Ingredients

For this recipe, Patrick is using a preferment known as a biga. The biga needs to be made the day before you plan your final dough really introduces so much flavour to the final dough and for me takes it to the next level.

  
For the Biga:

• 250g flour
• 160ml water
• 3g yeast

• 410g biga
• 400g Flour
• 285ml water
• 2g yeast

Tools

• Titanium Chef Baker White

Method

For the biga:

1. Combine all the ingredients, knead for 3 to 4 minutes, place into a clean bowl, cover with clingfilm and ferment overnight in the fridge. The biga should be made the day before you intend to make the final dough.

For the pizza dough:

1. For the final dough, combine all the ingredients in a bowl of a mixer and knead on a slow speed for 5 to 6 minutes. Increase the speed and mix for a further 2 minutes. Transfer the dough to a clean oiled bowl and cover. This dough has excellent flexibility when it comes to proving, depending on when you want to make pizzas.

Proving options:

1. Ambient prove 8-10 hours knock back scale to 220g. Prove for 1 hour before shaping and cooking
2. Cold prove up to 48 hours in a fridge, knock back scale to 220g prove for a further 2 hours to 2 1/2 hours before shaping and cooking.
3. Depending on what option you have gone for in terms of proving, knock the dough back portion to approximately 220g and roll it into dough balls. Arrange evenly spaced on a tray and allow to prove again.

To shape the pizza base:

1. Transfer one of the rolled dough balls to a nicely floured work counter. Patrick suggests using a combination of flour and semolina when shaping the pizza base.
2. Using your fingertips, flatten out the dough. Gently moving the dough from one hand to another, stretch and shape the dough to the desired size. Alternatively, using a rolling pin is not a problem, Transfer the pizza base onto a wooden chopping board dusted with semolina. The board will be used to slide the pizza base directly onto the preheated baking tray/pizza stone in your oven.

To prep and cook the pizza:

1. If using a pizza oven, preheat the oven to approximately 450c; alternatively, if using a domestic oven, set the oven to its hottest setting. Place a large flat baking tray upside down into the oven and allow it to heat. You will use the surface of the baking tray to bake your pizza base. If you have a pizza stone, please feel free to use it instead.
2. Cover the surface of the pizza base with tomato sauce and top the pizza base with your chosen toppings. When ready to bake, slide the pizza directly onto the pizza stone/tray. Bake for about 4 and a half to 5 minutes. Allow to cool slightly; enjoy.