Overnight Pizza Dough - Poolish^★

For the poolish

• 300ml room temp Water
• 5g dry yeast
• 5g (1 tbsp) Honey
• 300g Flour - 00 or plain

In a container with a lid add water, yeast and honey and stir together

Add in flour and mix until well combined

Cover with lid and leave at room temp for 1 hour, then place in the fridge for 12-24 hours

For the dough

• 700ml room temp water
• 40g salt
• 1250g flour - 00 or plain
• Semolina or cornmeal to dust

Pour the water in a large bowl and add the poolish

Stir gently to mix for a couple of minutes

Add half the flour and mix well

Add the salt and mix

Add the rest of the flour and mix until mostly incorporated

Tip onto a clean work surface and work the dough by lightly kneading until dough is a sticky ball

Cover with the bowl on the work surface and leave for 15 mins to rest

Rub hands with a small amount of olive oil to prevent sticking and gently lift and fold the dough (see gif) to create a tight ball

Oil your bowl and place in the dough, covered for 30 mins at room temp

Tip out your dough gently and cut and shape into large softball sized pieces approx 150g keeping the dough tight. Should make about 10 dough balls

Dust a large baking tray with semolina or cornmeal and place in the dough balls about 5cm apart

Dab the top of each ball with olive oil and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Leave to rest for 2 hours at room temp

Dough balls are proofed when they have spread to almost touch

For the pizza

• 2 cups passata or 1 can of blitzed plum tomatoes
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp olive oil
• Fresh mozzarella
• Fresh basil
• Other toppings e.g. olives, salami, prosciutto,
• ½ cup semolina or cornmeal

Put pizza stone in the oven at max temp for 1 hour

Make the sauce by mixing the passata or blitzed tomatoes with 5-6 torn basil leaves, the salt and olive oil

If using fresh ball mozzarella, chop into 1cm cubes

Fill a large shallow bowl with½ cup of semolina or cornmeal

Dust the dough ball in the tray and your scraper with semolina or cornmeal and scrape the dough ball off the tray in one go

Place the dough ball face down in the semolina/cornmeal bowl and dust well

With a little semolina or cornmeal on the work surface, place the dough ball face up again and use the press and stretch method to make a circle about 10-12 inches across. https://youtu.be/G-jPoROGHGE?t935

Once stretched, place on a cornmeal dusted pizza peel, dab the crust with olive oil, dress with sauce and cook on the stone in the oven for about 8 mins or until just baked

Remove, add cheese and other toppings and place back in the oven until fully baked, about 5 mins Freezing left over dough balls

Seal the dough balls in the flour dusted tray again with plastic wrap

Place in the freezer overnight to freeze completely

Remove from the tray and place in individual zip lock bags in the freezer

Defrosting

The night before, take out as many dough balls as you want to make pizzas

Place in a high sided, cornmeal dusted tray, dust a little flour on top and seal with plastic wrap

Place in the fridge overnight

1 hour before using, remove from the fridge

Dough will be very soft so will need less stretching