Wood-Fired Pizza
You can make up the dough within a few hours, or let it bulk ferment for several days, which makes the texture and flavour fantastic.
Makes about 18 7” pizzas
7 cups unbleached flour
1 ½ tbsp kosher salt
1 tbsp active dry yeast
3 cups lukewarm water
Measure 4 cups of flour into a large mixer bowl. Add the salt. Dissolve the yeast in 1 cup of the lukewarm water and add it to the bowl along with the remaining 2 cups of water. Stir well with a wooden spoon. Add 2 more cups of flour and stir to a stiff mass. Clean off the wooden spoon and insert the dough hook into the stand mixer; knead on low speed for about 10 minutes, adding in the additional cup of flour to make a soft dough. (Alternatively, knead the dough by hand.)
Grease a large bowl with olive oil, transfer the dough to the bowl and coat it with the oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let proof on the counter at room temperature for 2 days (or if you need the dough right away, let it double in bulk for about 1 ½ hours, then proceed with make the pizza). During the first few hours, place your hand along the edge of the dough, grab a piece and pull it up and fold the dough over onto itself. Turn the bowl a quarter turn and repeat, turning the bowl a total of four times. Cover and let rest. Do this procedure four times over the next 2-3 hours. Then leave the dough to sit at room temperature, covered with plastic wrap. After 2 days, refrigerate the dough for a further 24 hours. Remove the dough from the fridge about 2 hours before using.
About 2 hours before you are ready to make the pizza, start the wood oven with kindling and logs. Let burn until some good embers build up and the oven is 800-900°F. This will take about 60-90 minutes. Use an instant thermometer to gauge the temp. The dark soot will have burned off the inside roof of the oven as well. Push the coals to the back of the oven. Clean the base of the oven with a wet towel. Do this several times. Then let the base come back up to temperature while you make the pizza.
To make the pizza, cut off a piece of dough about the size of a tennis ball. Using your fingers, work the dough to a thin pizza bottom. You can also use a rolling pin. The dough might become round or oval, it doesn’t matter because it will be fantastic regardless. Transfer the dough to a cornmeal-coated pizza peel. *Do this before you top the pizza.* Jiggle the pizza back and forth to make sure it is not sticking. Then proceed.
Smear with about 2 heaping tbsp fresh tomato sauce and top with cheese and other toppings (sliced artichoke hearts, roasted red pepper strips, sautéed mushrooms, fresh mozzarella cheese, for example). Don’t overload the pizza too much or it may stick to the peel or you will lose the toppings when you put the pizza into the oven.
Then, using a quick shaking motion, quickly transfer the pizza to the bricks. With the heat this high, it will take about 90 seconds to 2 minutes to cook the pizza. The dough will puff up and become soft yet sturdy. Turn the pizza often using a paddle. Remove from the oven to a cutting board. Let cool slightly. Cut and enjoy. Repeat with more pizzas.
Fresh Uncooked Tomato Sauce
796 mL can diced tomatoes
1 fresh tomato
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup fresh chopped basil
3-4 cloves crushed garlic
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp kosher salt
½ tsp ground black pepper
¼ tsp chili flakes, optional
Combine all in a bowl and stir. Taste and adjust seasonings.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.