be about 5-6 cm.
- If the dough is too cold, let it rest at room temperature until it softens a bit.
- Spread your mozzarella, sausage and any other desired toppings onto the dough.
- Pour 2-3 tbsp of the tomato sauce on top and then repeat the process once more (cheese, meats, sauce).
- Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese on top.
- Preheat the oven to the highest temperature, 220-250°C.
- Bake on the lower rack for about 35 minutes until it is well-browned.
- Remove from the oven and let rest at room temperature for 5-10 minutes.
- Transfer to a plate and cut carefully as the middle part of the pizza will be full of melted cheese and sauce.
Enjoy!
Source: Argiro Barbarigou
